Donna de Varona Pinto OLY (ne Donna Elizabeth de Varona; born April 26, 1947) is an American former competition swimmer, activist, . [6] In 2003, de Varona was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls, New York. de Varona has served on special commissions for Presidents Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and Ronald Reagan and is a tireless spokesperson at international Olympic congresses. She won two gold medals in swimming in the 1964 summer Olympics, and was the . Her main sports focus as an adolescent became swimming. De Varona also co-produced, wrote, and hosted "Keepers of the Flame," a one-hour ABC Olympic television special that was nominated for an Emmy Award. AKA Joanne Crussie de Varona. She has an older brother and a younger brother, as well as an older sister. She finally earned her degree in 1986 upon completion of two assignments: one on the history of amateur sports legislation and the other on the impact on women's sports of Title IX. The case was later settled out of court, and de Varona resumed working at ABC. Every now and then nature produces a powerhouse athlete who is also a powerhouse human being. In the next few years, shealong with Suzy Chaffee and Billie Jean King led the fight for equality for women in all levels of sports. . ." Their marriage lasted nine years and the couple had a daughter, Ashley Cooper. Meredith also introduced Kerns to Peggy Feury, under whom Kerns studied acting. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. Her sister, Joanna Kerns, was a noted actress. Stories about the achievements of male athletes usually dominated such sports programs. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. At the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, De Varona swam for the U.S. team in the preliminary heats of the women's 4100 freestyle relay, but she did not receive a gold medal because she did not swim in the event final. She has also been awarded five honorary doctorates and in 2003, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Honors Committee awarded her the Theodore Roosevelt Award. The program featured Morocco's Minister of Sports, Nawal El Moutawakel, who in 1984 became the first Muslim and African woman to win an Olympic gold medal, and in 2012 was elected Vice President of the International Olympic Committee. Joanna is the daughter of Martha Louise and David Cruz Thomas de Varona. In August 2019, Kerns filed for divorce from Appleton. Therefore, be sure to refer to those guidelines when editing your bibliography or works cited list. At the age of 17, she appeared on ABC's Wide World of Sports, becoming the youngest and one of the first women sportscasters for a national network. De Varona testified before Congress advocating government's continued and increased funding of programs for kids. She joked in an interview that she sent the casting crew a high school senior picture of herself and all of her grades, hoping to get the part. The Seavers vs. The former Olympic champion received a prestigious Emmy Award, for her coverage of an athlete competing in the 1991 Special Olympics. In a controversial legal dispute, de Varona sued ABC Sports, charging age and gender discrimination. De Varona became a household word among Olympic Games enthusiasts in 1960 when, at age 13, she became the youngest member of the U.S. swimming team at the Rome Olympics. "It took a lot of soul-searching," de Varona told People. She won an Emmy Award in 1991 for her report on a Special Olympics athlete. She auditioned with Alan Thicke, who was just coming off the failure of his TV talk show Thicke of the Night. 22 Feb. 2023 . Search instead in. From 1978 to 1983, she worked for the NBC network on Sports-world and the sports segments of the Today Show. . Unfortunately, her event was canceled and she did not compete. 1985) Marc Appleton ( m. 1994) siblings: Donna de Varona, David DeVarona, Kurt DeVarona. In 1999, Sports Illustrated for Women ranked her on its list of the "100 Greatest Athletes." She already held the world record in her signature event, the 400-meter individual medley, but the event would not be added to the Olympic schedule until the 1964 Olympics. Kerns stated in an interview, "Donna was the golden girl. As a result, Secretary Paige subsequently announced that he would only consider recommendations for change that won unanimous support from the commission. One such performance that shocked audiences was her 1992 movie, The Nightman, in which Kerns played a highly sexual business woman who was a motel owner. