Ray Kaye

Raymond Kaye (February 16, 1912 – July 17, 1983) was an American competition swimmer who represented the United States at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany, where he swam the 200-meter breaststroke in a time of 2:49.2, finishing around ninth overall. Prior to the Olympics, Kaye set a world record in the 500-meter breaststroke in Toledo, Ohio with a time of 7:23.8 in November, 1935.

Kaye was born February 16, 1912 in Detroit, Michigan, and graduated Detroit's Cass Technical High School.

Early swimming At the age of 21 in August, 1933, Kaye swam for the St. Clair Recreation Center, placing third in the 110-yard breaststroke at the Michigan State Championship meet in Belle Isle, Michigan. At the St. Clair Center, Kaye was coached by Frank Butler. Don McClellan of the Detroit Athletic Club finished ahead of Kaye with a comfortable margin, placing first at the State Championship with a state record time of 1:24.5. Kaye swam for the Detroit Athletic Club by 1935. At 22, in February, 1934, he played with the St. Clair Recreation Water Polo Team in a meet against the Detroit Yacht Club as part of the Detroit Water Polo League.

Kaye swam the breast stroke using an underwater forward stroke, never an above the water stroke recovery then known as the butterfly breast.

In 1937, Kaye was the AAU National Champion in the 200-meter breaststroke, and was on a world-record setting relay team for the 300-meter medley relay.

In the 1936 Olympic trials, Kaye finished third in the 200-meter breaststroke, a finish adequate to make the U.S. Olympic team.

1936 Berlin Olympics Kaye competed in the semifinals of the 1936 Olympic men's 200-meter breaststroke in Berlin, where he was managed and trained by Head U.S. Olympic swimming coach Robert J. H. Kiphuth, a Yale Coach and International Swimming Hall of Fame inductee. Recording a time of 2:49.2, and finishing around ninth overall, Kaye did not advance to swim in the finals. In a time when Japan was a dominant nation in swimming, American Jack Kasley had set a record in the event in March 1936, but had been unable to maintain his conditioning, and in his semi-final match finished sixth, failing to advance to the finals. In the finals, Tetsuo Hamuro of Japan took the gold with a time of 2:41.5, though he was nearly caught at the end by second place finisher Erwin Sietas. Sietas of Germany took the Silver with a time of 2:42.9, and Reizo Koike of Japan took the bronze with a time of 2:44.2.

American record In late 1936, Kaye won the 200-meter breaststroke at the AAU National Outdoor championships in Los Angeles, with an American record time of 2:52.2. His time beat the former American record of 3:01.9 set in 1933 by John Paulsen by over eight seconds.

He married Elizabeth Adelhart in 1937, daughter of Theresa Miller Adelhart and Henry J. Adelhart. Subsequent to his marriage, he continued to swim, and train throughout the 1930's. Raymond Sr. served as an Elder with Detroit's East United Presbyterian Church, and was a member of other Churches including Fort Street Presbyterian. Services for Raymond Sr. were held July 20, 1983 at Calvin East Presbyterian Church, and his cremation took place at Detroit's Forest Lawn Cemetery.