Betty Mullen Brey, born November 23, 1931, and raised in Weissport, Pennsylvania, grew up as the only daughter among four brothers in a railroad, river, and canal town of 577 people. Encouraged by her parents to take part in sports, she excelled in baseball, basketball, swimming, roller skating, and ice skating, and at her father's urging she concentrated on swimming. After finishing eighth grade at Weissport's three-room school, she attended Lehighton High School, where her dance, skating, and gymnastic abilities helped her become a cheerleader and, in her senior year, head majorette; there she also met her future husband, Paul Brey. Her swimming career advanced from local contests and a one-mile race in the Lehigh River, where she finished a close second, to weekly practice at the YMCA in Allentown and then training two nights a week at the Women's Swimming Association of New York City, where she worked with many of the country's top female swimmers. After four months of training in New York City, she qualified for the 1948 Olympic trials. Following high school, she attended Purdue University on an academic scholarship, where she swam under coach Dick Pappenguth and also served as a majorette leading the Purdue Military Band on the Indianapolis 500 Raceway track on Memorial Day in 1950 and 1953. She later qualified for the first Pan American Game trials in Athens, Georgia, in the 100- and 200-meter freestyle and the 4 × 100-meter freestyle relay, and at the Pan American Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina, she won a gold medal in the 4 × 100-meter freestyle relay and a silver medal in the 200-meter freestyle.