FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

NASPE to Induct Lawrence Locke into Hall of Fame

Dr. Lawrence F. Locke, professor emeritus, Schools of Education and Physical Education, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, will be inducted into the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) Hall of Fame for, among other attributes, his enthusiasm and commitment to meaningful and high quality movement experiences for children and youth. To be presented at NASPE's Hall of Fame Banquet on Friday, April 3, at the Marriott Waterside Hotel in Tampa, Florida, other honorees that evening include the National Physical Education Teachers of the Year for Elementary, Middle School and High School, the National Physical Education Administrator of the Year as well as the Athletic Director of the Year Award.

Past NASPE Hall of Fame inductees include University of Tennessee Women's Basketball Coach Pat Summitt, tennis greats Billie Jean King and the late Arthur Ashe, NFL Hall of Famers Nick Buoniconti and Anthony Munoz, Olympians such as the late Wilma Rudolph, Rulon Gardner, Dan Jansen, Rafer Johnson, Nancy Hogshead, Carl Lewis, Peter Vidmar, and Tony DiCicco, head coach of the 1999 Women's World Cup Champion Soccer Team, among others. Joining Dr. Locke will be other 2009 Hall of Fame inductees:  Dr. Jay Coakley, professor emeritus, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, and softball Olympic gold medalist Dot Richardson, M.D.   

According to NASPE President Fran Cleveland of Western Chester University of Pennsylvania, "The NASPE Hall of Fame honors outstanding individuals who have achieved new levels of excellence in sport and physical activity and inspired others by their example of what quality, physical activity and sport programs can do to make a better world." 

The awards are given to honor outstanding individuals who 1) make significant contributions to maintaining sport or/and physical activity as an integral part of the total education program; 2) further the image of sport and healthy physical activity for all; 3) accentuate the integral relationships of sport and physical activity to the total educational process 4) encourage involvement in meaningful competitive sport or physical activity programs by influential educators and citizens in all walks of life, and 5) symbolize the educational and developmental potentials of sport and physical activity.

As a teacher, teacher educator, research advisor, and consultant, Dr. Locke's service to physical education spans more than half a century. He has written extensively on the production and utilization of research on teaching and teacher education. His most recent book, coauthored with Dolly Lambdin (University of Texas), is Conversations in the Gym: Putting Research to Work in Elementary Physical Education. With Stephen Silverman (Columbia University Teachers College) and Warren Spirduso (University of Texas), he also has authored a number of texts related to planning and funding educational inquiry, as well as to reading and understanding research reports.

His most recent publication appears in the January, 2008, issue of the Elementary School Journal, a special monograph devoted to the topic of elementary school physical education, which he edited with Kim Graber from the University of Illinois.

Dr. Locke makes his home in Sunderland, Massachusetts, but he spends part of each year by writing, running, and exploring the high bench country of the Beartooth Mountains at Sky Ranch in Reed Point, Montana. A native of Connecticut, he received his bachelor's and master's degrees from Springfield College, and a Ph.D. from Stanford University.

NASPE           

The preeminent national authority on physical education and a recognized leader in sport and physical activity, the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) is a non-profit professional membership association that sets the standard for practice in physical education and sport. NASPE's 16,000 members include: K-12 physical education teachers, coaches, athletic directors, athletic trainers, sport management professionals, researchers, and college/university faculty who prepare physical activity professionals. NASPE seeks to enhance knowledge, improve professional practice, and increase support for high-quality physical education, sport and physical activity programs through research, development of standards, and dissemination of information.  It is the largest of the five national associations that make up the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation & Dance (AAHPERD).  For more information, visit www.naspeinfo.org.

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Contact:
Paula Kun
pkun@aahperd.org
(703) 476-3461

The preeminent national authority on physical education and a recognized leader in sport and physical activity, the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) is a non-profit professional membership association that sets the standard for practice in physical education and sport. NASPE’s 15,000 members include: K-12 physical education teachers, coaches, administrators, researchers, and college/university faculty who prepare professionals in these areas. NASPE seeks to enhance knowledge, improve professional practice, and increase support for high-quality physical education, sport and physical activity programs. It is the largest of the five national associations that make up the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation & Dance (AAHPERD). For more information, visit www.naspeinfo.org.

AAHPERD, an alliance of five national associations, six district associations, and a Research Consortium, provides its members with a comprehensive and coordinated array of resources, support, and programs to help practitioners improve their skills to further the health and well-being of the American public. It is the largest organization of professionals involved in physical education, recreation, fitness, dance, health promotion and all specialties related to achieving an active, healthy lifestyle. AAHPERD serves 20,000 members and has its headquarters in Reston, Virginia, 25 miles west of Washington DC. To learn more, visit www.aahperd.org.