One of Weissport's brightest lights was dimmed on March 21 when former resident Betty Mullen Brey passed away in Orlando, Florida.

Because of Brey, Weissport has a connection to the Olympics and the University of Notre Dame.Brey was born in Weissport in 1931, the daughter of Charles and Evadna Mullen. Her four brothers were all heavily involved in stick and ball sports, especially basketball, but those activities weren't deemed suitable for a young girl at the time.To keep her busy and away from the boys' sports, her father suggested swimming.Saying she took to the sport like a duck takes to water would be doing a disservice to ducks, for Betty went far beyond spending her days treading water, floating through life.Training for goldBy the age of 14, her competitive streak took over.But Weissport wasn't exactly known for its swim clubs. So, a family friend stepped in and allowed her to train at Graver's Pool in Lehighton.She also knew that if she truly wanted to compete at the Olympic level, she would need more than those summer sessions at the pool.The YMCA in Allentown allowed women to use the pool only on Wednesdays, but that was a good place to start.Every Wednesday, Betty could be found at the pool, putting in hour after hour swimming laps.But even that wasn't enough and her father found an alternative in New York City the Women's Association of New York.Training there would mean taking the train to the city every Tuesday and Friday. She would catch the 3 p.m. train., practice from 7 to 8:30 p.m., then while away the hours exploring the city until the midnight train to Lehighton.After only four months with the New York club, she had trimmed her time in the 100 freestyle event from 1.14 to 1.02 seconds, a time that qualified her for the U.S. Olympic Trials. While she didn't make the games in 1948, she did attract a lot of attention and added to her drive to compete.After graduating from Lehighton High School, she went on to study at Purdue University, where she continued to swim and improve her times.In 1951, she competed in the Pan American Games in Argentina, earning a gold medal as a member of the 400 meter relay team and an individual silver medal in the 200 meter freestyle.After graduating from Purdue in 1953, she entered the U.S. Army as a second lieutenant and her swimming career took a back seat to a new group of young swimmers.The butterflyA new stroke, the butterfly, entered the picture.By this time, she was stationed at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D.C., and found herself swimming competitively again.After setting a new record in a qualifying heat in the 1955 Pan Am Games, she again earned gold and silver medal in the finals.A three time National AAU titlist, she was a member of a group of swimmers traveling the world on a good will tour introducing the butterfly stroke before the 1956 Olympics.She also found the time to marry Paul Brey of Lehighton and took a job as a physical education teacher, all while training for the 1956 Olympic Team.She made the team and swam in the preliminary heats for the eventual silver medal winning team. Due to the rules at the time, she didn't receive a medal as she didn't swim in the finals.She and Paul had three children, Brenda, Michael and Shane.Raising her family and coaching the swim team at George Washington University kept her busy, but not out of the pool.During the summers, she and Paul ran and coached the swim team for the Columbia Country Club in Washington, D.C., for 25 years.But the desire to compete was strong and she returned to her passion, competing in the U.S. Senior Olympics for many years.As for the Notre Dame connection, son Mike is the head coach of the university's men's basketball team, a position he has held since 2000.His mother died just hours before Notre Dame defeated Butler for a spot in this year's NCAA Sweet 16.Coach Brey announced his mother's death in a post game interview, paying tribute to the amazing woman he called "unbelievable, ahead of her time and probably the real driving force behind everything I've done."She certainly did Weissport proud.A Public Memorial and Life Celebration will be held for Brey from 1 to 4 p.m. on June 7, at the Columbia Country Club in Chevy Chase, Maryland.Speakers' remembrances will start at 2 p.m. with family members. There will be a time for anyone else who wishes to share.In lieu of flowers, please send donations in Betty's honor to Wounded Warriors.