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"The American Association for Health, Physical Education and Recreation (AAHPER) is a service organization whose founding dates back to November 27, 1885 when William Gilbert Anderson, an instructor of physical education at Adelphi Academy, Brooklyn, invited a group of people working in the gymnastic field to come together to discuss their profession." The initial name of the association was American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance.
"When a formal constitution was adopted in 1886, the organization was renamed the American Association for the Advancement of Physical Education. The 1886 objectives of the Association were "to disseminate know ledge concerning physical education, to members to bring those interested in the subject into closer relation to each other."
"The early years of the Alliance focused on defining and exploring the field of physical education and encouraging its inclusion in the schools. The organization's name was changed to the American Physical Education Association in 1903."
In 1938, the name was changed to American Association for Health, Physical Education and Recreation. "Dance" was added to the name in 1974.
[Sources: http://www.nypl.org/; http://danceheritage.org/]
The North West District records are organized into binders by date and contains minutes of meetings, other proceedings, and conventions, correspondence, a historical summary of the association, bylaws, and session/convention pamphlets and publications.
The binders are organized in the following date ranges: 1930-1940; 1940-1950; 1950-1959; 1959-1964; and 1964-1967.
There is also a folder of meeting minutes from 1954 to 1965, and folders of session/convention pamphlets and publications from 1933-1963.