Jane Wells Shurmer

Shurmer was born in Cleveland, Ohio,[1] the daughter of Edward Shurmer and Ethelind Crawford Shurmer. She earned a bachelor's degree in 1927 at Wellesley College, where she played baseball and basketball.[2] She completed a master's degree at the University of California in 1937,[3] with a thesis titled "A study of the physical maturation of girls during adolescence".[4]

Shurmer taught at the University of Iowa and University of Pittsburgh early in her career.[5] From 1938 to 1968 she taught physical education at California State University, Chico (CSU Chico),[6][7] except while she was serving with the WAVES during World War II.[8]

As head of the women's physical education department at CSU Chico,[8] she built the women's sports teams at CSU Chico, developing competitive teams in field hockey, badminton, basketball, softball, archery and swimming.[3] She became an accredited field hockey official in 1930.[9][10] She was honored in 1958 by the American Association of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation, for her efforts to elevate women's collegiate sports.[11] She led a West Coast women's field hockey team on a tour of Australia and New Zealand in 1965, sponsored by the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Field Hockey Association.[3][9] In 1966, CSU Chico named her a "distinguished professor".[12] She retired from the university in 1968. In 1973, she was inducted into the Chico Sports Hall of Fame.[9]

Shurmer retired to Lincoln City, Oregon, in 1968, and died there in 1989, at the age of 83.[6] Shurmer Gymnasium at CSU Chico was named in her honor in 1976.[3][11] The Jane Shurmer and Lola Story Scholarship at CSU Chico is also named partly in her memory, and supports students who are pursuing teaching credentials in physical education.[13]