Presented by Don Lawrence, EdD at the Western States Kinesiology Society Annual Conference
October  2009, Reno, Nevada 

In our modern world, the state of biographical production is not as healthy as it was in past. 

      Biography seeks to do what only the greatest art has ever done: to convey

      the feel of an individual’s experience, to see the world as a single person

      saw it.  Few biographies last. Not only do certain subjects seem, over time,

      to be more or less interesting, but the frame of interpretation, the cultural

      luggage, can change so comprehensively, that the important biographies of

      one age are the library discards of the next.  (Hormberger, 1988, p.7)

This is precisely why the WSKS honors Elwood Craig Davis through the EC DAVIS LECTURE series. 

Davis’ life and contributions, both professionally and personally, need not be “the library’s discards” of the past,   but should be celebrated as one of the true early and mid-century influences in physical education. 

Elwood Craig Davis was born in Cheney, Washington on March 20, 1896.  He was the only son of Wilson and Annahelena Davis.  His father, an educator from Yale, had moved to Washington in a pioneering spirit “to educate and civilize the West”.  However, a few years later, Davis’ father was influenced to accept a three year contract to teach in the Philippines. The family moved to the islands in July of 1901.  But his father contracted peritonitis, and died September of 1901. Lena moved the family back to the United States in November of that same year.

After a brief stay in Idaho, Lena moved the family to Anacortes, Washington on the Puget Sound.  From his early childhood, Dave, as he was fondly called by everyone, worked hard at odd jobs, earning money for the family. It was in his junior year in high school that he began a life-long love affair with, and participated in football, basketball, track and baseball.  He was so gifted that his high school coach, Sam Carver, encouraged him enroll in the Washington State Normal School. 

Davis had worked diligently to save money for college and desperately wanted to get started, but, because of his love and loyalty to the “family first” concept, he postponed his education to work in order that the family could keep their property.

In the fall of 1916, Davis finally enrolled in college in Bellingham, WA.

When he entered Washington State Normal School, he immediately began to pursue a degree in teaching and coaching. He played football and track and diligently studied the “formal system” under Sam Carver.  But, unknown to Carver, Davis began to sort out his physical education philosophy which did not emphasize gymnastics, but rather emphasized games and sports.  Even at this early stage of his professional and our discipline’s development, Davis was “working through” ideas and concepts in order to improve physical education. During this time in our profession, the “natural system” was being developed and interestingly enough, Davis really was not familiar with its premise which was being heralded ‘back East’.  He just had, as he put it, “his own thoughts”.

During the spring of 1917, Davis unknowingly met his future wife. As the story goes, many athletes rushed to sign up for a particular dance class because a certain attractive young lady, Kathleen Skally, was the instructor. Davis, not one to pass up such a great educational experience, signed up. Little did he know that fourteen years later, they would be married.

Because of the war in Europe, Davis was forced to make a decision: go into the armed forces or work to help his family.  He chose help his family and taught at a junior high school in Skykomish, WA. Each afternoon he coached at a local high school.

However, his patriotism got the best of him, and late in the fall of 1917, Davis enlisted in the Navy’s aviation program. He was sent to San Diego and became a member of the Navy’s first graduating class of pilots. But, to his disappointment, he was assigned to become an airplane mechanic. After serving in Italy, Davis returned Seattle looking for work.

He soon learned that the US Government was giving each veteran $800 to attend college. He immediately seized this opportunity and enrolled at the University of Washington where he eventually received his degree in history and physical education.

Following his graduation in 1924, Davis substituted for his mentor, Sam Carver, for one year, as Carver took a much needed sabbatical.  During that year Davis successfully coached four out of his five teams to championships and developed a teacher preparation program which was similar to the “natural program” of physical education which was being strongly promoted “back East”.

In 1925 Davis enrolled at the prestigious and innovative University of Chicago for graduate study.  It was there that he played football for Amos Alonzo Stagg. But, his career was cut short as the ever-suspicious Stagg falsely accused Davis of spying for the University of Washington’s football program. This unjust accusation quickly snapped Davis into what the real world of big-time athletics was like, so, he dedicated his remaining time at Chicago to his studies. It was here that his love of research and experimentation began.  He graduated with his Masters of Arts degree in 1926.