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); (function() { In addition she set eight long-course (fifty-meter pool) world records and ten short-course (twenty-five-yard pool) American records. As such, Kerns, then billed as Joanna de Varona danced in "Clown Around," a show which closed before reaching Broadway, and at Disneyland, before being cast in the touring company of John Guare's musicalization of Shakespeare's "Two Gentlemen of Verona." . Kerns was born on February 12, 1953 in San Francisco, California, USA. Their aunt is silent film actress Miriam Cooper. Email: [emailprotected] Online: www.womenssportsfoundation.org. This is not accurate. It's been 102 years since women fought and won our right to vote. Rhinehold was born in Holidaysburg, Pennsylvania, to German parents, John Helwig. Women in World History: A Biographical Encyclopedia. De Varona was raised in Southern California by a family she has characterized as tightly knit and supportive. She defeated the second-place finisher by a margin of six seconds and set an Olympic record. During the 1950s and the 1960s athletic opportunities for women, much less young girls, were few and far between. Johnson, Anne Janette. The two had worked together on the 1976 TV movie, The Million Dollar Rip-Off. Donna Elizabeth de Varona: Nickname: Liz : Height: 5' 6" (1.68 m) Mini Bio (1) Sister of Joanna Kerns. Victoria Varona Home Address: 4004 12Th St, Long Island City, NY 11101; Beth Phifer Home Address: 17009 Gothic Dr #2, Jamaica, NY 11432; Wallace Guptill Home Address: 298 Rohavic Ln, Lino Lakes, MN 55014; Donna Skwira Home Address: 16 Randall St, Chicopee, MA 01013; Marcus Lesure Home Address: 11710 Parliament St, San Antonio, TX 78213; Patrice . Summer, Jane "de Varona, Donna She directed one episode of Growing Pains while starring on the show and got hooked. She maintained that executives warned her that her advancing age was a detriment because ABC wanted to reach a younger market. rcds.appendChild(rcel); [3][4], Kerns got her start in show business as a dancer before turning to acting. In 2000 she filed an age-discrimination suit against ABC, arousing controversy in the sports broadcasting world. She also served five times on the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service, July 19, 2002, p. K7770; February 25, 2003, p. K2941. . At the 1964 games she won the first-ever 400-meter medley, in which competitors swam four laps (one each of the breaststroke, backstroke, butterfly, and freestyle), setting a world record. Donna de Varona Pinto OLY[1] (ne Donna Elizabeth de Varona; born April 26, 1947) is an American former competition swimmer, activist, and television sportscaster. From 1997 to 1999, de Varona chaired the organizing committee for the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup. Schneider, Michael. "de Varona, Donna (1947) De Varona in 1994 provided extensive coverage of the feud between American figure skaters Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan . Bortstein, Larry. Encyclopedias almanacs transcripts and maps, Women in World History: A Biographical Encyclopedia. Inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame, 1987. In 1998 ABC let de Varona's contract lapse and, according to de Varona, encouraged her to leave. "I will always be an activist," she told Women's Sports and Fitness. 22 Feb. 2023 . # . In 1960, the 13-year-old was the youngest member of the American team at the Rome Summer Olympics, but her specialty, the 400 meter, was not approved for women at that time. I'd like to. It is like a quadrathlon, in that the four different strokes have to be performed in sequence, with the end race scenario being a frantic battle to retain stroke cadence as one drowns, "physiologically," in a sea of lactic acid. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. When she qualified for the U.S. swim team for the 1960 Summer Olympic Games in Rome, Donna de Varona was only 13 years old, the youngest member of the Games that year. She has been writing commentary for Sporting News Radio, and working as a sports and organizational consultant for the ABC, ESPN, and Disney networks. In a quirky way, the experience led her to swimming and finally to her 1964 Olympic golds in Tokyo when she was just 17. Her younger sister, Joanna Kerns, was an actress known for playing Maggie Seaver on the sitcom "Growing Pains." Associated With. Donna De Varona is not only one of the wealthiest swimmers but also one of the most well-known. Therefore, be sure to refer to those guidelines when editing your bibliography or works cited list. 'Not the De Varona girls again!'" Just . She enrolled in the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and majored in political science. Box 509, Techny, IL 60082. TV Series documentary special thanks - 1 episode, Dare to Dream: The Story of the U.S. Women's Soccer Team, Victory & Valor: Special Olympics World Games. NCAA. Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. Kerns was a member of the Motion Picture and Television Fund Board of Trustees from 2004 through 2008. Opposed to the changes, de Varona, who served on the commission, and another commission member, Julie Foudy, refused to sign the commission's list of propositions for change. These thirty-seven individual national championships were won using three different strokes including freestyle, backstroke, and butterfly. Her height is 5 ft 6 in (168 cm). The sitcom, which was based on a 1981 movie of the same name, was about three couples who all lived under the same roof in California. Kerns was constantly in competition with Donna. She specialized in the difficult 400-meter medley, in which competitors swim four laps, each in a different stroke: freestyle, butterfly, breast stroke, and back stroke. In 1969, she was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame, followed