The records from the Physical Education Department date from 1880 to 2004 and document the development of physical training for men and women at Oberlin College.  Records from the men's department comprise the bulk of this record group (Subgroups I-V) and include correspondence of the Directors of Athletics; information on Oberlin's philosophy of athletics and how it has evolved; curricular materials from the tenures of C.W. Savage, W.R. Morrison, J.H. Nichols, and L.K. Butler; and files of correspondence and minutes pertaining to the Ohio Athletic Conference and the National Collegiate Athletic Association.  Files related to intercollegiate and intramural athletics include correspondence about events, team information, coaching notes, and results of events.

Files of the Department of Physical Education for Women trace that program from the mid-1880's through the early 1980's.  (While the Women's Department as a separate entity no longer existed after 1970, women faculty members continued to hold their own staff meetings and develop programs distinctly for women.)  The Women's Department had three different names before the 1970 merger with the Men's Department:  Department of Physical Training for Women (1887-1903), Teachers Course in Physical Education for Women (1904-1936), and the Department of Physical Education for Women (1955-1970).  These records include early physical evaluation charts, handbooks and curricular materials developed by Delphine Hanna amongst others, individual files for alumni of the Department from 1886-1963, correspondence, information on facilities, and minutes from Women's Department staff meetings.

For both departments, a large amount of publicity material and extensive photograph file exist.  Publicity from the two departments had been previously interfiled and was thus left that way; photographs, however, are separated into two groups.  Department of Physical Education records are arranged in the following subgroups and series:

I.  Administrative Files

            1.  Annual Reports

            2.  Minutes

            3.  Correspondence

            4.  Oberlin Athletic Policy

            5.  Financial Records

            6.  Contracts

            7.  Personnel

            8.  Committees

            9.  Conferences and Meetings

            10.  Facilities and Equipment

            11.  Alumni File

            12.  General File

            13.  Heisman Club

II.  Instruction and Evaluation

            1.  Curriculum

            2.  Physical Evaluation

            3.  Freshman Orientation and Statistics

III.  Intercollegiate Sports

            1.  All Sports

            2.  Baseball

            3.  Basketball

            4.  Cross Country

            5.  Fencing

            6.  Football

            7.  Golf

            8.  Ice Hockey

            9.  Lacrosse

            10.  Soccer

            11.  Swimming and Diving

            12.  Tennis

            13.  Track and Field

            14.  Wrestling

IV.  Intramurals

            1.  Intramural Board

            2.  Individual Sports

            3.  Miscellaneous

V.  Athletic and Professional Associations

            1.  Oberlin College Athletic Associations

            2.  Ohio Athletic Conference

            3.  National Collegiate Athletic Association

            4.  Other Athletic and Professional Associations

            5.  North Coast Athletic Conference

VI.  Department of Physical Education for Women

            1.  Minutes

            2.  Correspondence

            3.  Committees

            4.  Gertrude Moulton:  Director of Women's Gymnasium

            5.  Delphine Hanna Foundation

            6.  Curriculum

            7.  Alumni of the Physical Training Program

            8.  Physical Evaluation of Students ("Anthropometrics")

            9.  Women's Athletic Association

            10.  Facilities

            11.  General Alumni File

            12.  Women's Basketball

            13.  Printed Material

            14.  Grade Books and Attendance Books

            15.  Historical File

            16.  Annual Reports

VII.  Publications and Publicity

            1.  Brochures, Calendars, and Announcements

            2.  Articles, Talks, and Studies

            3.  Clippings and Scrapbooks

            4.  Programs of Events and Tickets

            5.  Spaulding's Athletic Library and Other Company Publications

• Heisman Highlights [As of Fall 2002, Heisman Highlights appears in the Oberlin Alumni Magazine.]

VIII.  Non-print Media

            1.  Photographs

            2.  Negatives

            3.  Film

            4.  Slides

Subgroup I:  Administrative Files, 1889-1997  (19.7 lin. ft.)

Contains administrative records of Oberlin Physical Education Department.  Arranged into twelve series:  1. Annual Reports; 2. Minutes; 3. Correspondence; 4. Oberlin Athletic Policy; 5. Financial Records; 6. Contracts; 7. Personnel; 8. Committees; 9. Conferences and Meetings; 10. Facilities and Equipment; 11. Alumni File; 12. General File.

