The first classes at the University of Texas at Austin began on September 15, 1883. There were 221 students enrolled—163 men, 58 women. Jessie Andrews became the first woman to graduate from the University of Texas in 1886 with a Bachelor of Letters degree in German. But there are no records of women engaging in organized physical education classes—or what was then called physical culture—until the Helianthus Tennis Club appears in the 1895 issue of The Cactus. From the hiring of the university’s first “Directress of Gymnastics,” Eleanor Pearl Norvell in 1899, to the construction of the women’s gymnasium and Anna Hiss’s development of intramural and club sport programs, from the passage of Title IX to the recent development of Name, Image, and Likeness opportunities, female students at the University of Texas have always sought out the many benefits and advancements of physical culture and sports. Whether students engaged with sport as varsity athletes, as intramural or club participants, as physical education students, or as fans and cheerleaders, those storied relationships have played a large role in shaping campus life and culture for female students. This exhibit presents the history of women and sport at UT with a particular focus on celebrating the many “women firsts” that have come with it.
Women have always had to demand their right to athletic opportunities. History has not always reflected an equal value or appreciation for women in sport, which can make research and reporting difficult, but it also opens up opportunities for historians to tell new and exciting stories when they are discovered. For example, Carrie, whose photograph and story are presented in the Genesis section of this exhibit, worked as a janitor in the women’s gymnasium from at least 1909-1926. Her last name still eludes us; however, what we did find written about her would suggest that she may have been for women students what Henry “Doc” Reeves was for male students. Reeves was a Black man who worked as the first athletics trainer at the University from 1895-1914. So, we acknowledge that there are historic moments and several firsts that we may have missed because women’s records weren’t normally saved.
We invite all visitors to engage with an interactive element in this exhibit, “Her Story is Often Missed,” which provides chalk for you to add your own notes or histories to the wall as well as a QR code which will direct you to a webpage where you can upload and send voice notes, photos, and/or text to our team. Notes written on the wall and other stories sent through our online portal will be recorded and presented as an online feature with this exhibit.
In researching and curating this exhibit, our museum team read through the earliest editions of The Cactus, the annual published by University of Texas students since 1894; sifted through articles from The Daily Texan, The Austin-American Statesman, and The Alcalde; tapped into the collections of Anna Hiss, Jody Conradt, the UT Women’s Athletics History Collection, the Texas Athletics Media Relations Collection, and the Texas Athletics Photo Archive; read the history projects of individuals like Billy Dale and his Texas Longhorn Sports Network, Jim Nicar and his UT History Corner. We’d like to also extend a special thank you to former graduate student Tessa M. Nichols whose 2007 Master’s Thesis “Organizational Values and Women’s Sport at The University of Texas, 1918-1992” proved to be an invaluable guide in our work to create this exhibit.
HER STORY IS OFTEN MISSED
We invite visitors to engage with an interactive element in our new exhibit, Women First! The “Her Story is Often Missed” section provides chalk for visitors to add their own notes, histories, or questions to the wall. It also includes a QR code which allows visitors to send in an email with voice notes, photos, or other documents to our team. In this space, we will present our records of visitor interaction and histories as an online feature with this exhibit.
Thanks so much for engaging with us.
