Student's splash after jumping into McCurdy Natatorium
Description:
This photograph shows a student's splash after jumping into Judd Gymnasia's McCurdy Natatorium. The student is jumping from the rafters of the Natatorium. The students had to climb up the ladder, step onto the beam, and then jump into the pool. The pool was only eight feet deep. It was part of the requirements to pass a skills class at the school. There is one boy holding on to the ladder, while two others are watching on in the bleachers. The picture is not dated, but it is assumed to have been taken somewhere between 1913 and 1968. To see a picture showing a student in the middle of the jump, see here: http://cdm16122.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15370coll2/id/9384
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McCurdy Natatorium, a gift of Standard Oil President Herbert Pratt, who requested the pool be named after physical education department head Dr. McCurdy, was completed in April 1913. It was closed on March 18, 1968 and the swimming pool was replaced by Linkletter Natatorium. The Natatorium was remodeled and has served as a dance studio, weight room, the college bookstore and finally, in the spring of 2011, as the Springfield College History Museum which also includes the YMCA Hall of Fame. McCurdy Natatorium is part of Judd Gymnasia, the first building to be erected on the campus.
