NEW - This section is for all of the devoted fans who have been so kind to send in various email, scans, photographs, posters,and visual memorabiia. We love all of the input and it's wonderful to know that there are still so many fans!

Well, I guess it's really no surprise, she is a very special woman!!!

 
pagan_side_shot.JPG (94166 bytes) This beautiful photo was sent to us by Patrick Hickey of Arizona, USA. (3/23/99) - along with excerpts from a very nice letter:

"Hello Esther...I hope I may call you Esther. I wanted to try to take this time to quickly say how much I have enjoyed your movies over the years and to tell you that you have been a marvelous role model as an athlete, as a celebrity, and as a business woman. You have always been a shinning example of beauty, grace, and strength, most especially in our current times when many celebrities fail to recognize their influence over our youth or simply don't care.

We all go through life keeping things to ourselves, letting ourselves miss opportunities to say how we feel. I just wanted to let you know that I have always looked upon you as the brightest star that ever shone in Hollywood. Your movies, as your beauty, have gone unmatched in Hollywood over time. I have always been amazed at your athletic ability and your fluid grace in movement. You always seemed to me to be part of the water not just swimming through it. Then to top it all you created a number of successfbl businesses, I am not familiar with your pools but I do love your swimwear. I saw you just recently on E's Fashion Emergency, showing some of your swimwear and giving fashion advice. You are still as beautiful and radiant as ever. Your swimwear is a great reflection upon you, like you, it has a classic beauty that will never go out of style.

In closing I want to thank you for all the beautiful movies you have made over the years and for being an important influence in my life. I look forward to reading your autobiography.  I also appreciate the brief indulgence of reading my letter, I hope it brought you some joy. It gave my great joy to write it."
wpe32.jpg (109135 bytes) This may be an addition to Mr. Williams web page.  This is the cover of a Brazilian magazine issued in June 1955, which was  entirely dedicated to Esther Williams, listing her movies, giving personal information and 34 pages of photos.  If you think it would add to the web site, please feel free to use it as a token of my admiration.

Sincerely, Gioconda Sugár - 11/98
  Dear Ms. Williams,

About 15 years ago I watched an interview of you by Barbara Walters. I happened to find your Email address and I want to thank you for something you said, which I wrote down as best as I could remember and have carried with me ever since. You said that your mother once told you: "Every age has its consolation and we must always be tuned in to where we are at the present time." (as near as I could remember.") Like so many things in life those words came just at the right time for me. I can never watch one of your movies without a sense of admiration for you as a person. You radiate something that goes even beyond your beauty and wonderful gifts.

Gary Boye - 12/98

Trophy Pic will go here when I receive it
Hello Ms Williams!

My name is John Potter and I'm emailing from Melbourne, Australia. I'm contacting you to relate a story which grew out of your legend during the Korean War and thereafter. I was told this story when I (and other officers from my ship at the time - HMAS Brisbane) visited the Royal Australian Navy repository at Spectacle Island in Sydney and I viewed the original photograph of you which started the whole story. It seems that during the Korean War a young Australian Naval Officer received a public relations package for the ship in his role as Public Relations Officer. Amongst the items received was a photograph of you in a swimsuit. The young officer decided that he wanted to keep this photo for himself and signed it 'To George, with all my love, Esther.'  He then mailed it to himself so he could become the envy of his fellow officers. To stop it from being stolen, he had it framed and hung on the wall in the Wardroom (officer's mess). Unfortunately, this didn't stop other ships' officers from stealing it and the photo quickly became a hot trophy amongst the Australian, British, American, Canadian and New Zealand ships on station. Each time a ship lost or gained the trophy, a signal would be raised to all ships to advise of the transfer - many of these were quite lengthy and poetical and great wads of them still exist at Spectacle   Island. It all came to a head one day when a Canadian officer on the US ship holding the trophy at the time, snatched it off the wall and bolted for the gangway just as the ship was leaving the wharf. He was tackled on the rear of the ship by an American Officer and the Canadian and the trophy went into the sea near the turning propellors! He was lucky not to be minced up!

The Admirals of the five fleets met and agreed that the business had gone far enough. A 'fighting trophy' was made with a floating ring around it and the following rules were agreed. The trophy could only be taken by a commissioned officer; no weapons were to be used; and once taken the trophy was not to be permanently fixed or hidden. The original trophy was to be kept by the senior Australian ship on station. After the war the trophy disappeared for many years. A few years ago, an Australian shore depot was being decommissioned and cleaned out and ammongst the items turned up was the original of your photo! How it got there no one knows but it was given to the curator at spectacle island. He then wrote to the many now senior officers around the world who had contacted him over the years asking of it's whereabouts. Many of them then wrote back demanding that it be sent to them after the injuries they had received acquiring 'you' for their ships! Fortunately he resisted this pressure and it is still safely held in the museum to this day.

When the officers of Brisbane visited, we were highly amused by the story and our navigator (an expat Canadian) decided we should restart the tradition in the modern Australian fleet! The curator made us a replica of the original trophy complete with medal ribbons of the campaigns 'you' served in and a summary of the story on the back. The trophy has already travelled around South East Asia on our last deployment and was also the temporary guest of a number of other Australian ships along the way! I may have got some minor details of this story wrong but it is largely as I relate it.

I'd also be interested to know if you already knew of this story and the effect you had on the Naval Officers of five fleets, many of whom battled valiantly in your name!! The recent escapades have also seen some late night episodes and deception! Hope to hear from you soon.

Best wishes, John Potter - 2/99