Her name was Diana Palmer, and she was quite a character in the original 1930s-1940s strips. Here's a description from my review of one of the novels:
"Diana seems very much like a college-age Nancy Drew. She's gorgeous, intelligent and very 'nice', every parent's wish for how their daughter will turn out. Diana has won an Olympic gold medal for diving, she has a pilot's license and over 1500 hours in the air, and she's taking college-level classes just for her own curiosity. Warned by gangsters to keep quiet, she doesn't turn a hair."
Later on, I remember her working for the United Nations in Africa, doing health-related work. She's not quite an action star in her own right, but she does stand up to crooks and villains that she's investigating as bravely as any crime-fighter.