Mary Freeman

Swimming competitor Kelly began swimming in the Walter Reed Army Hospital pool in Washington as her father, a chemist, was on the staff. Her competitive career began around 1948, aged 15. She started 6 a.m. swim sessions with the Walter Reed Swim Club under Coach Jim Campbell, who was also a physical therapist at the hospital. Campbell would later coach swimmers at the University of Pennsylvania as would Mary. In 1952, Freeman made the U.S. Olympic team bound for Helsinki. Recognized as an attractive American athletic champion with a Hollywood connection through her husband, she held a measure of celebrity status and appeared on the cover of Life Magazine on July 23, 1951.

AAU National champion Freeman won the backstroke competition in the 100-meter and 200-meter events at the 1951 AAU outdoor championships. That year she also captured AAU 200-yard indoor backstroke title. In 1953, one of her best years, she won three additional AAU competitions; the 330-yard outdoor medley relay, the 880 yard outdoor freestyle relay, and the indoor 300 yard individual medley. Freeman and Kelly had six children; she sued for divorce in 1968. She later married Professor Alan Spitzer of the University of Iowa in late May, 1981, and lived in Iowa City, Iowa.

Coaching swimming She went on to become a renowned swimming coach after retiring from competitive swimming around 1953.

Vesper Boat Club achievements One of their most recognized first team wins came in August 1961, when the Vesper Boat Club won the AAU Outdoor Team National Championships in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Altogether, Freeman sent five women on to represent the United States in the Olympic Games.

Not confined solely to coaching women, at the Vesper Boat Club, she was also a mentor to Carl Robie a male Olympic medalist in butterfly in both the '64 and '68 Olympics. Freeman was an important early coach to Robie, who dominated the 200-meter butterfly event, though the butterfly was not recognized as a competitive stroke during Freeman's swimming career.

Administrative roles in American swimming In the 1960's, she served on the U.S. Olympic Women’s Swimming Committee. From 1956-64 she served with the AAU Women’s Swim Committee as well. From 1959-1961, she was a member of the All American Women’s Swimming Team Selection Committee from 1959-1961. She was chair of the AAU Swimming Award Committee from 1965-1968, and also worked with Swimming's AAU Joint Rules Committee from 1962-1964 and in 1967. She was admitted into the American Swimming Coaches Hall of Fame in 2008.