DOCUMENT RESUME ED 135 754 SP 010 808 AUTHOR lee, Mabel TITLE Memories of a Bloomer Girl. PUB DATE 77 NOTE 381p. AVAILABLE FROM AAHFER Publications-Sales, 1201 Sixteenth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036 ($12.50) EDRS PRICE MF-$0.83 HC-$20.75 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *Autobiographies; Carelr Choice; Dance; Health Education; _*History; lifetime Sports; *Physical Education; Physical Fitness; *Women Professors; *Womens Athletics; *Womens Education IDENTIFIERS *Ice (Mabel) ABSTRACT This book is an autobiographic account of thirty years spent in the field of physical education. Relating herpersonal experiences from her student days at the turn cf the century through her years as a physical education teacher, the author traces the history of women's involvement in sports and health education and their ccntributions to this field. (JD) *********************************************************************** Documents acquired by ERIC include many informal unpublished * materials not available from other sources. ERIC makes every effort * * to obtain the best copy available. Nevertheless, items of marginal * * reproducibility are often encountered and this affectsthe_quality * * of the microfiche and hardcopy reproductions ERIC makesavailable * * via the ERIC Document Reproduction Service (EDRS). EDRS is not * responsible for the quality of the original document. Reproductions * * supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original. *********************************************************************** ME OF A R (1894-1924) Mabel Lee Professor Emeritus, Universityof NebraskaLincoln U S DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH. PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE TFIIS EDUCATION &WELFARE COPYRIGHTE El MATERIAL BY MICRO. NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF FICHE ONLY HAS BEEN GRANTED BY EDUCATION THIS DOCUMENT HAS I3EEN REPPO- DUCED FxACTLY AS RECEIVE° FROM TO ERICAra)ORGNIZATIONS OPERAT THE TILPSON OR ORGANIZATION ORIGIN- INE UNDER AGREEMENTS MTH THE NA A TING IT POINTS OF VIEW OR OPINIONS TIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCAIION srA TED DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRE. T URI ITER REPRODUC 1 ION OUTSIDE THE ERIC SYSTEM PEOUIRF.S PERMIS tNs, SENT OFFICIAL NATIONAL INSTITUTF OF SION OF THE COPYRIGHT OWNER " EDUCATION POSITION OR POL ICY AMERICAN ALLIANCE FOR HEALTH, PHYSICAL EDUCATION, AND RECREATION 44 COPYRIGHT © 1977 AMERICAN ALLIANCE FOR HEALTH, PHYSICAL EDUCATION, ANDRECREATION Printed in the United States ofAmerica. All rights reserved. Thisbook, or parts thereof, may not bereproduced in any form without permissionof the publisher. For information, addressthe Alliance, 1201 Sixteenth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036 Order From: AAHPER Publications-Sales, 1201 Sixteenth Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20036 Dedicated To The Memory of Amy Morris flomans and De lphine Hanna Who In The Late Nineteenth Century Opened .The Doors To A New Career For Women and To Thu' Memory Of Those Valiant Wonum Who Were My Co-Workers Of The- Early Twentieth Century In Opening Those Doors Still Wider Also Dedicated To The Many Splendid Young Women Of The Late Twentieth, Century Who In Their Turn Are The New Torchbearers fo A Sound Physical Education For America Contents Pre face 9 Foreword 13 Chapter I.A New Career for Women I 7 Catharine Beecher's Physical Culture (17) E Establishment of Physical Educmion for Girls ( I()) Chapter 11.Military Drill and Indian Clubs in the Gay Nineties )3 My Forebears (23) 11 Growing up in lowa (24)The Family Sickly One (26) I Ignmance of Health Education (27) n Ignorance of Physical Education (28) I Calisthenics and the Nlultiplication Table (29) g Central Ward School and a Private Gymnasium (31) E I Discover Indian Clubs (32) Revival of Ancient Olympics (33) Military Drill (34) We Discover Basketball for Girls (36) Our Natural Gymnastics (37) Chapter III.The Privileged Ten Percent at the Turn of the Cent ury 40 A New Century and a New Town (40)Father and I Stan Basketball in Centerville (42) E I Discover Debating (43)Physical Education at the Turn of the Century (43) No Talk of Careers, a Scotch Lassie and a World's Fair (46) Chapter IV.The Privileged Two Percent 49 Choosing a Co liege (49 1 Pro)' and Others (52)11On Our Own (54)E I Discover Physical Education (55) At Other Iowa Colleges (57) Physical Examinations Cause a Furor (61)Girls Are Coddled and a Few Epidemics (62) I Discover Swedish Gymnastics and Indoor Meets (63) I Also English Field Hockey and Fancy Steps (67) Chapter V.Choosing a Career 69 I Take a Look at Marriage (69) 1 A Sudden Decision on a Career (70) I Become a Student Assistant (72)A First Offer of a Position and I Learn of a Professional Training School (73) 12 Checking Qualifications (74) A First Pay Position (76) IN College Commencement-- A Five-Day Ceremony (77) 5 Chapter VI.Prokssimml Training after the