Mary E. Allen's contributions to gymnastics, exercise, and physical education are discussed. Basing her approach to physical education exercise on a sound knowledge of anatomy and physiology, Allen pressed for compulsory physical education in both school and society. (CJ)

This paper traces the history of the development of formal training for physical education teachers. The evolution of physical fitness training in American schools is discussed from its inception in the early 1800s, when the concept of the union of bodily health and academic achievement was first emphasized by German immigrants to the United…

In the early days of physical education, the value of physical fitness was associated with preparation for defense in wartime and preventive medicine. Physical fitness waned in importance in the period between the two World Wars, to become concommitant to other objectives of physical education. A resurgence in emphasis on fitness was triggered and…

Dudley A. Sargent, M.D., was Director of the Hemenway Gymnasium at Harvard University for 1879 to 1919. For the first ten years he was also an Assistant Professor of Physical Training. In 1889, President Eliot recommended that Dr. Sargent be promoted to full professor. In an unprecedented action the Board of Overseers rejected Eliot's…