This photograph shows two Springfield College gymnasts, Kenneth Dustin and William Lewis, standing at the foot of Niagara Falls (March 22, 1939). According to the back of the photograph, they were on Goat Island. The history of Gymnastics at Springfield College goes all the way back till nearly the founding of Springfield College in 1885, when Dr. James Naismith, the creator of Basketball, was an early SC Gymnast. Beginning in 1904, the SC Gymnastics team would travel to cities to perform their Gymnastics routines. At the end of their travels, they would perform a “Home Show” at Springfield College, a show they continue to perform to this day. It was during the reign of head coach Leslie Judd, widely considered a father of modern Gymnastics, that the Gymnastics exhibition team really gained a claim to fame. Under the leadership of Professor Leslie J. Judd, the purpose of the Springfield College Exhibition team was to promote and maintain an interest in gymnastics, dance, and the artistic phases of physical education in schools, colleges, YMCAs, and recreational centers. The Exhibition Team has appeared before thousands of spectators in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. In fact, in 1941 the team appeared before thirty-five-thousand spectators in twenty-five cities. This photograph comes from a series of photographs that make up Series 5, Sub-series b within MS534 - Eliott G. Baker ’74 SC Memorabilia collection. Most of the photographs are dated and have writing on the back identifying those shown in the photograph. The photographs were arranged and divided up into folders based on this information by the processor for ease of use and do not reflect original order. To see other images within this series, please see the finding aid for the collection for links to all digitized objects for each folder.
Text and images are owned, held, or licensed by Springfield College and are available for personal, non-commercial, and educational use, provided that ownership is properly cited. A credit line is required and should read: Courtesy of Springfield College, Archives and Special Collections. Any commercial use without written permission from Springfield College is strictly prohibited. Other individuals or entities other than, and in addition to, Springfield College may also own copyrights and other propriety rights. The publishing, exhibiting, or broadcasting party assumes all responsibility for clearing reproduction rights and for any infringement of United States copyright law.
Contact host institution for more information.
