Emelyn Thatcher Whiton (née ''Leonard'', later ''Righter'', March 1, 1916 – March 1, 1962) was an American

sailor A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship. The profession of the s ...

. Emelyn Leonard was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. In 1939 she married

Herman Whiton Herman Frasch Whiton (April 6, 1904 – September 6, 1967) was the son of Henry Devereux Whiton and Frieda Frasch. He was an American sailor and Olympic champion. He was born in Cleveland to Henry Devereux Whiton and Frieda Frasch, heiress to the ...

, who was

helmsman A helmsman or helm (sometimes driver) is a person who steering, steers a ship, sailboat, submarine, other type of maritime vessel, or spacecraft. The rank and seniority of the helmsman may vary: on small vessels such as fishing vessels and yacht ...

of the American boat ''Llanoria'' which won the 6 metre class at the 1948 Olympics. Herman repeated the feat at the 1952 Olympics with the same boat and a different crew, including his wife as an

alternate Alternative or alternate may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Alternative (''Kamen Rider''), a character in the Japanese TV series ''Kamen Rider Ryuki'' * ''The Alternative'' (film), a 1978 Australian television film * ''The Alternative ...

. Since she had not participated in the Olympic regatta she did not receive a medal. Emelyn divorced Herman Whiton in 1957 and married Brewster Righter in 1958. She died in the plane crash of

American Airlines Flight 1 American Airlines Flight 1 may refer to: * American Airlines Flight 1 (1936), an accident involving a Douglas DC-2 * American Airlines Flight 1 (1941), an accident involving a Douglas DC-3 * American Airlines Flight 1 (1962), an accident involving ...

Jamaica Bay Jamaica Bay is an estuary on the southern portion of the western tip of Long Island, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The estuary is partially man-made, and partially natural. The bay connects with Lower New York Bay to the west, ...

, on her 46th birthday.

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* * * 1916 births 1962 deaths American female sailors (sport) Olympic gold medalists for the United States in sailing Sailors at the 1952 Summer Olympics – 6 Metre Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1962 Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in the United States Accidental deaths in New York (state) Sportspeople from New York City 20th-century American women 20th-century American people {{US-yachtracing-Olympic-medalist-stub