Referred to and by the Stars

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You might say Virginia Hunt Newman 'dove' her way to baby swimming.

From 1940 to 1948 Virginia Hunt (Newman) was a competitive diver at the Los Angeles Athletic Club.  She appeared in water shows for the WWII troops on behalf of the United Service Organization and the Hollywood Victory Committee.

In the 1940's Virginia dove at a water show at Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles where another emerging baby swim teacher - Crystal Scarborough - routinely taught.   

Virginia started teaching swimming in 1950.  Around Los Angeles such instruction for babies could have included screaming and vomiting students.  (Virginia remembers visiting a pool where the teacher had pan on deck at the water's edge for students to vomit into.)  Parents were usually not included in the water with infant-toddlers classes during the 1950's.  "Students were taken into the water but really didn't seem to be doing very much in most cases" Virginia recalls.  She visited the programs conducted by Scarborough and Scarborough's sister Jen Loven.   

From 1951 to 1956 Virginia taught swimming and diving at Black Fox - a boys military school.  She also taught lessons in peoples' homes.  Students included children of movie stars and entertainers Harry Cohen, Jerry Lewis, Alan Lad, Bob Newhart, and Max Factor at the school.  

Side note: When school headmaster Major Gaver interviewed Virginia for the position he said that (male) teachers who'd been at the school a long time couldn't see how a little woman could manage these boys.  Virginia's response was - "Just sit back and watch!"  She got the job, stayed five years and commanded the respect of the boys and fellow teachers alike.  Virginia says it was one of the greatest teaching experiences of her career.

In the early 1960's Virginia got a referral to teach children in a special family.  Virginia had been teaching obstetrician, Dr. Moss's children who also happen to be the doctor of Kathryn Crosby wife of singer and movie star Bing Crosby).   "Kathryn called and asked if I would teach her children, Mary Frances and Harry, too,"   Virginia said "Sure".   Since the Crosby home did not have a pool, she taught them at Dr. Moss's home. 

Virginia says both children were good students but Mary Frances was more outgoing and the 'perfect student'.  At age 2 years she could back float, jump in and swim 25 feet recovering up to the surface to get air as she went.  Virginia covered all the skills with the 2-year old that were then associated with the American Red Cross 'Beginner' test.

Regarding the amount of instruction given Virginia states:  "Mary Frances started swimming at age 10 months and she was almost 2 1/2 years old in February 1962.  We swam 3 times a week for 1/2 hour excluding vacations.  I don't recall either she or Harry staying home because of illness.  So it took about 175 to 180 hours of time in the water including play time for Mary Frances to learn the skills she needed to pass the Red Cross beginner's test.

Virginia contacted the Los Angeles area office of the Red Cross to secure a 'beginner' card for her student.  Given Mary Frances's achievements for her age and her famous father, local Red Cross Director Roger Plaisted agreed to present the card himself at poolside at the Moss residence in February of 1962 - hence the photo!

left to right: Johnny Weissmuller, Mary Frances Crosby, Kathryn Crosby, Virginia Hunt Newman and Roger Plaisted.

National magazines, newspapers and TV were present for the ceremony.  Famous swimmer and actor Johnny Weismuller came along with Plaisted.  Kathryn Crosby accompanied her daughter but Bing did not attend.  

Virginia felt that father Bing purposely chose to stay away to give his daughter the limelight on the special occasion covered by the media.  Virginia felt the national American Red Cross office didn't like it that such a young child had passed the beginner test and felt they took steps to keep that from happening in the future.  Mary Frances Crosby Brodka

Mary Frances demonstrated her swimming prior to receiving her card.  Virginia recalls:  "I didn't want to take her to a new and strange place for the demonstration even though she was quite outgoing so we held the ceremony at the Moss's home where the lessons had been all along.  I didn't want to take any chances
knowing the entire media would be there.  I also didn't change my  swim suit from the one I wore in the lessons and I asked her mother not to let Mary Frances wear
a different one either.  I treated it as though it were another lesson. Heavy, heavy hung over my head.  And luckily it was very successful." 

More about teaching other children of famous American film stars . . . and more about Virginia's methods