Luther Gulick Cabinet Card

A cabinet card photograph of Luther Halsey Gulick, father of physical education and recreation in the United States. Luther Gulick came to the School for Christian Workers, now Springfield College, in 1887 where he helped found the physical training department and served as its first director. Gulick also created the Springfield College's seal, the inverted triangle, whose three sides represent the whole man - in spirit, mind and body. The symbol was first adopted by the school's students in 1891. Later, it was adopted by the YMCA and is still the basis for the symbol they use today. While at Springfield, Gulick directed James Naismith, who was a teacher at the school, to create a winter sport to be played indoors. Soon after, Naismith created the game of basketball. Gulick left Springfield College in 1900 to work as the physical education director at the Pratt Institute High School in Brooklyn. In 1910, Gulick and his wife Charlotte founded the Camp Fire Girls of America, a youth movement for girls which emphasized camping, outdoor activities and preparing women for work outside the home. Gulick died at his summer home in Maine at the age of 52