Title: Fred Eugene Leonard Papers, 1821-1922

ID: RG 30/047

Extent: 18.4 Linear Feet

Predominant Dates: 1893-1920

Fred Eugene Leonard (1866-1922) was the son of Congregational minister Delavan L. Leonard (1834-1917) and Mary Louise Raymond (1838-1902). His father's occupation took the family to Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri, Minnesota, Utah and Ohio. Fred gained a love of the outdoors and natural science while on camping trips with his father and brother (Arthur Gray Leonard 1865-1932, A.B. 1889). In 1882 he organized a chapter of the Agassiz Association, the purpose of which was to "collect, preserve, and study natural objects." He prepared for college at the Salt Lake Academy in Utah, and graduated as the class valedictorian. After teaching in Park City, Utah and Oxford, Idaho, he came to Oberlin with his brother Arthur in 1885. There he was formally exposed to physical education, serving as director of the men's gymnasium under the direction of Dr. Delphine Hanna (1854-1941). He graduated from Oberlin College Phi Beta Kappa in 1889, and earned the M.D. degree from the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University in 1892. Upon completion of his medical course he returned to Oberlin as professor of physiology (later hygiene and physical education) and director of the men's gymnasium, a position he held for thirty years. (He also served as the registrar from 1893-1900.) Leonard was instrumental in making physical education a legitimate part of the educational experience, and succeeded in having academic credit granted for physical education on the same basis as laboratory courses. He also helped to design Warner Gymnasium, built in 1900.

Leonard was a student of gymnasiums and gymnastic systems throughout the world. He studied abroad in 1900-01 and again in 1913, touring European gymnasiums. His travels exposed him to the developing systems of German and Swedish gymnastics, and allowed him to work with and study under many of the pioneers in the emerging field of physical training, including Baron Nils Posse (1862-1895), Luther Halsey Gulick (1865-1918), and Dudley Allen Sargent (1849-1924). Leonard also attended and taught at numerous physical education summer schools. He was a Chautauqua lecturer, and a special lecturer in the Harvard and Columbia University summer sessions. He was widely known as a contributor to educational journals, and was active in professional societies, helping to found the Ohio Physical Education Society in 1895. He was the author of Pioneers of Modern Physical Training, (1915) and Guide to the History of Physical Education, (1923). He was generally regarded by his peers as the first authority in this country on the history of physical education.

Leonard was also an active member of the Oberlin community. He was president of the Oberlin Hospital Association, a member of the Board of Education, chairman of the Oberlin Community Chest, and an advocate of temperance. In 1908 he married Bertha M. Hopkins (1879-1944, A.M. 1904), who taught women's physical education at Oberlin from 1925 to 1937, and supervised physical education for girls at Oberlin High School. The couple had three children: Robert Hopkins (b. 1911), Margaret Hopkins (b. 1914) and Barbara Hopkins Leonard (1916-2004).

Author: Brian A. Williams

Forms of Material (links to similar genres)

Languages of Materials

Administrative Information

Acquired: 07/13/1970. Accession Nos: 112, 216, 235, 1978/10, 1978/22, 1979/12, 1991/42, 1991/49, 1993/103.

Restrictions: Unrestricted.

Acquisition Note:

The Fred E. Leonard papers were received by the Oberlin College Archives in several installments, from both the physical education department and his daughter Margaret Leonard. At one point custody for the bulk of the collection was taken by professor Daniel Kinsey to prevent its loss or dispersion, and for his use in compiling an athletic history. The records acquired by Kinsey were given to the archives in three segments by his widow. Owing to these factors, the collection no longer retained much of its original integrity. To the extent possible, the arrangement of this collection attempts to recreate some of that order, while making the collection accessible to research. The nucleus of the collection has been organized around the chapters of his most prominent work, Guide to the History of Physical Education. This represents the focus of his effort, and the corpus of the collection.

Several Leonard family pieces were added to the collection over the years, and merely inserted in the existing Fred E. Leonard collection. During the rearrangement of the records in June 1991, separate collections in record group 30 were made for the diaries and compositions of Kate Bowne Leonard (30/224), the scrapbooks and writings of Delavan Levant Leonard (30/223), and the World War I ambulance corps records of Walter L. Hopkins (30/220).