            Series 1:  Annual Reports, c.1893-1950, 1952-56, 1958-62, 1965-69, 1977-79, 1985  (1.45 lin. ft.)

            Consists of annual reports describing the state of intercollegiate and intramural athletics, as well as the required  P.E. program.  Reports are arranged chronologically.

            Series 2:  Minutes, 1919-52, 1954-63, 1969-85, n.d.  (1.2 lin. ft.)

            Minutes of Athletic Committee Meetings and General Staff Meetings.  Arranged in chronological order with the Athletic Committee minutes first, followed by the staff meeting minutes. Additional meetings and minutes are included in Box 3, accession 2000/54.

            Series 3:  Correspondence, 1905-85, n.d.  (3.7 lin. ft.)

            Correspondence by Directors of Athletics including letters received and copies of letters sent.  Files roughly arranged in chronological order by Director with first folder in each Director's file marked with bold lettering in the inventory.  C.W. Savage correspondence first, followed by J.H. Nichols correspondence, Jack Scott correspondence, Joe Gurtis correspondence, a General File in alphabetical order, a Miscellaneous folder, and a box of Topical Correspondence in alphabetical order at the end.

            Series 4:  Oberlin Athletic Policy, c.1931-69, 2003, n.d.  (0.4 lin. ft.)

            Statements of Oberlin's philosophy on athletics as well as policies for intercollegiate and intramural athletics.  Because the majority of drafts are not marked by author or date, order is very roughly chronological.  Also included is a June 2003 document concerning Scholarship, Diversity, Social commitment, statement of goals and objectives.

            Series 5:  Financial Records, 1917-70, 1972-85  (2.5 lin. ft.)

            Consists of information related to the finances of the P.E. Department.  Arranged with athletic budgets first followed by intercollegiate financial reports--both in chronological order.  Miscellaneous records and reports filed next in alphabetical order with financial ledgers in chronological order last. 

            Series 6:  Contracts, 1908-21, 1940-70, 1974-76, 1986-88, n.d.  (1.9 lin. ft.)

            Consists of contracts for intercollegiate sports.  Arranged in alphabetical order by sport through 1921 and after 1970; and in chronological order from 1940-70.

            Series 7:  Personnel, 1954-55, 1958-81, 1986-87, n.d.  (1.9 lin. ft.)

            Consists of individual files on employees, as well as application materials and information for staff positions.  Arranged with employee file in alphabetical order by name first, followed by alphabetical listing of all other material.  *Restricted*

            Series 8:  Committees, 1919-54, 1954-79, 1981, n.d.  (1.65 lin. ft.)

            Alphabetical arrangement of all committees within or related to P.E. Department.  Miscellaneous committees at end of file.

            Series 9:  Conferences and Meetings, 1936-47, 1954-55, 1965, n.d. (0.2 lin. ft.)

            Alphabetical listing of P.E. conferences and meetings.  Miscellaneous file at end.

            Series 10:  Facilities and Equipment, 1889-91, 1893-1912, 1920-74, 1979-85, n.d.  (1.9 lin. ft.)

            Consists of information about athletic facilities at Oberlin College including blue prints, correspondence and information about construction projects, and equipment information.  Arranged in chronological order.

            Series 11:  Alumni File, 1897, 1901-69, n.d.  (0.6 lin. ft.)

            Contains alumni association material, records of alumni athletic games, alumni correspondence, and reunion information.  Arranged in alphabetical order.

            Series 12:  General File, 1905-73, 1977-78, 1985, n.d.  (1.7 lin. ft.)

            Miscellaneous files such as information on awards, banquets, questionnaires, etc. arranged in alphabetical order by folder heading.

            Series 13:  Heisman Club, 1983-97, 2002-  (0.6 lin. ft.)

            Contains correspondence, minutes, Hall of Fame induction materials, Heisman breakfast materials, and brochures on the history of Oberlin Sports.  Also includes Nat Brandt’s talk from the 2001 Heisman breakfast.

Subgroup II:  Instruction and Evaluation, c.1887-94, 1911-84, n.d.  (11.0 lin. ft.)

