Synchronized swimming, ca. 1955. Members of the Women's Recreation Association (WRA) put their best foot forward in practicing synchronized swimming moves. Participating in a variety of intramural sports including volleyball, softball, tennis, and basketball, WRA was active on campus from its founding in 1917 as a chapter of the Women's Athletic Association. In 1973, the club was disbanded and its function as absorbed by the newly formed Women's Intercollegiate Athletic Department. Meeting minutes and scrapbooks of the WRA are part of this record group. [OSU Archives P171:47]
College of Health and Human Performance Records (RG 31)
1917-1995
11.5 cubic feet and 4 reels of microfilm
Scope and Content Note
Organized into eight series. Series I, General Correspondence, documents the administration and activities of the director's office from 1919-1953. The files, on microfilm, are arranged by subject. Series II, Intramural Sports Records, documents intramural sports offered at Oregon State from 1919-1980. Files from 1919-1947 are arranged by sport; from 1947-1975 arrangement is chronological. They consist of participation rosters, schedules, results, and other documentation. Series III, Curriculum Development, consists of correspondence and reports related to the degree programs offered by the College and proposed changes and additions to the overall curriculum.
Series IV consists largely of meeting minutes from various College committees and student clubs. The club records consist primarily of membership lists, minutes, club newsletters, and a charter from two student chapters of the national University organizations the Honorary Society for Women in Physical Education (Delta Psi Kappa) and the Honorary Society for Men in Physical Education (Sigma Delta Psi). The Sigma Delta Psi records were transferred from RG 116. This series also contains scrapbooks from the Physical Education Club and the Women's Recreation Association. There are a total of 14 scrapbooks in this series and they date from 1948 to 1969 with most of them covering the events and activities of one academic year. In addition to brochures and newsletters documenting club activities and membership, the scrapbooks also contain correspondence, minutes, and photographs.
Series V mainly constitutes reports and correspondence concerning the administrative policies and procedures of the College, including guidelines for student teachers and secretarial staff, program and college title changes, departmental goals and objectives, biennial reports, and equipment budgets. Series VI pertains to records of remodeling in Langton Hall and the Women's Building and recreational facilities and structures operated and maintained by the College, including the crew house, swimming pool, and golf shed. Series VII are special event files consisting of brochures, correspondence, and memoranda of dedications for building restorations and facility additions, in particular the Women's Building. Series VIII are general files containing correspondence and newspaper clippings relating to Deans, employees, and students of the College.
Historical Note
Physical education has been a part of OSU's curriculum since the early 1900s. By 1910 a physical education department had been established, and all students were required to take PE during their freshman and sophomore years. Until 1928, the Director of Physical Education also served as Director of Intercollegiate Athletics. A School of Health and Physical Education was established in 1930, but was relegated to a division (lower level courses only) in 1933 with the reorganization of public higher education in Oregon. The Division of Physical Education existed until 1974, when the School of Health and Physical Education was reestablished. Degree-granting status was obtained in 1970. In 1983 the school became the College of Health and Physical Education, and in 1989 the name was changed to the College of Health and Human Performance. The college has administered the university's intramural sports program since 1916.
Related Materials
P 231 College of Health and Human Performance Photographs; PUB 276; P 171 Women's Recreation Association Photographs; MSS - Langton, Clair Van Norman Papers; P MC - Health & Physical Education, School of; MC - Health and Human Performance, College of; MC - Public Health, Dept. of; MC - Exercise & Sport Science, Dept. of; RG 7 Intercollegiate Athletics Records
