| Dr. Grace Fox |
Full Name: Grace I. Fox
Born: May 27, 1907, Norman, Okla.
Died: December 3, 2006, Tallahassee, Fla.
Legacy Bricks: Legacy Walk Map Link
1998 Moore-Stone Award HOF - Loc 64
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| FSU Career |
| Moore-Stone Award | |
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| Member of the FSU Hall of Fame |
| Elected into the FSU Hall of Fame in 1998 |
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During the infancy of Florida State's intercollegiate athletic program, a number of people took a leadership role in moving FSU into its current position as one of the most successful athletic
programs in the country. Dr. Grace Fox is widely regarded as Dr. Fox first came to Tallahassee in 1924 when she enrolled at Florida State College for Women from her home in Lakeland. She earned an "F
Club" letter in volleyball, basketball, and soccer and graduated from FSCW in 1928. After teaching in Lakeland, sh She was responsible for and wrote the rulebooks and handbooks on soccer, basketball
and folk dance. In 1947, Dr. Fox was named to the Athletic Committee by the school's first Athletic Director, Dr. Howard Danforth. Her appointment made her the first female in the country to serve
on a committee that governed men's intercollegiate sports at the 1947 NC Dr. Fox's leadership made the transition from FSCW to FSU a successful move for the university and her determination and
foresight insured the success of the Seminoles on the athletic fields. Obituary for Grace I. Fox From the Tallahassee Democrat, December 10, 2006, page 21. Dr. Grace I. Fox, 99, a professor emeritus at Florida State University, died Sunday, Dec. 3, 2006. A memorial service will be at 2 p.m. EST Tuesday in the Parry Building's gallery at Westminster Oaks. Culley's Meadow Wood Riggins Road Chapel is handling arrangements. In Lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Southern Scholarship Foundation. Dr. Fox first came to Tallahassee in 1924 when she enrolled at Florida State College for Women From her home in Lakeland. She earned an "F Club" letter in volleyball, basketball and soccer and received her bachelor's degree from FSCW in 1928. After teaching in Lakeland, she returned to FSCW to teach physical education using sabbatical time, and while teaching at FSU she was on numerous local, state, and national professional committees, including a stint as the president of the National Education Association's division for girls' and women's sport. A pioneer in FSU sports, she was named to Florida State's Athletic Committee by the school's first athletic director, Dr. Howard Danford, in 1947. Her appointment made her the first female in the country to serve on a committee that governed men's intercollegiate sports at the 1947 NCAA convention. Dr, Fox joined the faculty of Florida State College for Women in 1933 as an instructor in physical education. She received her master's degree from Teachers College, Columbia University, in 1938, and the doctor of physical education degree from Indiana University in 1951. Her dissertation, "Ring Plays and Other Games of the Florida Negro", has permanent value in recording the folkways of Florida's black children. In 1954 both the Florida Association for Health, Physical Education and Recreation and the Southern District American Association for Health, Physical Education and Recreation conferred "Honor Awards" on Dr. Fox. In 1955 she received an "Honor Award" from the American Association for Health, Physical Education and Recreation. In each case the certificate reads "In recognition of distinguished service to the profession." Her service included terms as president of these associations and as southern district representative to the Board of Directors, American Association for Health, Physical Education and Recreation. The United States Office of Education appointed her to the National Committee on Physical Education for the Elementary School Child. Dr. Fox's publications include co-authorship of: Teaching Physical Education in the Elementary School, "Folk Dances", "Basketball for Girls and Women", and "A Manual of Physical Education Activities". She has published numerous articles in professional journals, including The Research Quarterly. Her professional affiliations include membership in NEA, AAUP, Delta Kappa Gamma, Phi Lambda Theta, and Kappa Delta Pi. At Florida State University, Dr. Fox has served in the University Senate, on the Athletic Committee, and as long-time chairwomen of the Convocation Committee. She has been acting head of her department, director of Camp Flastacowo, and consultant or teacher for numerous workshops and extension programs. She is listed in Who's Who in the South and Southwest, Who's Who in American Education, and Who's Who in American Women. She was an FSU Alumni Association Life Member. She was an FSU Emeritus Society past president and board member. She received the FSU Emeritus Alumni Society Commitment to Excellence Award, the FSU Alumni Association Circle of Gold Award, the FSU Athletic Moore-Stone Award for Outstanding Service, which brought her into the Athletics Hall of Fame, and the FSU College of Education Distinguished Alumni Award. She was a member of First Presbyterian Church and an active member of the Women's Club, Tallahassee
Literary Club and Tallahassee Garden Club. She was an auxiliary member at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital with over 5,000 hours of service. |
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