Letter from James H. McCurdy to Laurence L. Doggett (September 23, 1917)
Description:
A six-page handwritten letter from James H. McCurdy to Laurence L. Doggett dated September 23, 1917. In the letter McCurdy tells Doggett what he has been doing over in France and something that he sees as a problem that he hopes can be fixed when this war ends.
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James Huff McCurdy, M.D. (1866-1940) graduated in 1890 from the YMCA Training School, now known as Springfield College. 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.
