THE LIFE AND PROFESSIONAL CONTRIBUTIONS OF "WILLIAM GILBERT ANDERSON, M. D. DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By HAROLD LLOYD RAY, A. B., M. S. The Ohio State University 1959 Approved by Adviser Department of Physical Education WILLIAM GILBERT ANDERSON I860 - 19U7 ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The author wishes to express his appreciation to all who helped in this project. Particular thanks are due Dr. Bruce L. Bennett, De­ partment of Physical Education, The Ohio State University, for his guid­ ance, encouragement and excellent critioisms. The writer is grateful for the help given by the other members of the reading committee~Dr. Lewis A. Hess, Chairman of the Department of Physical Education, and Dr. Francis Weisenburger, Department of History. Dr. Chalmers Hixson, Department of Physical Education, offered suggestions which aided in structuring the study. Fred Shults, Department of Physical Education, Oberlin College, contributed to the study by making the Fred E. Leonard papers available. Many library personnel gave assistance in conducting research. The writer is grateful to the staffs of the libraries at The Ohio State University, Adelphi College and the Library of Congress, and to Mrs. Margaret Copeland of the Smith Memorial Library, Chautauqua Institution, and Miss Jane Hill, in charge of the Yale Memorabilia Collection. The author wishes to acknowledge the cooperation of the staff of the Sterling Memorial Library, Yale University, in photostating portions of the Anderson Memorabilia and for permission to use the photograph as a frontispiece. The writer appreciates the information given by the following people, through interviews and correspondence, which contributed to the iii iv authenticity of this study: Dr. Albert Sharpe, former Yale athlete, Cornell coach and Chautauquan; Prank McKeever, veteran member of the Yale University Police; "Jerry," the Yale newsboy, now in his seventies; George Weber, Yale photographer and co-worker with Anderson; Robert J.H. Kiphuth, noted swimming coach and Director of the Payne-Whitney Gymnasium at Yale; Wallace Clark, long-time co-worker at Yale and a friend of the Andersons; Col. Theodore Hall, resident of Chautauqua Institution since the 1890's; A. C. Gilbert, inventor of Erector Toys, Yale track star, and friend of the Andersons; Thomas Means, Yale gymnast under Anderson, now a resident of Brunswick, Maine; The Rev. Louis A. Dole, Yale athlete under Anderson, now a resident of Bath, Maine; Amos Alonzo Stagg, legendary American sports figure, contemporary of Anderson at Chautauqua, now a resident of Stockton, California; and Henry Weber, retired fire­ man at Morris Cove, New Haven, Connecticut. Finally, the author wishes to express his admiration for his wife Shirley, for her patience, sacrifices and hard work. Without her inspiration, the project would never have been completed. TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE FRONTISPIECE ..................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..................................... iii INTRODUCTION ..................................... 1 CHAPTER I A PERSONABLE GENTLEMAN ................... U II BIRTH OF AN EDUCATOR ................... 11 III A CAREER IN TEACHER EDUCATION.........23 IV A MOVE TOWARD PROFESSIONAL UNITY .... 3]+ V THE COLLEGES GAIN DIRECTION..... 1© VI CHAUTAUQUA— A BIRTHPLACE OF IDEAS . 56 VII A WARM HAVEN IN C O N N E C T I C U T ....... 82 A. A New Normal School ...... 85 B. Molding the Men of Yale ..... 88 VIII PRODUCTS OF C U R I O S I T Y .............. 127 IX A SYSTEMATIC E C L E C T I C .............. li+7 A. The American System Unfolds .... II47 B. Developmentalism and a Master Teacher . l6i+ X THE GOLDEN Y E A R S .................... 172 XI A MAN AND HIS Q U E S T ................. 179 BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................ 188 AUTOBIOGRAPHY ..................................... 209 ▼ INTRODUCTION When William Anderson was almost three years old, a bloody and decisive battle was fought at Gettysburg. Presidents from Lincoln to Eisenhower have visited this sleepy Pennsylvania town. Many memorials to the thousands of soldiers who fought and died there exist today. One of these, near the military cemetery in Gettysburg, is a cycloramic painting which vividly portrays one well-known aspect of this battle— Pickett's Charge. It seems to the writer that history is much like an endless cyclorama. Civilizations rise and fall. Each era, cultural group or generation produces different ideas and attempts to improve on old ones. All events pass on the endless belt of time. Since the tale of any generation is inextricably involved with man's ventures, a few personalities always move to the fore. Often a specific period in recorded time or an area of learning can be best understood by attempting to analyze the lives or personalities of these leaders. Physical education has passed through several developmental stages in the United States. In many sections of this country, tech­ niques and methodology have kept pace with the demands of a fast-moving civilization. In unenlightened areas many shadows remain. To progress and improve, we need to understand the phases through which this pro­ fession has grown. If we are to place the profession's problems in proper perspective, we must comprehend its heritage— the deeds, person­ alities and creativity of its leaders. 