Kinesiology, Recreation & Sport

Just over 100 years ago, in 1920, women were given the right to vote in the United States with the 19th amendment to the U.S. Constitution. That same year Josephine Cherry was named the first department head of WKU Physical Education. Cherry, daughter of Henry Hardin Cherry (founder of WKU), served as head for two years. Following her departure in 1923, three women consecutively served: Jean Culbert (1924), Nell Robbins (1925-1926), and Elizabeth Dabbs (1926-1930), but for eighty-eight years following (1920-2018), thirteen men held the position.   

In 2001, the department was renamed the WKU School of Kinesiology, Recreation & Sport (KRS), and in 2018, Dr. Paula Upright was named director. Upright still holds this role and recently shared her achievements as a female director in a commonly male-dominated position. 

To read the full article, click the link below:

https://www.wku.edu/chhs/news/index.php?view=article&articleid=11192&fbclid=IwAR0Q3U1Tx3uISqU6BRnVG-Ll2gdsS5qv7TnWD85PcXeYkRsfPe6ONyGLT7g