Memorial for Ann Elizabeth Jewett (Fellow # 180)
Submitted by Catherine D. Ennis (Fellow #381)
Ann Elizabeth Jewett, Fellow #180, passed away on March 1, 2011 in Commerce, GA. Born July 30, 1921 in Kingston, NY, Dr. Jewett grew up in Clarks Summit, PA. After earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in physical education from Oberlin College in 1941, Ann taught physical education at Kingston High School in New York, and in 1944 enlisted as an ensign in the United States Navy (WAVE). Following her war-time service, she remained in the Naval Reserve, retiring at the rank of Captain. She earned a Master of Arts degree at the University of Michigan and upon graduation taught for 3 yrs at State Teachers College, Cortland, NY. She received her Ed.D. in 1951 from Stanford University.
Following the completion of her doctorate, she was hired as an Associate Professor in Education and Physical Education at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, remaining at the there for 12 years before accepting a position at Springfield College as Professor and Director of Women’s Physical Education. In 1966, she moved to the University of Wisconsin – Madison. In 1974, she was appointed Head of the Division of Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance in the College of Education at the University of Georgia. Under her leadership, the former Men’s and Women’s Departments of Physical Education merged to form the Department of Physical Education. She hired faculty and developed programs that increased research and enhanced the national academic reputation of the Division. She served as a faculty member at the University of Georgia until her retirement in 1992.
Dr. Ann Jewett was a scholar, leader, mentor, and friend to many during in her long and distinguished career. She was instrumental in formulating a vision of curriculum for physical education that was conceptual in nature and led to a comprehensive view of movement articulated in the Purpose Process Curriculum Framework coauthored with Marie Mullen in 1977. She conceptualized the Personal Meaning physical education curriculum, advocating for a balanced, futuristic view of life-long physical activity long before those curricular aims became popular. More than curricular alignments of scope and sequence, Dr. Jewett guided her graduate students to envision in-depth philosophical perspectives on curriculum with the goal of adding value and relevance to student-centered approaches to physical education.
As a major professor, Dr. Jewett guided 51 graduate students in the area of curriculum theory and development. She founded the Curriculum Theory Conference at the University of Georgia and provided leadership for biannual meetings for over a decade. She served as a visiting scholar at the United States Military Academy at West Point, Stanford University, the University of Wisconsin, and the University of Michigan. Dr. Jewett’s scholarship included numerous published books, papers, and presentations. She was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi, Phi Lambda Theta, and Delta Kappa Gamma. During her career she delivered the Amy Morris Homans Lecture (1980), the Earle F. Zeigler Symposium (1987), the R. Tait McKenzie Symposium (1988), and the Laura J. Huelster Lecture in 1997. She received an Honor Award from AAHPERD and the Distinguished Service Award from the National Association for Sport and Physical Education. She received the Outstanding Civilian Service medal from the Department of the Army in 1987. She guided the American Academy of Kinesiology and Physical Education as its President from 1973-1974, and received the Hetherington Award in 1993. She contributed her unique vision to the national and international fields of physical education and made a lasting impact on curriculum theory and development in physical education.