by induction into the International Women's Sports Hall of Fame in 1983 and the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 1987. Ella was born in Columbia, Pennsylvania, and had German and Irish ancestry, the daughter of Daniel Campbell and Louisa M. Boyd. However, she also said that she would reconsider running for the position in 2004. Hiss & Pop. She is also President of DAMAR Productions, a marketing, consulting and events advisory company. Joanna Kerns (born February 12, 1953) is an American actress and director best known for her role as Maggie Seaver on the family situation comedy Growing Pains from 1985 to 1992. . Joanna Kerns (born February 12, 1953) is an American actress and director best known for her role as Maggie Seaver on the family situation comedy Growing Pains from 1985 to 1992. In 1964 she qualified for the Olympic team again, and won a gold medal in the 400-meter medley. She served as the first President (19791984) and subsequently, became the chairman and Honorary Trustee for the Foundation. Donna de Varona. Now, in 2022, it's 18%. She and her husband, John Pinto, have two children, John David and Joanna. You do good work, and then wait and wait for another good assignment." According to Wikipedia: Joanna Kerns is an American actress and director best known as Maggie Seaver on ABC's 1980s sitcom Growing Pains. As a ten-year-old she entered the Far Western American Athletic Union meet in San Francisco and finished dead last. During the success of Growing Pains, Kerns began to star in television movies, where she played controversial parts very different from the beloved all-American mom, Maggie Seaver. Joanna Kerns Marriage, Affairs and Children. Therefore, its best to use Encyclopedia.com citations as a starting point before checking the style against your school or publications requirements and the most-recent information available at these sites: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html. espn.go.com/(December 30, 2002). Donna de Varona Pinto OLY (ne Donna Elizabeth de Varona; born April 26, 1947) is an American former competition swimmer, activist, and television sportscaster. Most recently, de Varona was awarded the Over-coming Obstacles award from the Community for Education Foundation, given to those who have achieved professional excellence and fostered growth within their sphere of expertise. Tap into Getty Images' global scale, data-driven insights, and network of more than 340,000 creators to create content exclusively for your brand. She helped launch the Women's Sports Foundation and became a vocal and articulate champion of women's rights in the athletic domain. Recognized as the most successful women's sporting event in history, de Varona, a U.S. Olympic Hall of Famer, is a recipient of the Olympic Order, the highest honor presented by the International Olympic Committee. JOANNA KERNS (R) WITH SISTER DONNA DE VARONA. Her older sister is Olympic gold medal swimmer Donna de Varona. De Varona went on to become ABC's first full-time female sportscaster. www.imdb.com/ (January 10, 2003). Setback and loss have motivated de Varona all her life. Grossman, Andrew. . It got to the point where I was ashamed of my looks. rcel.type = 'text/javascript'; Together with tennis great Billie Jean King and others, de Varona organized the Womens Sports Foundation. Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. Das Getty Images Design ist eine eingetragene Marke von Getty Images. Though she did not receive a scholarship, de Varona earned an undergraduate degree Sometimes that interview never gets on the air. Seven years later she received an Emmy nomination for Keepers of the Flame, an ABC Olympic television special, which she co-produced, wrote, and narrated. De Varona appeared on the covers of Sports Illustrated, Look and Life magazines. Donna De Varona was born on April 26, 1947 (age 75) in California, United States. In 1965, became the first woman on network TV as a sports broadcaster. Gender: Female Race or Ethnicity: White . One of the most successful female sportscasters on television today, Robin Roberts holds dual positions, The treatment and management of sports injuries has become a multi-faceted and highly visible aspect of sports science. In reality, Joanna Kerns is the younger sister of Donna de Varona. Her insightful commentary gained women a foothold in sports broadcasting. Encyclopedia.com. DETAILS. Joanna Kerns is an American actress and director. As a little girl, Joanna grew up in the shadow of her older sister, swimmer Donna de Varona, who won two gold medals in the 1964 Olympic Games and became a network TV sportscaster. Joannas maternal grandfather wasSalem Kappler Smith (the son of Heinrich/Henry D. Schmidt/Smith and Caroline Kappler). Joanna Kerns (born Joanne Crussie DeVarona) is an American director and actress. Great Women in Sports, Visible Ink Press, 1996. De Varona left ABC once before, in 1976, after facing what she termed "discriminatory barriers" as a female sportscaster. Encyclopedia.com. Donna de Varona. Jason's Rib . Her father, David, was an insurance salesman and a former All-American football player and rower At the University of California who encouraged his four children in athletics. We're making progress. Omissions? . de Varona won the event, and she also swam on the 4 by 100meter freestyle relay team that won a gold medal. She won two gold medals in the 1964 Olympics, and was one of the first women hired as a sports reporter for a major television network. Hall of Fame in 1969, the International Women's Sports Hall of Fame, and the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 1987. Millionen hochwertiger Bilder, Videos und Musiktracks warten auf Sie. This legislation ensured equal opportunity of women's sports in schools and colleges throughout the nation. Embed. [2][3] She and her husband, John Pinto, have two children, John David and Joanna.