Consists of old teaching materials as well as physical examination records and statistics on students.  Arranged into three series:  1. Curriculum; 2. Physical Evaluation; 3. Freshman Orientation and Statistics.

Series 1:  Curriculum, 1890’s, c.1911-84, n.d.  (8.3 lin. ft.)

            Old teaching materials such as class outlines, lecture notes, general assignments, and examinations.  Because date, instructor, or class name is not specified on most folders, file is arranged in basic order in which it was found so that if material was previously arranged, order would be preserved.

            Series 2:  Physical Evaluation, c.1887-94, 1930, 1934-36, 1940-41, 1943, n.d.  (2.5 lin. ft.)

            Miscellaneous information on physical fitness and physical examinations arranged in alphabetical order by folder heading.  Followed by records of freshman physical examinations arranged in chronological order.  *Restricted*

            Series 3:  Freshman Orientation and Statistics, 1928-52 (0.2 lin. ft.)

            Consists of miscellaneous information related to the freshman classes such as lectures, and statistics on interests, etc.  Arranged in alphabetical order.

Subgroup III:  Intercollegiate Sports, c.1886-1974, n.d.  (14.8 lin. ft.)

Materials from all intercollegiate sports including annual statistics, records, schedules, etc.  Arranged into fourteen series:  1. All Sports; 2. Baseball; 3. Basketball;  4. Cross Country; 5. Fencing; 6. Football; 7. Golf; 8. Ice Hockey; 9. Lacrosse; 10. Soccer; 11. Swimming and Diving; 12. Tennis; 13. Track and Field 14. Wrestling.

            Series 1:  All Sports, 1886-1930, 1950-71, n.d.  (0.8 lin. ft.)

            Record Books for multiple sports arranged in chronological order, followed by miscellaneous information and records not specific to any one sport—arranged in alphabetical order by folder heading.

            Series 2:  Baseball, c.1891-1972, n.d.  (1.2 lin. ft.)

            Annual materials arranged in chronological order first, followed by miscellaneous materials in alphabetical order by folder heading.  Annual record ledgers filed last in chronological order.

            Series 3:  Basketball, 1903-74, 1986-87, n.d.  (2.0 lin. ft.)

            Annual materials arranged in chronological order, followed by miscellaneous materials in alphabetical order by folder heading.

            Series 4:  Cross Country, 1921-71  (0.8 lin. ft.)

            Annual materials arranged in chronological order, followed by miscellaneous materials in alphabetical order by folder heading.

            Series 5:  Fencing, 1932-77, 1985, n.d.  (0.4 lin. ft.)

            Annual materials arranged in chronological order, followed by miscellaneous materials in alphabetical order by folder heading.

            Series 6:  Football, c.1891-1972, 1992-2001, n.d.  (3.4 lin. ft.)

            Annual materials arranged in chronological order, followed by miscellaneous materials in alphabetical order by folder heading.  Historical petition in last box. Related material in 37/1, Motion Pictures.

            Series 7:  Golf, 1931-68, 1972, n.d.  (0.2 lin. ft.)

            Annual materials arranged in chronological order, followed by miscellaneous materials in alphabetical order by folder heading.

            Series 8:  Ice Hockey, c.1964-71  (0.2 lin. ft.)

            Annual materials arranged in chronological order.

            Series 9:  Lacrosse, 1948-76  (0.4 lin. ft.)

            Annual materials arranged in chronological order, followed by miscellaneous materials in alphabetical order by folder heading.

            Series 10:  Soccer, 1930-71, n.d.  (0.4 lin. ft.)

            Annual materials arranged in chronological order, followed by miscellaneous materials in alphabetical order by folder heading.

            Series 11:  Swimming and Diving, 1932-37, 1939-44, 1949-59, 1961-73  (0.6 lin. ft.)

            Annual materials arranged in chronological order, followed by miscellaneous materials in alphabetical order by folder heading.

            Series 12:  Tennis, 1908-70, n.d.  (1.0 lin. ft.)

            Annual materials arranged in chronological order, followed by miscellaneous materials in alphabetical order by folder heading.

            Series 13:  Track, 1890-1989, n.d.  (3.0 lin. ft.)

