Janet Ruth Nuzman Collection

Biog. Sketch (Full):

Janet Ruth Nuzman was born in Nebraska City, Nebraska on October 23, 1931 to George H. and Mildred (Jordan) Steck. Jan graduated from Topeka High School in 1949 and earned a bachelor of science degree in physical education from Kansas State University and a master of science degree in education and physical education from the University of Kansas. She married Carl E. Nuzman on August 23, 1953 in Topeka, Kansas.

She started her professional career as a physical education instructor first at Highland Park High School and then at Seaman High School. While teaching at Seaman, Helen Hocker approached Jan about teaching at Washburn University. Jan agreed and she started teaching in 1962. This was the beginning of a long association with her mentor and good friend Helen Hocker. Jan retired as assistant professor of physical education, emeritus, in 1995. During her years at Washburn, Jan taught, coached and coordinated the bachelor of arts internship program for the Department of Health and Physical Education. She served as women’s athletic coordinator and was the university’s representative to the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for many years. While she was teaching, she found time to serve in leadership positions in several civic and professional organizations, including both the Kansas and the
American Associations for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, the Zonta Club of Topeka, the Kansas Alpha chapter of Delta Theta Chi, the Heartland Branch of the Huntington’s Disease Foundation of America and the Shawnee County Girl Scouts Jamboree. Her numerous honors include the Kansas Association of Health Physical Education and Recreation Honor Award for outstanding leadership in her profession, a Pathfinder Award from the National Association for Girls and Womens Sports, and the Top Zontonian Award from the Zonta Club of Topeka. She was inducted into the Washburn Athletic Hall of Fame and Delta Psi Kappa, the national honorary physical education fraternity.

Scope and content: Collection contains records compiled and authored by Janet Ruth Nuzman for the Association for Kansas Womens Intercollegiate Sports including the Division of Girls and Women in Sports (DGWS), National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), Central States Intercollegiate Conference (CSIC) and Title IX. Also, records for the Kansas Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Woman (KAIAW). Also, two essays written by Janet Nuzman titled A Different Way to See the Capitol and God Played in Center Field that Day.
2021-293: Two (2) vitae for Janet R. Nuzman

Related materials: Additional records relating to Janet Ruth Nuzman's career are available at Mabee Library, Washburn University. See finding aid in accession folder and filed with collection. Kansas Association for Health, Physical Education and Recreation collection is at the Kansas Collection, Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas.