Earle F. Zeigler (1919- )

Renaissance Man:  Scholar, Educator, Leader, Friend

On August 20, 2009 Earle F. Zeigler celebrated his 90th birthday. In looking back over those nine decades, all would agree that he has left a mark which few in the history of the academic profession of sport and physical education have come close to equaling. In fact, to this day he continues to make contributions to the field.

Earle Zeigler was born in New York City (Queens), U.S.A. and earned a B.A. in German from prestigious Bates College by the time he was 21. In the ensuing eleven years, while working full time, he achieved a Master’s Degree in German and a Doctor of Philosophy Degree in the history and philosophy of education, both from Yale University. Since then, he has taught, coached, researched, written, and administered at four great North American universities (Yale, Michigan, Illinois, and The University of Western Ontario).

Graduate and undergraduate students have long been recipients of Zeigler’s counsel, motivation, and inspiration. More than 100 graduate students have taken Master’s and Ph.D. work under his supervision, many of them subsequently becoming leaders in their disciplinary and professional fields.

His dedication and service to professional societies and associations has met with great admiration. For this he has been honored as few have been in the history of physical education. Both CAHPER (Canadian Association for Health, Physical Education, and Recreation) and AAHPERD (American Alliance for Health, Physical Education Recreation and Dance) bestowed honors on him. In 1978 he was named AAHPERD Scholar of the Year.

In 1975 the University of Windsor conferred an Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree on him; in 1997 the University of Lethbridge followed suit by bestowing a Doctor of Science, and in 1987 the students of The University of Western Ontario’s then-Faculty of Kinesiology recognized his enduring excellence as a meritorious teacher by awarding him their annual Outstanding Teacher award.

Of all the societies and organizations Earle Zeigler has served, none has been more appreciative of his leadership than the American Academy of Kinesiology and Physical Education. Earle Zeigler served on nine of the National Academy’s various committees since his election to Fellow in 1966. He was called to the presidency of the Academy in 1981, and in 1989 received the organization’s most coveted distinction, the Clark W. Hetherington Medal.

Zeigler has authored over 400 published works, including widely used textbooks and articles in distinguished journals. In “semi-retirement” from his home in Richmond, British Columbia, Earle Zeigler continues to “ruminate and write” on persistent issues and problems of the day.