Following his graduation in 1926, Davis taught and coached one year at Drury College in Springfield, Missouri.  But the following year he chose to attend medical school. He decided to return to the pre-med program at the University of Washington. But he was soon influenced by his physical education chair, Henry Foster, to apply for doctoral study at Columbia University in New York City, NY.

In 1928 he enrolled at Teachers College at Columbia University and studied under the notable Jesse Feiring Williams who was the head of the department of physical education.  Williams, known for his “fire” and enthusiasm for the “natural system”  of education, made Davis feel like he had finally found the place that agreed with his concepts.  While there, Davis worked at the ever popular Christadora House.

In the fall of 1929, William’s graduate assistant, Delbert Oberteuffer, completed his PhD and moved on to become the Supervisor of Health and Physical Education for the State of Ohio.  Williams then turned to Davis and appointed him as his new graduate assistant.  Being William’s “right hand man” had many benefits, and Davis began to realize what this could mean for his future.

About that time, Kathleen Skally came back into his life.  She registered at Columbia University for her master’s degree in the fall of 1929 and soon Davis had her doing volunteer work at the Christadora House. The relationship developed and, eventually, as Kathleen was in the midst of typing Davis’ dissertation, he dropped to one knee and asked her for her hand in marriage.  On January 31, 1931, they were married: one day after his proposal.

His dissertation title, Methods and techniques used in surveying health and physical education in city schools, caused C.L. Brownell to request that it be presented to the American Physical Education Association.  Davis did, and he soon found himself the first committee member on the Association’s Tests and Measurements Committee.  He graduated with his PhD from Columbia in 1932.

He joined the faculty at Columbia University but eventually, in order to establish his own career identity, he broke away from Williams, and joined the faculty at Pennsylvania State University. There he developed the college’s curriculum in physical education and he taught up to 26 hours of courses per semester. Because of his innovative plans and concepts, he was quickly becoming one of the profession’s noted scholars and thinkers. From 1931 to 1940, Davis’ articles were featured regularly to both the Research Quaterly and the Journal of Health and Physical Education. 

In 1940 he moved his family to Pittsburgh, PA where accepted yet another challenge at the University of Pittsburgh. It was there he recognized that the profession was lacking women professors, so he set forth to make that a priority. Davis hired six women into the department, two, who eventually made significant impacts on our profession:  Minnie Lynn and Gwendolyn Drew.  Later that year, he co-authored his first book with John Lawther entitled Successful teaching in physical education. During that year he was also the president of the Pennsylvania Association of Health, Physical Education and Recreation as well as the vice president for the Eastern District of AAHPER.

Davis was again called into the Navy in 1942.  Because of his expertise he worked on developing the Navy’s physical fitness test.  Once again, a sort of “battle of the systems” emerged as some of the Naval administrators felt that a physically fit serviceman should become fit through the use of calisthenics and strenuous exercise, while others felt that participation through sports and games produced a better result of both fitness and team building which was necessary for combat.  In September of 1942, Commander Gene Tunney finally decided that the two systems would co-exist.  With that decision made, Davis concentrated on developing the Navy’s final edition of the Navy physical fitness manual.

After his honorable discharge from the Navy, Davis accepted a position at the University of Louisville as their department chair. But, he missed teaching.  So, in 1947 Davis and Kathleen decided to moved back to the west coast to the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

Ralph LaPorte, the chairman of the department at the University of Southern California, was in the process of building one of the strongest physical education departments in the nation. Along with Davis, he hired such notable professionals as Eleanor Metheny, Wynn Fredericks, John Cooper, Landis Smith, Aileen Lockhart and J.T. Hall.  It was here that Elwood Craig Davis lived out his life and contributed fully to the profession of physical education.

Davis wrote the following books:

1948- Successful teaching in physical education

1963- Philosophies shape physical education

1963- The philosophical process in physical education

He contributed to the following texts:

Lessons learned from wartime training

Research methods applied to HPER

Biophysical values of muscular activity co-authored with Gene Logan

Exploring physical education

Davis chaired over 21 national committees and in 1951 he was selected by the American Academy of Physical Education as Fellow No. 92. Interestingly, he immediately rejected the appointment on the grounds that the Academy was not living up to its original mission. President Delbert Oberteuffer rejected his rejection and immediately placed him as chairman of the committee to “Improve the American Academy”.  This four year study emitted 75 constructive improvements, which many were eventually adopted.

