James Huff McCurdy, Fellow in Physical Education certificate (1931)
Description:
A certificate given to Dr. James Huff McCurdy by the American Academy of Physical Education as Fellow in Physical Education, 1931. The award was given in recognition of distinguished service in the cause of Physical Education. The document is signed by then president R. Tait McKenzie and Secretary Jay B. Nash.
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McCurdy graduated from Springfield College in 1890. In 1895, Dr. James H. McCurdy returned to the school as an instructor. He contributed to the field of physical education in many ways, including his studies on the relationship between heart rate, blood pressure, and motor tasks in adolescent boys. In 1924, he published one of the first texts for Exercise Physiology. In 1918, James H. McCurdy realized the need “for an extensive programme of sports and recreation in the immediate postwar period that would bridge the gap and ease the transition between military service and civilian life.” The result was the Inter-Allied Games, the biggest international sports event that had ever been held at that time. Attended by 25,000 people, the Games were a huge success. Dr. McCurdy was the Director of the Division of Athletes, Hygiene and Health for the American YMCA among American troops in France.
