19 Facts About Newt Perry

Newton A Perry was an American swimmer, attraction promoter, educator and swimming coach.

Newt Perry's father was a railroad conductor, and Ocala represented the midpoint of his train route.

In 1924, Newt Perry became Ocala High School's swim coach and star swimmer; he was only 16 years old at the time.

Newt Perry attended the University of Florida in nearby Gainesville, and was a member of the Florida Gators swimming and diving team in 1933 and 1934.

Newt Perry graduated from the university with a bachelor's degree in education, and later returned to complete a master's degree in education in 1958.

Newt Perry learned all he could about swimming, diving and life-guarding.

Newt Perry served as the model in many of the Red Cross manual photographs.

Newt Perry demonstrated his powerful freestyle up stream and then dove underwater to perform swimming backwards, somersaults, eating a banana, drinking a soda and other unusual underwater skills.

Newt Perry had stayed underwater for three minutes and 45 seconds.

Newt Perry became a go-to consultant for Hollywood movies that involved on-location water scenes, and Florida's crystal-clear spring waters provided nearly ideal underwater filming locations.

Newt Perry influenced Universal Studio's decision to film the Creature from the Black Lagoon and its sequels at Wakulla Springs and Silver Springs, as well as the hiring of Florida swimmer Ricou Browning to play the Creature in the movie's underwater sequences.

In 1948, Newt Perry spearheaded the development of the Weeki Wachee Springs attraction, and is credited with performing the first underwater shows there.

Newt Perry was president of the Florida Attraction Association and attending a convention at Miami Beach.

An instant connection began when Newt Perry climbed to the top of a 10-meter diving platform and started diving, dive for dive, with Dot.

Dot found that Newt Perry could do almost anything in the water and that led to a year-long, long-distance romance.

Newt Perry toured Cuba, Mexico, Central and South America as their star diver.

Newt Perry suffered strokes in 1975 and 1978 that left him partially paralyzed.

Newt Perry was inducted into the Florida Sports Hall of Fame in 1981.

Newt Perry died in Ocala in 1987; he was 79 years old.