The purpose of this study was to trace, reconstruct, and record the facts, which reflect the development, growth, and continuity of the physical education program at Florida State University, from its beginning through 1978. / Traditional methods of historical research were utilized to locate and investigate primary and secondary sources. A substantial amount of information was obtained from personal interviews with former students and former and present faculty members. Photographs, scrapbooks, personal files containing letters and memorandums, local and college newspapers, college yearbooks, college catalogs and bulletins, and department minutes also provided valuable information. / Investigation revealed that the early physical education program, under the leadership of Katherine Montgomery, gained widespread respect as a vital part of the all-women's college. The college became coeducational in 1947, and a men's department, headed by Howard Danford, was added. Later the men's and women's programs combined, under the leadership of Kenneth Miller. By the mid-1960s the department was conducting a broad-in-scope program which had reached a point of national prominence. From that point there began a splintering process of the various functions conducted by the department until by the conclusion of this study only the teacher preparation phase survived. / The major events contributing toward the specific evolutionary pattern of the department through 1978 were: (1) the dedicated, career-long commitment of Katherine Montgomery, which established a sound basis for the progressive growth of the department's professional teacher training program; (2) the relatively brief but stimulating tenure of Howard Danford who would not be satisified with mediocrity; (3) the combining of the women's department with the men's department in 1947--a situation which had to be, but which, regrettably, resulted in continuous trauma, and which was perhaps the single most important factor in preventing the achievement of the department's full potential; (4) the opposition of a small, but determined, group in the faculty senate, which harassed that body to a point at which the senate shifted its position of strong support to one of eliminating the required physical education program; and, finally, (5) the unaccountable lack of administrative support by a series of deans and presidents who would not back up their off-the-record advocacy with public endorsement. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 41-07, Section: A, page: 2993. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1980.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_74204 |
| Contributors | CARTER, GAYVON DANSBY., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 330 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
Page generated in 0.0018 seconds