Josephine Langworthy Rathbone (1899-1989) was born in New York City on June 25, 1899 to Henry Bailey Rathbone and Floy Pearl Langworthy. Rathbone attended primary and secondary school in New Jersey before enrolling at Wellesley College in Wellesley Massachusetts in 1917. She graduated in 1921 and after a three-year stint as the Director of Health and Physical Education at the State Normal School in New Britain, Connecticut she accepted a position at her alma mater which lasted five years. In 1930 Rathbone accepted a position at Teachers college, Columbia University, New York where she held the position of Assistant Professor of Physical Education, and would gain a doctorate in psychology in 1936. The line of inquiry that Rathbone pursued there was the subject of relaxation.

During World War II, Dr. Rathbone continued to emphasize the critical necessity to relieve tensions developed by military men in combat. She served as consultant to the Air Surgeon General on techniques in relaxation. On 24 March 1945, she married Dr. Peter V. Karpovich, an eminent exercise physiologist from Springfield College, who shared common interests in the field. After the war, she set up a program of training in physical education and recreation in rehabilitation at Springfield College. Dr. Rathbone retired from Columbia University in 1959 after twenty-nine years. Following retirement, she traveled extensively with her husband and continued to do work in the field with a position at Springfield College as an Instructor in Relaxation in 1972-1980.

Rathbone was very active in many professional organizations, including being a founding member of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and serving on its executive committee. She was also a member of the American Academy Physical Education, an honorary fellow in the American Association for Health, Physical Education, and Recreation (AAHPRD), a member of the National Y. M. C. A. Physical Education Committee (1945), a life membership and tenure as vice president (1930-1932) of the American Physical Therapy Association, a member of the American Physical Education Association and chair of the Therapeutic Section, (1931-1933), and belonged to the Registry of Physical Therapy Technicians. She was a visiting lecturer at several colleges, including Springfield College from 1972-1980. Dr. Rathbone also served in the capacity of advisor or visiting professor at universities in India and China. Her professional travel included visiting Asian, European, Middle Eastern, and Latin American countries and extended over 59 years. Her last trip was a trip to China when she was 87.

During her career, she published six books on physical education and recreation, as well as numerous book chapters and articles. Her book Corrective Physical Education originally published in 1934 underwent several editions, the fifth appearing in Japanese. It remained a popular college textbook for undergraduate and graduate level coursework for many years. Another popular work was Relaxation published in 1969, with the first edition appearing in Spanish and English. Her pioneering efforts in corrective physical education, physical therapy, and relaxation have left an indelible imprint upon the profession to this day. She died on 3 July 1989.

- Information was sourced from MS529 Josephine L. Rathbone Papers, Series 1, box 1, folders 1 and 3. Gunnell, Reid Jay. (1973) Biographies of historical leaders in physical, health, and recreation education, 237-246. GV331 G855 1973 AAHPRD