Max J. Exner, Class of 1892

This lantern slide, “Max J. Exner, Class of 1892,” is a portrait of YMCA Training School (now known as Springfield College) alumnus Max J. Exner.After graduating from the Springfield campus in 1892, Exner continued his education at Carleton College in Minnesota. Exner worked as a physical director in Minnesota (1894-1897), Massachusetts (1898-1899), and Missouri (1901-1907). From 1908 to 1911, he served as the very first national physical director of the recently-formed General Committee of China, Korea, and Hong Kong. While in this position, Exner vigorously promoted the Olympics and organized the first Chinese National Athletic Games, which showcased on hundred and fifty athletes. After returning to the United States, he spent time in Iowa and New Jersey before settling in New York as the Secretary of the International Committee. In 1913, he presented a lecture at Springfield College on the importance and urgency of the Physical Department’s mission in foreign lands. The following year, Springfield awarded Exner an honorary Master of Physical Education degree and invited him to speak at commencement. Exner wrote a number of articles and books on the importance of sex education, including: “The Rational Sex Life for Men” (1917), “The Question of Petting” (1932), and “What You Should Know About Syphilis and Gonorrhea” (1937). He spent the last three years of his life in Newark, New Jersey. Exner died October 8, 1943.Text on border reads, "W. H. DREW, Stereopticons, No. 1 Somerset St., Boston.