He chaired the “revision of awards”  committee for the American Association of Health Physical Education and Recreation (AAHPER). He initiated the concept of “Future Directions” which was a program designed to help the transitional flow from the president to the president-elect.

In 1956 a group of men from the West spoke to Davis concerning the lack of respect that those East of the Mississippi had for Western physical education scholarship.  Through the efforts of Davis, N.P. Neilson, Langton, Esslinger and Romney, the Western College Men’s Physical Education Society was formed and in 1958, Davis became their first president.

It was also in 1958 that he and Donna Miller developed a new publication called Quest. The first issue was published in 1963 and it was soon recognized as a major contribution to the profession and discipline of physical education.

In 1964 Davis retired and became Professor Emeritus at the University of Southern California. However, his love for teaching soon led him to accept a position at San Fernando Valley State College, (presently known at the California State University at Northridge).  

He was bestowed the following prestigious awards:

1954- He received the Anderson Award from AAHPER

1965- He received the Gulick Medal along with his long time colleague and friend, Ruth Abernathy. That was the first time AAHPER awarded two medal in the same year.

1968- He was awarded the Clark Hetherington Award for distinguished service to AAHPERD.

Even though he had been awarded practically every honor the profession could bestow on an individual, Davis did not rest on his laurels. At the age of 72, he continued his desire to improve the profession. In 1968 he teamed with Donna Miller to produce the first Academy Papers.  In 1969 he accepted the position as archivist for AAHPERD and from 1970-73 he involved himself with at project entitled “Tape the Leaders”. This project involved taping the lives of former Gulick Medal winners. At first some of the members were resistant to this endeavor. But soon Davis, along with J.T. Hall, eventually tape recorded 17 former Medal winners and five selectees.

Finally, in 1973 at the age of 77, Elwood Craig Davis resigned from his position at Northridge and in 1978 he and Kathleen moved to Whidbey Island on the Puget Sound.

Seven years later, at the age of 84, Davis passed away on October 3, 1985. 
 

References:

AAHPER.  (1954).  Anderson Award:  Elwood Craig Davis.  Journal of AAHPER, 25  (8), 32-33.

Davis, E.C., & Miller, D.  (Eds.).  1971.  Accountability.  The Academy Papers, 5.

Davis, E.C., & Miller, D.  (Eds.).  1970.  Historical-philosophical implications.  The      Academy Papers, 4

Davis, E.C., & Miller, D.  (Eds.).  1968.  Meeting today’s challenges.  The Academy Papers,  2.

Davis, E.C., & Miller, D.  (Eds.).  1969.  Search for meanings.  The Academy Papers, 3.

Davis, E.C.  & Miller, D.  (Eds.).  1968.  Response to the Hetherington award presentation.  The Academy Papers,  2, 72.

Davis, E.C., & Lawther, J.  (1948).  Succesful teaching in physical education. New York, NY. Prentice Hall, Inc.

Davis, E.C., & Logan, G.  (1961).  Biophysical values and muscular activity.  Dubuque, IW. Wm. C. Brown Company.

Davis, E.C., Lynn, M. & Wallis, E.  (1964). The significance of the profession in American culture.  Journal of Health,  Physical Education and Recreation, 35  (9),  37-42.

Davis, E.C.  (1976).  People, physical education and philosophy.  AAHPER  (ed.)   HPER OMNIBUS.  (p.134-148).  Washington, DC:  American Alliance of Health, Physical Education and Recreation.

Davis, E.C.  (1963).  Philosophies fashion physical education.   Dubuque, IW:  W. C. Brown Company.

Davis, E.C.  (1961).  The philosophical process in physical education.  Philadelphia, PA:  Lea and Feibiger.

Davis, E.C., & Wallis, E.  (1961).   Toward better teaching in physical education.   Englewood Cliffs, NJ:  Prentice Hall, Inc.

Graber, P.  (1979).  A biography of Elwood Craig Davis:  philosopher, educator, scholar.  (Doctoral Dissertation, University of Utah, 1979.)  Dissertation Abstracts International, 40, 3185-A.