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Leona Holbrook professional papers, approximately 1927-1991

 Series
Identifier: MSS 1740 Series 9

Scope and Contents

Contains the professional materials of Leona Holbrook during her time as a faculty member at Brigham Young University and as a member and leader of various national organizations, approximately 1927-1991.

Dates

  • approximately 1927-1991

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Open for public research.

Conditions Governing Use

It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances. Permission to publish material from Leona Holbrook papers must be obtained from the Supervisor of Reference Services and/or the L. Tom Perry Special Collections Coordinating Committee.

Biographical History

From the Collection:

Leona Holbrook (1909-1980) was a faculty member in the Brigham Young University Department of Physical Education.

Leona Holbrook was born in Lehi, Utah, on April 7, 1909, to Horace Cook Holbrook and Leona Garn. After living in New Zealand while her parents served a mission, she was accelerated to high school at the age of thirteen. She attended East High School in Salt Lake City from 1922 to 1925. At age sixteen, Leona entered the University of Utah, declaring physical education as her major. There she was elected president of the Women's Athletic Association and awarded the Phi Delta Pi Cup.

Her first teaching position was at West Junior High School in Salt Lake City in 1931. In 1935 she was awarded a masters of science degree from the Teachers College at Columbia University, New York City, as well as a doctorate degree in education in 1950. After working in various leadership positions in several camps for women and girls, Leona accepted a teaching position at Brigham Young University in 1937. At BYU, Leona had a large part in planning the construction of the Richards Building. Later in her life she donated three hundred thousand dollars to the dance and women's physical education programs at BYU. She passed away at the age of seventy-one in her Provo home, of natural causes.

Leona Holbrook received numerous honors and acted in many leadership positions in her lifetime, including the president of the American Camping Association (Wasatch Section) (1946), president of the National Assocation for Physical Education of College Women (1964-1966), president of the American Assocation for Health, Physical Education, and Recreation (1966-1967), recipient of the BYU Alumni Distinguished Service Award (1967), member of the board of directors of the United States Olympic Committee (1968), enshrined in the Helms Athletic Foundation Hall of Fame (1971), recipient of the Karl G. Maeser Distinguished Teaching Award (1977), director of the National Olympic Academy III at BYU (1978), and recipient of the Luther Halsey Gulick Award (1974) and the Dorothy S. Ainsworth Honor Award (1979).

Extent

11 cartons

Language of Materials

English

Arrangement

Arranged into five subseries: 1. Leona Holbrook papers on the Richards Building, 1954-1964. 2. Leona Holbrook meeting minutes and reports, approximately 1927-1991. 3. Leona Holbrook papers on national organizations, approximately 1927-1991. 4. Leona Holbrook vita files, approximately 1927-1991. 5. Leona Holbrook convention papers and newsletters, approximately 1927-1991. The original order has been preserved.

Other Finding Aids

Partial box-level inventory available online. http://files.lib.byu.edu/ead/XML/MSS1740.xml

Repository Details

Part of the L. Tom Perry Special Collections Repository

Contact:
1130 HBLL
Brigham Young University
Provo Utah 84602 United States