Related Materials:

For related materials containing correspondence from Fred E. Leonard the researcher is advised to consult the following collections: James Harris Fairchild (2/3); Henry Churchill King (2/6); and George Frederick Wright (30/21). For material related to his professional career see the Office of the Secretary (5); and the Department of Physical Education (9). Biographical material can be located in record group (28), former students, faculty, staff and trustees. A 1959 Ohio State University M.A. thesis on the life and times of Fred E. Leonard is housed in the collection of Oberlin professor and coach Frederick D. Shults (30/195).

Artifacts associated with Leonard can be found in Museum Items (35). Included are two of his Indian clubs and a straight edge razor.

Finding Aid Revisions: Processed by Brian A. Williams, assisted by Jeanel Beard, June 1991. Updated 3 March 1992, 28 June 1996.

Collection Material Type: Personal Papers

Scope and Contents:

Consisting of both the personal and professional papers generated and gathered in the course of his life, the Fred Eugene collection documents the life of a man raised in the American West with a strong appreciation for natural history and biology. He subsequently traded in these interests for a career in physical education. The papers reflect his education in the West, at Oberlin College, and at The College of Physicians and Surgeons. Leonard used his education, particularly his medical degree to provide legitimacy for the burgeoning physical education movement in American colleges and universities. The voluminous research files--compiled while working on the history of physical education--chronicle the development of physical education and ultimately foretell Leonard's role as an innovator and renown expert on the history and theory of physical education. The collection is organized around eight record series: 1. Correspondence; 2. Diaries and Chronology; 3. Education and Training Records; 4. Instructional and Teaching Material; 5. Professional Associations; 6. Writings and Research Material; 7. Miscellany and Ephemera; and 8. Photographs.

Both personal and professional correspondence is included in Series 1. The bulk of the correspondence is incoming, although Leonard's correspondence with his wife consists of outgoing letters. Other members of his family are represented including his maternal grandfather, both parents, and his siblings. His professional correspondence is interspersed with the names of giants in the field of physical education, including Dudley Allen Sargent (1849-1924), Thomas D. Wood (1865-1951 , A.B. 1888), Luther Halsey Gulick (1868-1918, Academy 1880-86, and brother of Mrs. Frank Fanning Jewett), and Nils Posse (1862-1905). A portion of his professional correspondence consists of replies to biographical queries sent to these men.

A rich picture of the man appears through his numerous diaries and journals in which are meticulously recorded all dates and events in his life. A chronological index describes where he was during any given year. The chronology is fleshed out by his diary entries which chronicle his training, travel and study. Some genealogical information regarding his parentage is included within his chronology. The thirty diaries span from his days in Utah up to his death in 1922.

A portrait of Leonard's education and career preparation emerges through his student compositions and lecture notes. His early years are outlined in records of the Agassiz Association he helped form, and records of his preparatory work at the Salt Lake Academy in Utah, and his early teaching positions in Park City, Utah, and Oxford, Idaho. His student compositions belie his interests in history and botany, and demonstrate his sharp intellect, evident at an early age. The richest records are his lecture notes, taken at the College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York. These notes, complete with his illustrations, offer tremendous insight into the nature of medical science in 1890. Lecture notes from work taken under Nils Posse suggests the influence that this work had on his later career.

Instructional and teaching records document his pedagogical methodology at Oberlin College, where he began instruction while still a student in the late 1880s. Included are account books and attendance records, which record all the names of his pupils as well as indicating what exercises were completed and attempted. Anthropometric study guides and records underscore the predominant mindset of the time toward physical education and fitness. An extensive collection of catalogs and bulletins from other colleges serves to illustrate the pioneering role taken by Oberlin College in regard to peer institutions. Leonard's lecture notes contain a mixture of historic material, including magazine articles and booklets, as well as his handwritten notes and occasional outlines. Lecture topics include such subjects as "air," "nutrition," "hygiene," and "communicable diseases." Lantern slides of gymnasiums, equipments, and pioneers in the field used to accompany his lectures and presentations are also included among his teaching files.

Related to his teaching files are his records from professional associations. The majority of the professional associations pertain to physical education, although associations such as the National Education Association can be found here as well. The most interesting records are found in the files of the Ohio Physical Education Association, a body which he help to create in 1895.

Quantity-wise, the bulk of the collection is comprised of his research files used to produce his frequent articles and publications. The research files are centered around his two major publications, Pioneers of Modern Physical Education (1915), and Guide to the History of Physical Education (1923). Approximating the table of contents of each work, these files document the thorough method in which Leonard conducted research. His voluminous handwritten notes attest to wide exposure to physical education literature in multiple languages. Included among his notes are many original source materials such as early catalogs and articles from medical journals and popular periodicals of the day. Several of his published articles as well as a proof of his Guide precede his research files. Also included are some of the illustrations used in his publications.