            Annual materials arranged in chronological order, followed by miscellaneous materials in alphabetical order by folder heading.

            Series 14:  Wrestling, 1951-71  (0.4 lin. ft.)

            Annual materials arranged in chronological order, followed by all time records.

Subgroup IV:  Intramurals, 1926-68, 1970, 1972-81, n.d.  (2.2 lin. ft.)

Contains annual materials from individual sports as well as general information related to intramural athletics.  Arranged into three series:  1. Intramural Board; 2. Individual Sports; 3. Miscellaneous.

          Series 1:  Intramural Board, 1941-45, 1955-58, 1974-75  (0.2 lin. ft.)

          Records of meetings and reports by the board.  Arranged in chronological order.

          Series 2:  Individual Sports, 1928-68, 1970, n.d.  (1.6 lin. ft.)

          Annual materials arranged in alphabetical order by sport and in chronological order within sport.

          Series 3:  Miscellaneous, c.1926-31, 1937-38, 1940, 1960-66,

                    1972-81  (0.4 lin. ft.)

          Miscellaneous information regarding intramural athletics such as handbooks, reports, etc.  Arranged in alphabetical order by folder heading.

Subgroup V:  Athletic and Professional Associations, 1891-1994,n.d. (8.9 lin. ft.)

Contains general materials such as minutes, correspondence, reports, etc. related to specific athletic associations.  Arranged into four series:  1. Oberlin College Athletic Association; 2. Ohio Athletic Conference; 3. National Collegiate Athletic Association; 4. Other Athletic and Professional Associations.

            Series 1:  Oberlin College Athletic Association, 1891-1970, (0.2 lin. ft.)

            Contains constitution and by-laws, financial statements, and Oberlin College athletic record book. Records in chronological order.

            Series 2:  Ohio Athletic Conference, 1910-51, 1953-84, n.d.  (3.9 lin. ft.)

            Material from meetings arranged first, followed by minutes and Commissioner's reports—all in chronological order.  Correspondence filed next, also in chronological order.  Finally miscellaneous materials such as reports, articles, committee materials, questionnaires, etc. filed in alphabetical order by folder heading.

            Series 3:  National Collegiate Athletic Association, 1928-31, 1941-94, n.d.  (2.9 lin. ft.) 

            N.C.A.A. Council meeting materials filed first, followed by materials from Executive Committee Meetings, Correspondence, and materials from the College Committee, Nominating Committee, Survey Committee, Infractions Committee, Assignments Committee, and Committee on Playing and Practice Sessions.  Miscellaneous materials regarding the N.C.A.A. arranged last in alphabetical order. Additional miscellaneous materials from accession 2000/54 are located at the end.

            Series 4:  Other Athletic and Professional Associations, 1927-54, 1956, 1958, 1964-65, 1967, 1969, 1972, n.d.  (1.7 lin. ft.)

            Other associations arranged in alphabetical order.

            Series 5. North Coast Athletic Conference, 1983-84 (0.2 lin. ft.)

            Contains meeting materials and correspondence of the NCAC.

Subgroup VI:  Department of Physical Education for Women, 1886-1964, 1966-82  (11.95 lin. ft.)

Contains all files from the women's physical education program.  Arranged into sixteen series:  1. Minutes; 2. Correspondence; 3. Committees; 4. Gertrude Moulton:  Director of Women's Gymnasium; 5. Delphine Hanna Foundation; 6. Curriculum; 7. Alumni of the Physical Training Program; 8. Physical Evaluation of Students ("Anthropometrics"); 9. Women's Athletic Association; 10. Facilities; 11. General Alumni File; 12. Women's Basketball; 13. Printed Material; 14. Grade Books and Attendance Books; 15. Historical; 16. Annual Reports

            Series 1:  Minutes, 1925-42, 1966-82  (0.6 lin. ft.)

            Contains minutes of Women's P.E. Department staff meetings.  Some are grouped with the Men's Department meetings in later years after the department merger in 1969.  Arranged roughly in chronological order.

            Series 2:  Correspondence, c.1951-82, n.d.  (0.4 lin. ft.)

            Contains general department correspondence.  Arranged in chronological order.

            Series 3:  Committees, c.1966-81  (0.2 lin. ft.)

