State College of Washington Physical Education and Athletics Director Records, 1908-1967

The records date from 1908-1967 with the bulk dates being 1915-1950. For the most part the records reflect the orientation of J. Fred Bohler, Director of physical Education and Athletics, in that they are predominantly the records of intercollegiate and intramural activities and not records of the development of curriculum, facilities, and procedures in the Department of Physical Education. William E. Heath in his biography of Bohler [submitted as a masters thesis in 1951] indicated that Bohler delegated much of the responsibility for instruction and curriculum development to qualified faculty and devoted most of his time to athletics.

Series 1: Athletics, 1909-1949, consists of correspondence, reports, contest summaries, newspaper clippings, some memorabilia, lists, photographs, and performance records in.. Intercollegiate sports included in the series are badminton, baseball, basketball, boxing, fencing, football, golf, handball, lacrosse, riding, skiing, swimming, tennis, track, weightlifting, and wrestling. To a lesser extent the series also includes materials on intramural and interscholastic activities and Olympic trials.

Series 2: Correspondence with Servicemen, 1942- 1946 represents Bohler's efforts to keep in contact with former students and athletes in the armed forces during the Second World War. Much of the material is noteworthy not only for descriptions of conditions in the European and Pacific Theaters of war and the home front but also because these former students discuss their philosophy and beliefs to some extent. The series contains correspondence, some photographs, and greeting cards and includes numerous examples of military letterheads for the period.

Series 3: Pacific Coast Intercollegiate Conference, 1912-1937, is very important as WSC was an early member of the association and because J. Fred Bohler was the historian for the conference during the 1930's and collected a great deal of the early correspondence, minutes, and rules of the conference during its formative period from the figures instrumental in its formation.

Series 4: Physical Education1911-1947, is a loose association of class notes, annual reports, budgets, functional reports, and administrative reference materials that clearly do not give a complete picture of the function of that department.

Series 5: Motion Picture Films, 1947-1949, deals with ski jumping and football.

Series 6: Score Books, 1908-1967 record specific athletic performances in baseball, basketball, wrestling, softball and interscholastic track but are primarily baseball and basketball.