The remainder of the collection consists of photographs and miscellany which documents Leonard's numerous interests. Included are photographs and records of his camping trips (his diary for the corresponding period should be cross referenced), maps, and drawings which indicate a fair degree of artistic ability.

SERIES DESCRIPTIONS

Series 1. Correspondence, 1874-1923 (1.2 linear feet)

Primarily consists of the incoming correspondence received by Fred E. Leonard, both personal and professional. Correspondence includes courtship letters and subsequent letters written by Leonard to his wife Bertha M. Hopkins between 1907 and 1921, and Bertha's letters to Fred from 1912 to 1920. Family correspondence from Leonard's grandfather, parents, and siblings dating from 1878 to 1903 is located here along with general correspondence. Leonard's professional correspondence illustrates his important role as a pioneer and historian of the physical education movement. Notable correspondents include Luther Halsey Gulick (1865-1918, Academy 1880-86), Frank Fanning Jewett (1844-1906), Nils Posse (1862-1905), R.A. Millikan (1868-1953, A.B. 1891, A.M. 1893), and Thomas D. Wood (1865-1951, A.B. 1888).

Series 2. Diaries and Chronology, 1866-1922 (0.8 l.f.)

Leonard was an inveterate diarist as evidenced in over thirty journals and diaries. The entries are detailed, reporting on weather, work completed, meals, and recreation. Symbols are often used to represent words in his abbreviated style, such as "\" to represent "the." A chronology written on index cards provides an exhaustive summary of where he was each year, including visits and trips. The material is arranged chronologically.

Series 3. Education and Training Records, 1882-93 (1.0 l.f.)

Contains lecture notes, student compositions, and printed programs illustrating Leonard's education. Included is material from his preparatory work at the Salt Lake Academy in Utah, and documentation of his experience as a teacher at Park City, Utah and Oxford, Idaho. Lecture notes from his medical school courses offer insight into the nature of medical training in the 1890s. The Nils Posse lecture notes indicate the influence of Posse on Leonard's thinking. Arranged chronologically.

Series 4. Instructional and Teaching Material, 1882-1922 (4.4 l.f.)

Consists of account books, administrative files, lecture notes, and lantern slides with index cards. The majority of the documentation pertains to his work as professor of hygiene and physical education, and is comprised of files of background articles, notes, some lecture outlines, and lantern slides which accompanied his presentations. Interest in physical education at peer institutions is evidenced in the large number of catalogs and bulletins from other schools. Arranged in four alphabetical subseries: 1. Account and Attendance Books; 2. Administrative Files, 3. Lecture Notes, and 4. Lantern Slides and Index Cards.

Series 5. Professional Associations, 1886-1922 (1.2 l.f.)

Consists of records and minutes of the numerous professional associations to which Leonard belonged. Primarily physical education societies, the files serve to underscore his importance to the field of Physical education. Included are records of the Ohio Physical Education Association which he helped organize in 1895. Arranged alphabetically by name of association.

Series 6. Writings and Research Material, 1821-1932, 1947 (7.9 l.f.)

The materials in this series, which comprise the bulk of Leonard's research are arranged on the basis of his major works, Pioneers of Modern Physical Training, and Guide to the History of Physical Education. The documentation consists of magazine articles collected by Leonard, his handwritten notes, bibliographic notes, and original items such as an 1822 catalog from Alden Partridge's (1785-1854) military academy, and correspondence and signatures from early pioneers, including an 1821 letter from Partridge, and an undated item from Dio Lewis (1823-1886). (These files have been greatly disorganized since their creation, so the researcher is advised that files on a particular subject or person may be found in more than one location in the files. To the extent possible, this has been minimized.)

Series 7. Miscellany and Ephemera, 1880-1920 (1.4 l.f.)

Contains various and sundry items collected or created by Leonard. Included are diplomas and certificates, geological survey maps of Ohio and Yellowstone Park, The Prohibition Songster, 1886, childhood drawings and humor, receipts, passport documents from European travel as well as miscellaneous European concert programs.

Series 8. Photographs, 1889-1920 (0.4 linear feet)

Consists of Bertha Hopkins Leonard's college photo album c.1902, miscellaneous portraits of Fred Leonard, and photographs from camping trips to North Dakota (c.1913) and Yellowstone Park (1906). These items may have come from his brother Arthur Gray Leonard, as they contain notes in his hand on the reverse side. Miscellaneous and unidentified photographs round out the collection.

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