Brenda Helser de Morelos (born May 26, 1926) is a former competitive freestyle

Freestyle swimming

Freestyle is an unregulated swimming style used in swimming competitions according to the rules of FINA. The front crawl stroke is almost universally used during a freestyle race, as this style is generally the fastest...

 swimmer from the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 who won a gold medal in the 4×100 meter freestyle relay at the 1948 Summer Olympics

1948 Summer Olympics

The 1948 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in London, England, United Kingdom. After a 12-year hiatus because of World War II, these were the first Summer Olympics since the 1936 Games in Berlin...

 in London, England.

A graduate of Stanford University

Stanford University

The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...

, de Morelos is a native of Oregon

Oregon

Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...

 where her swim coach was International Swimming Hall of Fame

International Swimming Hall of Fame

The International Swimming Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame, located at One Hall of Fame Drive, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States, operated by private interests serving as the central point for the study of the history of swimming in the United States and around...

 member Jack Cody

Jack Cody

Jack Cody was an American swimming coach in Oregon. He coached at the Multnomah Athletic Club in Portland, Oregon for more than 30 years, winning 3 national championships and producing 15 Olympic swimmers.-Early career:...

. Along with fellow 1948 Olympians Suzanne Zimmerman

Suzanne Zimmerman

Suzanne Winona Zimmerman is a former competitive backstroke swimmer from the United States who won a silver medal in the 100 meter backstroke at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, England....

 and Nancy Merki

Nancy Merki

Nancy Merki is a former competitive freestyle swimmer from the United States. Despite contracting polio at a young age, she went on to set numerous amateur swimming records in her career, most in her early teens, and went on to compete in the 400 meter freestyle at the 1948 Summer Olympics in...

, Helser was part of the Multnomah Athletic Club

Multnomah Athletic Club

The Multnomah Athletic Club is a private social club and athletic club in Portland, Oregon, United States.Founded in 1891, the club has expanded greatly from its beginnings. It now fills two buildings totaling , making it the largest indoor athletic club in the world...

 team dubbed "Cody's Kids" that from 1939 to 1948, won 58 individual national swimming titles and three national team swimming championships.

After her retirement, Helser married the Comte

Comte

Comte is a title of Catalan, Occitan and French nobility. In the English language, the title is equivalent to count, a rank in several European nobilities. The corresponding rank in England is earl...

 de Morelos, a French nobleman, and became the Comtesse de Morelos y Guerrero.

She is a member of the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame

Oregon Sports Hall of Fame

The Oregon Sports Hall of Fame honors Oregon athletes, teams, coaches, and others who have made a significant contribution to sports in Oregon. The first class was inducted in 1980, with new inductees added in the fall...

 and the Stanford Athletic Hall of Fame.

External links

• databaseOlympics