University of California Seal

IN MEMORIAM

Marjorie Elizabeth Latchaw

Associate Professor of Kinesiology, Emerita

UC Los Angeles

1914 - 2006

 

Marjorie Latchaw came to UCLA as an associate professor of physical education in 1952. She received her undergraduate education at the State College of Iowa (1943) and her Master’s of Arts (1949) and doctoral (1952) degrees from the State University of Iowa. Early in her career, Marjorie was an elementary school teacher and a high school instructor. Prior to her employment at UCLA, she was an instructor of physical education at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale.

 

At UCLA, Marjorie was a faculty member during an interesting era, when the men’s and women’s health and physical education programs were virtually independent, even to the point of having separate gyms. Marjorie’s academic focus was on the assessment and evaluation of health and fitness. With other members of her department, she coauthored several textbooks, including Pocket Guide of Dance Activities (1958) with Jean Pyatt, The Evaluation Process in Health Education (1962) with Camille Brown, Physical Education and Recreation (1962), and Human Movement (1969) with Glenn Egstrom.

 

During the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, UCLA made major changes in the reorganization of departments related to education, recreation, dance, as well as other applied disciplines such as home economics. During this period there were over 80 faculty members devoted to these fields. The reorganization had a dramatic effect on the careers of these faculty; some stayed at UCLA and worked to establish a Department of Kinesiology, others retired or moved to state university campuses, and a few advanced through the ranks of administration at UCLA.

 

Marjorie took early partial retirement in 1974 and fully retired in 1982. During her retirement years, she enjoyed living in Idyllwild CA, where she was an active member of the Chamber of Commerce, as well as the owner of The Village Gallery, where she enjoyed collecting and selling fine art and ceramics.

 

 

Reggie Edgerton

Jack Keogh

Judith Smith