            Records from various committees within the Women's P.E. Department.  Arranged in alphabetical order by name of committee.

            Series 4:  Gertrude Moulton:  Director of Women's Gymnasium, c.1927-64  (0.2 lin. ft.)

            Contains written material by Dr. Moulton as well as written material by her students about her.  At end of file are folders of correspondence and snapshots presumably sent to her by former students.

            Series 5:  Delphine Hanna Foundation, 1959-1968, n.d.  (0.2 lin. ft.)

            Contains miscellaneous materials about the Delphine Hanna Foundation.

            Series 6:  Curriculum, 1927-43, 1969-73, n.d.  (0.4 lin. ft.)

            Contains course materials from Women's P.E. classes.  Arranged in alphabetical order by name of course.

            Series 7:  Alumni of the Physical Training Program, 1886-1963 (6.25 lin. ft.)

            Contains files on alumni of the Women's P.E. Department.  Arranged in alphabetical order.  If married, student is filed under her married name.

            Series 8:  Physical Evaluation of Students ("Anthropometrics"), c.1893-1912  (0.9 lin. ft.)

            Records of individual students' physical condition mapped out on anthropometric charts.  Arranged in chronological order.  *Restricted*

            Series 9:  Women's Athletic Association, 1911-45, 1949, 1962-63, 1969-70, 1980  (1.0 lin. ft.)

            Contains material from W.A.A. such as reports, correspondence, records of W.A.A. sponsored athletic games and activities such as plays and pageants.  Arranged in alphabetical order by folder heading except for material from pageant "Our Lady's Juggler" which are filed separately at end.

            Series 10:  Facilities, 1914-44  (0.4 lin. ft.)

            Contains materials regarding women's athletic facilities such as Hales Gymnasium, Hanna Camp, Galpin Field, etc.  Arranged in alphabetical order by folder heading.

            Series 11:  General Alumni File, 1914-18, 1955-57  (0.2 lin. ft.)

            Contains alumni news letters and publications.  Arranged in alphabetical order by folder heading.

            Series 12:  Women's Basketball, 1905-07  (0.2 lin. ft.)

            Contains record book from early women's basketball games.

            Series 13:  Printed Material, c.1893-1981  (0.6 lin. ft.)

            Contains miscellaneous printed material from the Women's P.E. Program.  Arranged in alphabetical order by folder heading.

            Series 14:  Grade Books and Attendance Books, 1923-24, 1930-31, 1953-55  (0.2 lin. ft.)

            Contains grade books and attendance books from the Women’s P.E. Program.

            Series 15. Historical File, 1914-44 (0.1 lin. ft.)

            Consists of materials related to the history of the Department of P.E. for Women.

            Series 16. Annual Reports, 1880-86, 1920-44 (0.1 lin. ft.)

            Annual reports of the Department of Physical Education for Women.

Subgroup VII:  Publications and Publicity, c. 1881-, n.d.  (13.15 lin. ft.)

Contains athletic publications regarding athletics in general as well as athletics specifically at Oberlin College.  In addition, includes some unpublished articles and speeches by Oberlin faculty persons.  Arranged into six series:  1. Brochures, Calendars, and Announcements; 2. Articles, Talks, and Studies; 3. Clippings and Scrapbooks; 4. Programs of Events and Tickets; 5. Spaulding's Athletic Library and Other Company Publications; 6. Heisman Highlights. 7. Press Releases

            Series 1:  Brochures, Calendars, and Announcements, 1890's, 1902-2001  (0.4 lin. ft.)

            Contains various brochures on Oberlin athletics, the Ohio Athletic Conference, intramural athletics, etc. as well as annual calendars of individual sport seasons.  Historical announcements of events and clippings from newspapers are filed next, with a miscellaneous folder at the end.

            Series 2:  Articles, Talks, and Studies, c.1891, 1935-65, 1986-89, n.d. (0.8 lin. ft.)

            Contains various articles, talks, and studies by Oberlin faculty persons and students, as well as people outside of Oberlin College.  Miscellaneous Folder at end of file.  Arranged in alphabetical order by folder heading.

            Series 3:  Clippings and Scrapbooks, 1893-1987, n.d.  (5.6 lin. ft.)

