CHAPTER 1

Indian myth proclaimed the middle of the lake had no bottom. One male swimmer would drown yearly a sacrifice to an Indian Princess (Lady of the Lake). The legend declared she tried to swim across the lake to reach her lover on the other side. The incident happened hundreds of years in the past. The Indian Princess failed in her attempt, and the cold water swallowed her up. That was only one of the many versions of the fate of the young Indian Princess. Perhaps, it was just a mythical folk tale, or was it? Many claims at least one male swimmer dies in the lake everysummer.

In 1959, the town of Lake Ronkonkoma was still a tiny hamlet of fewer than 4,000 inhabitants. Nearly half of the population were summer-only residents. The lake, the largest freshwater lake on Long Island, spreads across the middle of the quiet Long Island village. Lake Ronkonkoma was a famous water attraction to the residents of Suffolk and Nassau counties. Those who preferred fresh water to salt water chose Lake Ronkonkoma and Cannan Lake as opposed to Jones Beach or Smith Point for summer swimming.

A couple of miles away from the lake, there was a white stucco building. It was the weekend, so the middle school was closed. It was late June, and there was only one more week left of school. On that Saturday morning, there was activity going on at the athletic g