Boston Manner 81 The Boston Normal School of Gymnastics (81) a I Am aDisappointment (85)Coley and Hester (94)Probation and I Learn to Drink Milk (98) Coley's Turn on the Carpet (103) Down to the Lucky 75 (105) Triumphant End of My Six-Week Ordeal (106) Dr. Collin Takes a Hand in Making Me Over (108) Health and Hygiene Constant Concern (110)Gymnastics, Dance and Sports at BNSG (1 1) Theoly Classes (114) Work at Children's Hospital (117) Inadequate Course in History of Physical Education (11 7) Chapter VII.A Velvet Purse of a Sow's Ear 121 But One Aim (121)Our Teachers (126)Amy Morris Homans (127) ri Dr. Louis Collin (135)Dr. Robert Lovett (139)Melvin Ballou Gilbert (139)For Social Li fe I Meet William James and G.Stanley Hall and See Christy Mathewson Play Ball (141) Discord between BNSG and the Sargent and Posse Schools (144) m Women GivenRecognition (146) Dudley A. Sargent (147) A Surprise Change in Attitude (149) The Sargent School (150) Closing Days in Boston (151) A Long Lazy Summer (153) Chapter VIIIThe Triumph That Was Amy Morris Homans 155 BNSG Merger (155) A Cool Reception (157) Wellesley Cc ilege (159)Physical Education in Early Years at Wellesley(161)1 The New Department (163) The Staff and Senior Courses (164) A New Gymnasium (167)Graduate Status for Two of us (169) New Chal- lenges and a Rope-climbing Episode (171) The Birth of the Idea of NAPECW (173)Divertissements ( 75)Characks at G. Stanley Hall's (176) New Enaland Conservatoiy-Wellesley-Harvard-MITCollabo- rate (179) One Sure Position and One UncertainOne (184) Last Scoldings (191) m Closing Ceremonies (I ) After Years (I 94 ) Amy Morris Homans (195) A Summing Up (196) Chapter IX.BloomersSymbol Of My Career 199 Surprises! Academy Classes and an Unknown Salary(199) "Mr. X" (205)President Marquis (206) m Salaries (707)1 The "Preps" (208) Women Trained in the Field (209)Teaching Aids Scarce (211) m Men Coaches as Physical Directors (212) Planning My Time and Program Expanded (216) Hygiene Courses Needed and Less Formality(217) Examinations Cause a Furor (219) m AdministrativeProblems (223) Teaching_Gymnastics (229) Girls' Crushes (231)General Opinion of Women Physreal Education Teachers (232)Commitment to My Career (234) 6 Chapter X.Dance and Sports-1910s Style 240 Isadora Dunean (240) Dalcroze, Gilbert and the Russians (242) Nijinsky (245) a Innovations: The Colonial Ball and Pageantry (247) Ballroom Dancing (252)The Jinks and Other Follies (254) a Sports (255)A College Swimming Pool and Annette Kellerman (257)Sports for Men (163) End of Academy Classes and I Bake a Pie (265) Intetschool Sports for Girls (268) WAA Student Manager Plan (271) Travels (27 I ) Chapter XI.Jack-Of-All-Trades 273 Gymnastic Demonstrations and Indoor Meets (273)Faculty Kids (278) n'Epidemics and Fire Drills (280)I Learn about Varsity .Sports .and Janitorial Work (281)Lending Ears (285) I Discover Professional Organization's (286) An Encounter with the University of Chicago Baseball Team (294) Some Women's Rights (296) The Great War Brings Problems (299) Offers of Positions (301) Farewell to Coe (306) Chapter XII.An Interlude Out West and a Flu Epidemic 310 A New Position and a Professorship (310) War Time Problems and a Militant Woman (31 I) Inherited Troubles (316) A Weekend in the Mountains and the Armistice (318)A State Physical Education Msoci- ation and Our Department Settles Down (320)Abby Shaw Mayhew and a Call to China (311) a The Spanish Flu Hits the West Coast and I Meet Utter Defeat (314) Chapter XIII.An Understanding College President and Some Sweet Mad Youth 327 Another Position (327) a Beloit College (332) Back to Work (334) Beloit's Departments of Physical Education (338)The Physical Educa- tion Program for Women and Marching "Spell-downs- (341) A Reactivated Women's Athletic Association (345) m Belligerent Men Students (347)Two Assistants and More Innovations (351)Dance at Beloit (353) Chapter XIV.Women's Lib Early Nineteen Twenties 358 A Debate on Intercollegiate Sports for Women (358) Widening Hori- zons and a Question of Democracy (360)Gum-chewing New Yorkers, the Long Trail of Vermont, and Glacier National Park (364) The Women Get Their Way (365) Birth of NAAF and the Woman7s Division (367) Birth of NAPECW (368)I Almost Attend My First National Convention (373)-w-Changes at Beloit and Offers Elsewhere (374) Notes 378 7 Preface Memories of a bloomer girl! What thoughts these words evoke! I was a bloomer girl from the time of my first pair in 1902 to tile time of bloomers passing from the scene in the late twenties and early thirties. They became the symbol of the career 1 was to followwork in the profession of physical education. Therein lies the story of this bookreminiscences of sports and d:mce as a grade schoolgirl in the Gay Nineties, in Centerville, Iowa, a high school and college girl at the turn of the century in Centerville and at Coe College, followed by two years of professional training in Boston and at Wellesley College leading into my career beginning in the Great War era.