Oberlin's Women: A Legacy of Leadership & Activism

Delphina Hanna

Delphine Hanna (1854-1941, OC 1901) was a doctor and educator.  She began her career as a teacher after graduating from the Brockport State Normal School in 1874. While attending the Martha’s Vineyard Summer Institute in 1884, Hanna saw firsthand the need for physical training among her students and fellow colleagues. She went on to train at the Normal School of Physical Training before she was hired by Oberlin College in 1885 to create the school’s physical education department.

Under Hanna’s guidance, Oberlin College developed a one-year teacher training course focused on physical education. Hanna took a leave of absence from 1888 to 1890 to attend the medical school at the University of Michigan to develop her knowledge of the human body. After her return to Oberlin, the teacher training course was extended to two years in 1892, and in 1901 the course became a four-year major.

An avid learner, Hanna earned a B.A. from Cornell University in 1901 and an M.A. from Oberlin College in 1901. She was the director of the Women’s Gymnasium at Oberlin College from 1887 to 1897 and from 1903 to 1920. Hanna was made professor of physical education in 1903, making her the first woman to receive a full professorship in physical education in the country. Interested in furthering the study of physical education, she was the only woman charter member of the American Society for Research in Physical Education, which was organized in 1904.  She retired in 1920 from Oberlin College, and in 1925 she was recognized for her work in physical education and inducted into the Michigan Hall of Fame.

Sources:
Student File (Delphine Hanna), Alumni & Development Records, O.C.A.

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