Delphine Hanna (December 2, 1854 – April 16, 1941) was an American physician, teacher, and college professor. She taught

physical education Physical education, often abbreviated to Phys Ed. or P.E., is a subject taught in schools around the world. It is usually taught during primary and secondary education, and encourages psychomotor learning by using a play and movement explorati ...

Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio. It is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational liberal arts college in the United S ...

beginning in 1885, and became the first woman to hold the title "Professor of Physical Education" in the United States in 1903.

Early life

Hanna was born in

Markesan, Wisconsin Markesan is a city in Green Lake County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,476 at the 2010 census. The center of population of Wisconsin is located in Markesan. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a ...

, the daughter of John Vacausan Hanna and Juliet Chadwick Hanna. She moved to New York in 1864 after her mother's death, and earned a teaching credential from Brockport State Normal School in 1874, studied physical culture with

Diocletian Lewis Diocletian Lewis (March 3, 1823 – May 21, 1886), commonly known as Dr. Dio Lewis, was a prominent Temperance movement, temperance leader and physical culture advocate who practiced homeopathy. Biography Early life He was born on a farm near A ...

and

Dudley Allen Sargent Dudley Allen Sargent (September 29, 1849 – July 21, 1924) was a United States educator, lecturer and director of physical training. Biography Dudley Allen Sargent was born in Belfast, Maine on September 29, 1849, the son of a ship carpenter and ...

,Poray, Bill
"Perinton’s Little-Known Educational Pioneer"
Perinton Historical Society. and completed a medical degree from the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

in 1890. She completed a bachelor's degree from

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

in 1901.Delphine Hanna Lecturers
National Association of Kinesiology in Higher Education.

Career

Hanna taught school in New York and Kansas as a young woman. She taught at Oberlin College from 1885 to 1920.

Adelia Field Johnston Adelia Antoinette Field Johnston (February 5, 1837 – July 22, 1910) was an American educator and college administrator. She was the first female faculty member at Oberlin College, where she taught history, and the school's Dean of Women from 1 ...

hired Hanna to start a physical education program for women students; she also taught a class for male students, and another for faculty members. She was director of the school's Women's Gymnasium, and of the school's course for training teachers of physical education. Under her direction, the school added tennis courts, a basketball court, and a skating rink. She established the first four-year program for women to earn a bachelor's degree in physical education, and in 1903 became the first woman to be a full professor of physical education in the United States. In summer 1905, she made a study trip to Germany and Sweden. In 1931, she was named in the first cohort of fellows of the

American Physical Education Association The American Physical Education Association (APEA), previously known as American Association for the Advancement of Physical Education, is an American association, founded in 1885 to support gymnastics Gymnastics is a type of sport that inclu ...

. Hanna's Oberlin students included many highly influential physical educators, including Luther Halsey Gulick., Fred Eugene Leonard, Jay B. Nash, Jesse F. Williams, and Thomas D. Wood, all of whom went on to become elected Fellows in the National Academy of Kinesiology (née American Academy of Physical Education).

Personal life

Hanna retired in 1920 and moved to

Coconut Grove Coconut Grove, also known colloquially as The Grove, is the oldest continuously inhabited neighborhood of Miami in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The neighborhood is roughly bound by North Prospect Drive to the south, LeJeune Road to the west, S ...

, Florida; she died in

Castile, New York Castile is an incorporated town in Wyoming County, New York. The population was 2,873 at the 2000 census. The town is named after the historical region of Castile in Spain. The Town of Castile is on the east border of the county. The town conta ...

, in 1941, aged 86 years. Oberlin established the Delphine Hanna Foundation to support physical education programs at the college. Since 1992, the National Association of Kinesiology in Higher Education (NAKHE) has held an annual Delphine Hanna Lecture in her memory. Her grave is with those of her relatives in

Perinton, New York Perinton (originally Perrinton (in federal censuses) and sometimes Perrington when still part of Ontario County) is a town in Monroe County, New York, United States. The population was 46,462 at the 2010 census. The village of Fairport is with ...

References

External links

* Minnie L. Lynn
"An historical analysis of the professional career of Delphine Hanna"
(Master's thesis, Pennsylvania State College, 1937). * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hanna, Delphine 1854 births 1941 deaths American women physicians Physical education Oberlin College faculty University of Michigan Medical School alumni People from Markesan, Wisconsin Cornell University alumni American women academics