1 This study is concerned with one leader— -William Gilbert Anderson. He was not the lone contributor to the development of physical education in this country, but few men have given more. He was certainly not its most publicized leader— his place on the oyclorama of time has been little noticed— but his touch is evident in any critical analysis of the field. Dr. Anderson's organizational drive, his fight for academic re­ spectability, and his creativeness in the realm of teacher education warrant investigation. His planning and perserverance helped in the establishment of the present-day organizations known as (l) the College Physical Education Association and (2) the American Association of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation. During his lifetime he earned seven college degrees, studied in Europe and crossed the United States forty times. His importation of German and Swedish instructors for his summer schools influenced the rise of these systems in this nation. He was in­ timately involved in the "battle of the systems." A contemporary of Dudley A. Sargent, Edward Hitchcock, Jay W. Seaver, R. Tait McKenzie, Walter Camp, Amos Alonzo Stagg, William Rainey Harper and other luminaries, Anderson remains relatively unknown. Like many educators who teach, counsel and inspire youth, William Anderson functioned efficiently in relative anonymity. His name is not found in Yiho Was Who or the Dictionery of American Biography. It is the belief of the writer that Anderson'3 half-century of service is deserving of exploration and analysis, and that his personality and contributions to the field merit attention. This study is limited to the best available sources pertaining to William Anderson's personal life, teaching, education, inventions and 3 experimentation. The Yale Memorabilia Collection at Sterling Memorial Library, Yale University, provided valuable information. Additional research was conducted by the writer at Chautauqua Institution, Chau­ tauqua, New York, the Library of Congress, Adelphi College, Long Island, and The Ohio State University. Since this is an attempt to better understand the personality of this American pioneer, interviews and correspondence with living contem­ poraries are emphasized. The remembrances of these people provided vital information about Dr. Anderson's experiences, especially those at Yale University and Chautauqua Institution. Major contributors are identified in the Acknowledgements (page iii). The purposes of the research are to 1. investigate the contributions of William G. Anderson in terms of their possible effect on the teaching profession. 2. set forth the personal philosophy of this man through an objective analysis of his writings and the reports of contemporaries. 3. present a realistic picture of the life of a very human educator contrasted against the times in which he lived and worked. i+. consummate a meaningful research project which will be of value to future students in physical education. CHAPTER I A PERSONABLE GENTLEMAN Some prominent men leave memoirs or even libraries which chronicle their earthly achievements. These sources recount their deeds and supply clues to their personal traits*. William Gilbert Anderson is remembered ohiefly in the minds and hearts of his students and fellow workers. While he did not leave formal, written records of his personal life, some of his addresses, letters, reports and texts do remain. These reveal a few of his characteristics. The rest unfold in the eulogies of his friends~now dead— and the memories of living fJriends and co-workers, Physioally, William Anderson was an impressive specimen. As a young man he had blond, curly hair which, in his later years, became a shook of distinguished white. When it was in vogue, Anderson had ", , , an ample moustache— something like that of Admiral Peary," His blue eyes retained their sparkle throughout his life. Standing just over six feet tall, ", . , he was erect as any alumnus of West Point or Annapolis,"^ Although he weighed a slender 160 pounds for most of his life, his muscu­ lature was hard and lithe. His exceptional coordination