EOU physical activity & health faculty member honored for lifetime of commitment to students and the community
Story and photo by Laura Hancock | Media and Publications Writer
University Advancement | lhancock@eou.edu
Peggy Anderson, professor of physical education
at EOU, displays the awards she received from the
OAHPERD and the Grande Ronde Child Center.
La Grande, Oregon – When Peggy Anderson returned home from a month-long stay in Scotland, she had no idea she was about to receive one of the highest honors of her professional career.
Anderson, a professor of physical education at Eastern Oregon University, was given the Robert J. Ritson Honorary OAHPERD Life Member Award in October. This is the most prestigious award given by the Oregon Alliance of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance.
Anderson was shocked and surprised as LaNaya Ritson, chair of the OAHPERD, stood to read a description of the nominee’s personality: Persistent; Energetic; Go-getter; Group-oriented; Young at heart. The first letter of every word spelled out P-E-G-G-Y.
“I wasn’t aware that anyone knew what I had accomplished,” she says. “This award summarizes my commitment to students and this profession.”
Anderson is the first physical education and health faculty member at EOU to receive the OAHPERD Honorary Life Member Award, and it recognizes her contributions and research on a professional level.
Anderson’s commitment goes back to 1963 when she joined EOU’s physical education and health department as an instructor of physical education and biology. She soon became the first head coach for the women’s basketball, field hockey, track and field, and volleyball teams, and served as the first women’s sports coordinator for six years.
In 1972, Anderson left EOU to pursue her Ph.D. in kinesiology, anatomy and bio-dynamics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She then went on to teach at the University of Arizona and New Mexico Highlands University, returning to EOU in 1986.
A teaching position was open at EOU and Anderson applied. She got the job of physical education and health professor and was appointed interim athletic director. Her position as interim, however, soon turned into full-time athletic director, which she held until 2001.
“They’ve since replaced me with four people,” she says, recalling the numerous responsibilities she held while overseeing athletics, intramurals, club sports, indoor and outdoor facilities and teaching half-time in physical education and health.
Now formally retired, Anderson still teaches part-time for the College of Education and Business with her responsibilities in distance education. She is the previous director of the sports performance laboratory that opened in 1987 at EOU. With Anderson at the helm, the physical education and health program was able to purchase bicycle ergometers, and other exercise physiology lab equipment including a treadmill, EKG and oxygen analysis system for the sports performance lab.
Motion Analysis Lab computers were purchased in 2003 with an EOU tech fee grant. The performance lab in Zabel Hall is currently under the direction of Dr. Darren Dutto, assistant professor of physical activity and health. Students studying applied anatomy, biomechanics, exercise physiology and health and fitness for life use the lab.
The award from OAHPERD came three days before Anderson was honored for the instrumental role she played in another program. The Grande Ronde Child Center presented her with the 2005 Director’s Cup Award for the partnership she established with EOU in 1989.
The Grande Ronde Child Center provides services to parents of children with special physical or emotional needs. Anderson created a swimming program for the center, then recruited and trained EOU students as instructors. The classes are conducted in the pool in Quinn Coliseum.
“I consider this award for all the Eastern students who have taught in the Grande Ronde Child Center program and benefited from the experience. It’s a win-win program.”
Anderson says.
Kristen Oja, instructor of physical activity and health, is the current program coordinator and has witnessed Anderson’s tireless level of commitment first-hand.
"I am not at all surprised to hear of Peggy's recent honors, given my observation of the countless hours she spends helping students and community members, the extent to which she becomes involved in professional organizations, and her personal commitment to helping others."
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