Washburn University Athletics

Helen Hocker
Administrator - 1946-1980
Department Chair of HPER
Inducted 1982-83

Helen Hocker played a major part in making athletics programs available for women at Washburn as she served the faculty and staff from 1946-80. She was inducted into the WU Athletic Hall of Fame in 1982-83.

Hocker joined the Washburn University faculty in 1946. At the time of her appointment there were no major programs in the department; thus, her first challenge was to develop a curriculum for women physical education majors. This was achieved by 1949 and in the late 1950s a degree in recreation was added. In the early 1960s Hocker initiated summer health education workshops featuring leaders from throughout the country.

In June of 1966 Washburn and Hocker faced new challenges. The devastating tornado that destroyed much of campus took Thomas Gymnasium, then the home of the women’s athletics programs. She immediately began picking up the pieces and within 75 days a new building, called the South Gym, replaced Thomas. 15 years later Hocker’s planning and foresight paid off when the blueprints for the Allied Health Center, currently the home of Washburn athletics, was approved in May 1981. A year later she was there for groundbreaking.

She was later named department chairperson of the Health, Physical Education and Recreation department when it was first separated from athletics.