            Newspaper clippings with coverage of all sports arranged in chronological order and alphabetical by sport within each year.  Scrapbook of Gertrude Moulton's life compiled by students is at end of file.

            Series 4:  Programs of Events and Tickets, c. 1881-, n.d.  (2.2 lin. ft.)

            Contains programs of athletic events and athletic banquets, as well as tickets to football games and other athletic events.  Arranged in alphabetical order by sport with a Miscellaneous Folder at the end.

            Series 5:  Spaulding's Athletic Library and Other Company Publications, c.1892-1950  (3.75 lin. ft.)

            Contains large quantity of volumes from Spaulding's Athletic Library as well as various other athletic publications.  Filed very roughly in chronological order due to large number of volumes and various series within publications.

            Series 6:  Heisman Highlights, 1986-2002  (0.2 lin. ft.)

            The newsletter of the Heisman Club of Oberlin College is designed to serve former athletes of Oberlin College as well as supporters of the athletic or sports programs.  Newsletter primarily reports on Heisman Day activities associated with inductees to the Hall of Fame.  As of Fall 2002, Heismann Highlights appears in the Oberlin Alumni Magazine.

            Series 7: Press Releases, 1950-70 (0.2 lin. ft.)

            Consists of Press Releases.

Subgroup VIII:  Non-print Media, c.1889-1998, 2003, n.d.  (10.9 lin. ft.)

Contains all non-print media from both Men's and Women’s P.E. Departments.  Arranged into four series:  1. Photographs; 2. Negatives; 3. Film;  4. Slides.

            Series 1:  Photographs, c.1889-1998, 2003, n.d.  (9.7 lin. ft.)

            Photographs from Men's and Women's P.E. Departments filed separately with men's photographs in boxes 1-12 and women's photographs in boxes 13-21.  At beginning of men's file are photographs of individuals in alphabetical order by last name (c.1880-1950).  Photographs from specific sports filed in alphabetical order by sport and in chronological order within each sport.  All other men's photographs filed at end of men's file in alphabetical order by folder heading.  Women's photographs from specific sports filed in alphabetical order by sport and chronological within each sport.  All other women's photographs filed in alphabetical order by folder heading with one box of oversized photographs at end.

            Series 2:  Negatives, pre-1938 and n.d.  (0.6 lin. ft.)

            Miscellaneous glass negatives filed first followed by nitrate negatives (5x7 Portrait Panchromatic) from men's physical examinations.  Physical examination negatives filed in order that they were found numbered 9338-9592 on boxes.  *Restricted*

            Series 3:  Film, c.1938 and n.d.  (0.4 lin. ft.)

            Six films of various athletic events at Oberlin.  Filed in alphabetical order by subject.

            Series 4:  Slides, c.1900-61  (0.2 lin. ft., 70 slides)

Records of the Department of Physical Education were received in eight lots between 1969 and 1989.  C.W. Savage correspondence was transferred from Oberlin College Library on 4/3/69;  general files were received from Lysle K. Butler on 7/15/70, from the Department of Physical Education on 5/31/72, and 1/4/89, and from James Burns, Inter-Arts Technician, on 12/15/77.  Women's Physical Education records were received on 10/6/72 from Barbara Calmer and on 6/21/73 from the Department of Physical Education.  A small group of photographs, also from the Department, was added on 9/26/88. Additional material was received in several accessions from 1992 to 2003.  Additional material was transferred from the Oberlin College Library, Special Collections, in 2001-2002.

Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences (RG 9/1); Office of the Secretary (RG 5); Lysle K. Butler Papers (RG 30/94); Delphine Hanna (RG 30/324); Sara L. Houston (RG 30/174); Daniel C. Kinsey Papers (RG 30/48); Fred E. Leonard Papers (RG 30/47); John H. Nichols Papers (RG 30/131); Frederick Davis Shults Papers (RG 30/195); Princehorn Negatives (RG 32/6/1); Videotapes and 16mm film originals of 13 football games, 1950-61 (RG 37/1).

Frederick Davis Shults's dissertation, which is included with his papers, contains an appendix listing the text of all General Faculty Committee actions related to the Department of Physical Education from June 1836 to April 1964.