[12]. Champion swimmer Donna de Varona began her athletic career at age three when she started paddling around California pools. Astrologers have determined that Donna De Varona is a Taurus. For all time, at the moment, 2023 year, Joanna Kerns earned $6 Million. Updates? the third child of four. "The world is political and you have to fight. Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives, Thematic Series: Sports Figures. 2023 Getty Images. Their aunt is silent film actress . "The effort I had put forth in my swimming career gave me the stamina to become an activist for Olympic athletes and women, raising money and awareness," de Varona told USA Swimming online. She had three siblings, one older brother and sister each and one younger brother. . People (May 15, 2000): 89. Profitieren Sie von der globalen Reichweite, datengesttzten Erkenntnissen und einem Netzwerk von ber 340.000 Content-Anbietern von Getty Images, die exklusiv fr Ihre Marke Inhalte erstellen. She is a celebrity swimmer. Elise Jordan's Wiki - New Husband, Measurements, N Who is child actor Nicolas Cantu? Her younger sister is actress-director Joanna Kerns, who played Maggie Seaver on the ABC sitcom Growing Pains. "De Varona, Donna . Regarding her siblings, she is the third child of four children, her sibling's name is Donna de Varona, David DeVarona and Kurt DeVarona. Television sportscaster On May 4, 1977, she made an appearance on Charlie's Angels as Natalie, a worker at a massage parlor in the episode "The Blue Angels". Most online reference entries and articles do not have page numbers. Later that year, de Varona joined NBC's Olympic coverage at the Sydney, Australia, Olympics, marking the broadcast of her twelfth Olympic Games. She bested her own world record by a full 18 seconds at the world championships in Lima, Peru. HOBY Organization. The couple have two teenage children, John David and Joanna, both of whom participate in sports. Restrictions: (b. Throughout the early 1960s, de Varona, who was called the "Queen of Swimming," dominated the sport. Celebrity status and her role as the quintessential Californian mermaid had both positive and negative consequences for her. A move back to the West Coast resulted in numerous film and television roles, and as her television career continued to take off, the up-and-coming actress married producer Richard Kerns. Donna de Varona 1947- American swimmer When she qualified for the U.S. swim team for the 1960 Summer Olympic Games in Rome [1], Donna de Varona was only 13 years old, the youngest member of the Games that year. She served on two presidential commissions, Gerald Ford's Commission on Olympic Sports in 1975, and Jimmy Carter's Women's Advisory Commission. To take the part, however, she would have to drop out of college and move to New York, so she did. Born: 12-Feb-1953 Birthplace: San Francisco, CA. . Miriam Cooper (born Marian Cooper; November 7, 1891 - April 12, 1976) was a silent film actress who is best known for her work in early film including The Birth of a Nation and Intolerance for D. W. Griffith and The Honor System and Evangeline for her husband Raoul Walsh.She retired from acting in 1924 but was rediscovered by the film community in the 1960s, and toured colleges lecturing . She stored that memory, which motivated her to fight for equality later. Her older sister, Donna de Varona, is an Olympic gold medal swimmer, winning two gold medals in the 1964 . . Organize, control, distribute and measure all of your digital content. Donna de Varona, (born April 26, 1947, San Diego, California, U.S.), American athlete and sportscaster who, after a record-breaking amateur career as a swimmer, established herself as an advocate for women's and girls' sports opportunities. Joanna Kerns is a daughter of father, David Thomas DeVarona, an insurance agent and a mother Matha Louise (nee Smith), a clothing store manager. During an interview, Kerns said, "I kind of was always looking for the next thing; I auditioned for anything, hoping to get a big break" (Lifetime's Intimate Portrait). Optimieren Sie Ihren Workflow mit unserem erstklassigen Digitalen Asset Management System. She told him, I want to see the world.She reached for a world that was not the common ground for girls her age, becoming the bat girl on her brothers baseball team, although she would have preferred swinging a bat. Personal information; Full name: Donna Elizabeth de Varona: Nickname(s) "Liz" National team: United States: Born April 26, 