Biography

Leslie J. Judd was born to Norman Harry & Frances J. Winter in Collingwood (Melbourne), Victoria Australia, the third of four children, on August 6, 1888. Widely regarded as one of the founders of modern collegiate gymnastics, he was a coach, a director, a showman, a professor, and a creator who made countless contributions to Springfield College, his alma mater and where he worked for most of his career, and to his profession of Gymnastics and the field of Physical Education.

As a young man, Leslie Judd decided early that he wanted to work with youth. Starting in the Australian YMCA, it did not take him long until he became the physical director at the Ballarat YMCA. While there, he learned of Springfield College and decided he wanted to study there. Through an opportunity and money he earned as a champion in the Royal-Life-Saving competition in Perth, Australia, Judd was able to come to America in pursuit of this goal. Judd's first post in America was as a Physical Director at the Bedford Branch, Brooklyn YMCA.

In 1915 he enrolled in Springfield College in pursuit of a degree in Physical Education. Popular on campus, he was elected class president in both his freshman and junior years. He was also highly involved in sports. In addition to joining the Gymnastics team, he was a member of the varsity soccer and track teams. In track he gained recognition as a hurdler, broad jumper, and a dash man. Judd was elected captain of the gymnastics team in his junior year. Prof. Louis Schroeder, the gymnastics coach at the time, often turned to him for assistance and advice in developing team drills and other gymnastic stunts. After returning from service in World War I, Judd graduated from Springfield College with honors with a Bachelor’s in physical education (B.P.E.) in 1920. He was promptly hired by the college as a Professor of Physical Education and Head Gymnastics Coach, positions he held until he retired on April 1, 1955. Judd also got a Master of Arts (M.A.) from New York University in 1929.

As head coach of the Springfield College Gymnastics Team, Leslie Judd became regarded as one of the true innovators within in the field, widely recognized as one of the fathers of collegiate gymnastics. His teams achieved many awards and titles, including in the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) New England competition where Springfield Gymnastic Teams were undefeated in Senior Championships throughout most of the 1930's and early 1940's. The team developed a reputation not only as a gymnastic team, but also as an exhibition team. A true innovator, Judd used dance; including Morris dances, sword dances, and various kinds of national dances from Russia, Spain, the Philippines, and Hungary; numerous types of team drills such as glittering wands, fundamentals of fencing, judo, balancing trios, Indian club swinging, clown acts, among rigorous gymnastics routines in their exhibition performances. In 1925, Judd took the exhibition team to Mexico where they appeared in numerous cities and where Judd and the team met the presidents of two countries, President Coolidge of the United States, and President Calles of Mexico. Perhaps his greatest contribution was the creation of the Living Statuary of Youth or the Tableaux, which unified the aesthetic and athletic qualities of the sport. The first tableaux was performed in 1934 in connection with Commencement Weekend and the Springfield College’s annual canoe carnival. The Tableaux, the gymnastics team, and Judd’s expertise were the subjects of a feature story in Life Magazine in 1939. While at Springfield College, Judd also coached track and field, swimming and diving, cross country, soccer, and dance.

Over his career Leslie Judd won many awards, including an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Humanics (1962) and the Tarbell Medallion (1957) from Springfield College. Judd became only the fourth recipient of the Service Award of the National Association of American Gymnastic Coaches for his outstanding contributions to American Gymnastics. In November 1953, The West Gymnasium at Springfield College was dedicated as the Leslie J. Judd Gymnasium.

While Springfield College was closed during World War II, Leslie Judd was the Director of Physical Education at the Hartford YMCA from June 1944 to March 1946. In March 1946, Judd was engaged by the Ice Capades as a member of the special teaching staff for preparing a cast the opening number of the 1946-47 Ice Show Program entitled 'Miss America".

During World War I, from 1917-1919, he was with the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps in France in charge of the charge of the rehabilitation and conditioning program in Rouelles, France. For his service he was honored with the British War medal. Other military work included work during the summer of 1953 where he conducted a track and field athletics clinic for coaches and officials of the various Army posts in Europe. The clinic was held in Nurnberg, Germany. During the summer of 1954 he organized and conducted gymnastic clinics for the 7 Northeast Air Command bases in Greenland, Newfoundland, and Labrador. The purpose was to improve the physical fitness of the Americans in the air corps.

Leslie Judd died on March 21, 1987.

Information mostly retrieved from:

Eulogy by Charles F. Weckwerth, 1987

“This is your life, Leslie Judd”, 1969

“Leslie J. Judd Biographical Information”, ca. 1977-1987

- Written by Jeffrey Monseau in July 2018

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