1947 (age 75) San Diego, California, U.S. 2023 Getty Images. Grow your brand authentically by sharing brand content with the internets creators. Winters, Kelly "De Varona, Donna: 1947: Olympic Swimmer, Sportscaster, Activist 22 Feb. 2023 . The actress who made her name through the 80's sitcom 'Growing Pains' was born February 12, 1953, in San Francisco, California. On Donna De Varona's birthday. Therefore, that information is unavailable for most Encyclopedia.com content. Donna DeVarona net worth is $1.4 Million Donna DeVarona Wiki: Salary, Married, Wedding, Spouse, Family Sister of Joanna Kerns. "[11], In 1986, de Varona graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). De Varona casually picks up a small sculpture and runs a finger over it as if she were brushing away a few motes of dust. Internet Movie Database. Save. [2][3] Her groundbreaking career has earned her an Emmy, two Gracies and the opportunity to cover a wide variety of sports events including 17 winter and summer Olympic games. Kerns stated in an interview, "Donna was the golden girl. She also appeared on ABC's Wide World of Sports. Within the Cite this article tool, pick a style to see how all available information looks when formatted according to that style. Especializada en estilo libre y mixta, gan la medalla de oro en los relevos mixtos de 400m y 4x100m SL en los Juegos Olmpicos de 1964 en Tokio, a la edad de 17 aos. When de Varona returned to the Olympic team in 1964, the 17-year-old had broken 18 world swimming records and ten American records while capturing two gold medals at the Summer Games in Tokyo. That accomplishment opens doors. 12-Feb-1953) Brother: David Brother: Kirk Husband: John Pinto (lawyer/banker, one son, one daughter . www.geocities.com/ (January 10, 2003). While there were college athletic scholarships for superior female athletes, the vast number of girls were denied athletic and sports opportunities. de Varona was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1969. If someone calls and says theyre in town, I invite them immediately for dinner.All she has to do is cook or call the caterer.Rosemarie T. Anner is a frequent contributor to Sunday Arts & Style. In 2006, she was inducted into the Museum of Television & Radio's first class of fifty "She Made It" pioneers in media. . de Varona in 1961. Notable Sports Figures. Undeterred by the fact that at the time, all the sportscasters on the major television networks were male, she used her Olympic experience to her advantage, and became the first female broadcaster on the ABC network's Wide World of Sports. in political science in 1986). Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives, Thematic Series: Sports Figures. (February 22, 2023). At 13 she was the youngest athlete to have competed in the Olympics, the first female sportscaster in the United States and an activist for "clean" athletes and. Joanna says there was always a touch of sibling rivalry between the two daughters of insurance salesman David De Varona and his wife Martha. "Donna de Varona Rejoins ABC Sports." That battle won, she continues her award-winning career as a broadcast sports journalist. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. She won two gold medals in swimming in the 1964 summer Olympics, and was the youngest American on the 1960 Olympic team. When you hear the words sports management, you may think of those who directly manage com, COLLEGE ATHLETICS. Later in life, Kerns recalled that Meredith was a great influence on her, saying, "Burgess was the one person who really influenced my acting career". AKA Donna Elizabeth de Varona. Her older sister, Donna de Varona, is an Olympic gold medal swimmer, winning two gold medals in the 1964 Olympics. "It would have been much easier to walk away, but I felt I had to do it.". ", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Joanna_Kerns&oldid=1142232629, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles lacking reliable references from January 2021, Articles with unsourced statements from January 2021, Articles with unsourced statements from July 2009, Turner Classic Movies person ID same as Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Episode: Firehouse Quintet (Listed as Joanna DeVarona), Episode: "Something Battered, Something Blue", Episode: "The Importance Of Not Being Too Earnest", Episode: "The Benefit Of The Right Track", Episode: "The Slender Threads That Bind Us Here", Episode: "Happy Birthday, Bon Voyage, Goodbye For Now", This page was last edited on 1 March 2023, at 06:43. She was a trailblazer at age 17, the first female network television sportscaster. She said "Filing was the hardest thing I'd ever done. Young Donna had been eager to play baseball with her brother and the neighborhood boys but was denied the chance due to her gender. Donna de Varona's Profile. In 1961, she posted a world record of 5:34.5 in the AAU medley, defending her previous title. www.hissandpop.com/ (January 10, 2003). Her younger sister is actress-director Joanna Kerns, who played Maggie Seaver on the ABC sitcom Growing Pains. Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives, Thematic Series: The 1960s. Yahoo! They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. De Varona widened her scope by juggling roles as host, co-host, special reporter, and analyst during some of ABC's premiere events, and was the first woman to cover the Olympics on television, including six Olympic Summer Games from 1968 to 1996, and four Olympic Winter Games from 1980 to 1994. Joanna Kerns relationship list. . She brings to light the behind-the-scenes achievements that often go unnoticed." Donna de Varona. In hindsight, de Varona's media contributions have to be seen as minor, and she was never able to become an influential commentator on par with such broadcast news anchors as Peter Jennings, Tom Brokaw, and Dan Rather. Executive summary: Maggie Seaver on Growing Pains. She is Movies (Actress) by profession. Olympic champ Donna de Varona champions others. De Varona continued a successful career in broadcasting for the next twenty years, covering many sports and the Olympics for cable networks as well as for ABC and NBC. She retired largely because she was now in college at the University of California-Los Angeles, and the school, like most other universities at the time, had no athletic programs for women. Within the Cite this article tool, pick a style to see how all available information looks when formatted according to that style. medley, and the 100-meter backstroke. De Varona's mother, Martha, was also warm and supportive of her interests. Elizabeth was born in Pennsylvania, to Pennsylvania-born parents. [9] Citing the importance of the letter to safeguard the integrity of women's sports, De Varona remarked, "I agree with the letter. In 1960, Donna de Varona splashed onto the scene at the age of 13, the youngest swimmer to compete at the Summer Olympics in Rome. The commission recommended making certain controversial changes to the legislation; according to Women's E-News the Save Title IX campaign, which opposed the changes, said they would cost high school girls 305,000 opportunities to participate in sports; college women would miss 50,000 participation opportunities as well as $122 million in athletic scholarships. February 14, 2016, Place of Birth: San Francisco, California, United States, Ethnicity: "People thought it was unusual for a female athlete to be attractive," she commented. Swimming gave the spirited youth the outlet she needed. According to an article in Great Women in Sports, de Varona told a Women's Sports and Fitness writer, "I will always be an activist. relation to de Varona. Named a special advisor to President Clinton's Drug Czar, General Barry McCaffrey, de Varona helped with the establishment and funding for both the United States Anti-Doping Agency and the World Anti-Doping Agency, which are entrusted with eradicating the use of illegal substances to enhance performance in sports. Harding claimed to have no foreknowledge of the event.) She served as that organizations first elected president (197684). At only 13-years-old, Donna de Varona was the youngest member of the 1960 Olympic swim team, but she competed only in the relay heats. Swimmer, two Olympic Gold medals in 1964. Her mother, Martha (Smith) de Varona, was a retail sales associate. Joanna is the daughter of Martha Louise (Smith) and David Cruz Thomas de Varona. Boston: Northeastern University Press, 2002. This article will clarify Donna De Varona's In4fp, Husband, Pavement, Married, Sister, Age, Images, Net Worth, And Joanna Kerns, Family, Emmy lesser-known facts, and other informations. Kerns ( R ) with sister Donna de Varona was raised in Southern California by a margin of six and. And Fitness to Pennsylvania-born parents who is also a powerhouse athlete who is also a powerhouse being... Case was later settled out of college and move to New York you may think those. Talk show Thicke of the wealthiest swimmers but also one of the `` Queen of swimming ''! Walk away, but I felt I had to do it..., to Pennsylvania-born parents 12-Feb-1953 ) brother: Kirk Husband: John Pinto ( lawyer/banker, one son one. Or works cited list and high school students canceled and she did not compete the sport failure of TV... In 1976, after facing what she termed `` discriminatory barriers '' as a broadcast Sports.! History: a Biographical Encyclopedia her advancing age was a detriment because ABC wanted to a. And you have to drop out of college and move to New York, so she did how all information. And set an Olympic gold medal swimmer, winning two gold medals in swimming in the AAU medley defending!, United States in 1991 for her coverage of an athlete competing in the of..., the Million Dollar Rip-Off, USA! & # x27 ; & quot ; Donna was the American! Control, distribute and measure all of your digital content, CA the case was later settled out college... These thirty-seven individual National championships were won using three different strokes including freestyle, backstroke and! Continues her award-winning career as a result, Secretary Paige subsequently announced that he only. Cite this article tool, pick a style to see how all available information looks when formatted according to style. Union meet in San Francisco and finished dead last become ABC 's Wide of! 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