Maybelle Gilliland had completed her junior year at Leonia High School in the summer of 1922. She was the daughter of William J. and Elizabeth J. Gilliland of Bogota, New Jersey. At the Oaksmere meet, Maybelle won both the 50 and 100-yard dashes.
- In Paris, Maybelle was entered in the 60-meters, the 100-yard dash, and a member of the 440-yard team. She failed to reach the finals in the first two events and the U.S. relay team was penalized after finishing second and given fourth place. Maybelle's high school coach and assistant team coach, Suzanne Becker indicates that Maybelle was hampered in Paris by a knee injury.
Maybelle continued to compete in track and field events after the meet in Paris.
- September 1923, AAU first National Track and Field Championships for women. Maybelle, running for the City Bank Club, set the record for the 100-yard dash.
- March 1924, AAU Indoor Championships at Madison Square Garden. Maybelle, running the 2nd leg, helped set a new world's record time in the 440-relay. Again representing the City Bank Club, the other relay team members were Marion McCartie, M. Hassard, and Karin Carlsson.
- In July 1925, Women's National AAU Track and Field Championships in Pasadena, California. Maybelle represented the Savage School (NYC) finishing 2nd in the 50-yard dash and 4th in the 100-yard dash.
- August 1927, Maybelle competed at a track and field meet for women at Weequahic Park, Newark, New Jersey for a chance to compete at the AAU National Championships at Eureka, California. Maybelle, representing the Paterson Recreation Club, finished second in the baseball throw.
- July 1928, Olympic track and field tryouts in Newark, New Jersey. Running for the Patterson Recreation Club, Maybelle placed 2nd in the 50-yard dash and finished 3rd in the 6th heat of the 100-meter dash.
- July 1930, Women's National AAU Track and Field Championships in Dallas, Texas. Maybelle was a member of the vaunted Millrose AA (NY) 440-yard relay team. In Dallas they set a new world's record time of 0:49.4. Team members included Jessie Cross, Carrie Jansen, and Loretta McNeil.
- July 1931, Women's National AAU Track and Field Championships in Dallas ,Texas. The Millrose AA team finished a disappointing 2nd in the 440-yard relay.
- January 1933, Maybelle retired from track competition. Miss Marion Burns, one of her coaches at Leonia High School said of Maybelle: "Her running stride was beautiful to watch. It was as smooth as poetry. You've heard of 'Marvelous Mildred Didrikson,' well, Miss Gilliland is certainly able to carry the Marvelous Maybelle label."
Maud Rosenbaum was born on 13 January 1902, to Mr. Emanuel F. and Maud Yondorf Rosenbaum of Chicago, IL. She attended Oaksmere school. In Spalding's Official Athletic Almanac 1922, Maud is listed as the American record holder and the preparatory school record with a distance of 94' 2" in the basketball throw. Maud also held the Oaksmere School record in the basketball throw and the baseball throw (202' 6"). In competition, best throws with each hand are added together for a final distance.
- In the Paris Meet, Maude finished third in the shot put with a throw of 57 feet. She was also the team's field manager.
- In 1927, she married Baron Giorgio di Giacomo Levi in Paris, France and moved to Rome. They had one daughter.
- In 1930, Baroness Maud Levi returned to the United States to play tennis competitively. Her court assets were described in The Literary Digest in August 12, 1933, as being "her chopstroke, volley, ground-covering ability, and net play."
- Maud won four tennis titles in 1933, including the New York State Tennis Championship. In 1934, the U. S. Tennis Association ranked her a 7th among women's singles players.
- She divorced the Baron in 1934, and in 1935, married H. Walter Blumenthal of New York City.
- Maud Blumenthal died on May 3, 1981, in New York City.
Elizabeth Stine had completed her sophomore year at Leonia High School in the summer of 1922. She was the daughter of Thomas Arthur and Consuelo Amelia Matilda Frost Stine of Bogota, New Jersey. According to a newspaper article in 1922, her goal was "to be the world's greatest all-round woman athlete." At the Oaksmere meet, Elizabeth broke the world's record in the hop, skip, and jump. She also won the running broad jump and placed 3rd in the 100-yard dash. Elizabeth celebrated her 16th birthday aboard the Aquatania on August 5, 1922.
- In Paris, Elizabeth was a contestant in the running broad jump, and a
member of the 440-yard relay. Elizabeth finished 2nd in the running broad jump, and the U.S. team
was penalized in the 440-yard relay.
Elizabeth continued to compete in track and field events after the games in Paris.
- July 1925, Women's National AAU Track and Field Championships in Pasadena, CA. Elizabeth represented the Savage School (NYC) winning the high jump with a height of 4'10' and placed 4th in the broad jump.
- July 1926, Women's National AAU Track and Field Championships in Philadelphia, PA. Elizabeth was a member of the Patterson Recreation Club (NJ) finishing second in the running high jump.
- In June 1934, Elizabeth Stine Glasier was among the invited dignitaries at the Bergen County Record's Women's Outdoor State Track Championship at Hackensack, N.J.
- Elizabeth Gertrude Stine married Charles Fredick Glasier on May 29, 1931. They had a son.
- Elizabeth Stine Glasier died on November 15, 1993.
Floreida Batson, 21 years old daughter of Robert Percy and Floreida Burton Batson, was team captain. Floreida graduated in 1921, from Rosemary Hall (now Choate Rosemary Hall) where she was active in field hockey, basketball, and track. Floreida attended Smith College where she played forward on the Freshman basketball team.
While at Rosemary Hall, Floreida held the American record in both the 60-yard high hurdles with a time of 9 seconds, and the 100-yard low hurdles with a time of 14 2/5 seconds. These were also preparatory school records.
- While training in Paris, Floreida sprained her ankle.
- At the meet, Floreida was a contestant in the 100-yard hurdles and a member of the 440-yard relay. During her heat for the 100-yard hurdles she established a new world's record, but finished 4th in the finals. The US team was penalized in the 440-yard relay.
- In 1923, she married William Joseph Gibbens, Jr. They had two daughters.
- Floreida Batson Gibbens died in 1996.
Janet Snow was a 17 year old from Rye, New York in 1922, and the daughter of Mr. Elbridge Gerry Snow, Jr. and Marie Antoinette Snow. Janet attended Mrs. Merrill's school, Oaksmere, in Mamaroneck, New York, where she held the school record in the running broad jump, standing broad jump, and the hop, step, and jump. Janet was also a member of the 220-relay team that held the American record with a time of 28 2/5 seconds.
- In the Paris meet she is listed as a contestant in the 100-yard dash but she did not qualify for the finals.
- Janet married Thomas Irwin Monroe in 1927.
Camille Sabie was the star athlete in the Paris meet at only 19 years old. Daughter of James and Angela Sabie, she graduated from East Side High School (Newark, NJ) and the Newark State Normal School (now Kean University).
At the Oaksmere meet Camille was on world's record pace in the 100-yard hurdles when she hit the last hurdle. She finished second in the 50-yard dash.
- In the Paris meet Camille lead the American team with the greatest number of points. She is listed as a competitor in the standing broad jump, 100-yard dash, and a member of the 440-yard relay team. In the trials of the 100-yard hurdles Camille set a world's record and then broke it in the finals. She won the standing broad jump and replaced Nancy Voorhees as a contestant in the running broad jump. Camille won 2nd place in that event.
- Camille competed in a track and field meet held under the auspices of the Metropolitan AAU in September 1922. In this meet she won the 70-yard dash and won the standing broad jump with a leap of over 8 feet. She then put on a demonstration of the 60-yard hurdles in which she equaled her personal best time of 9 seconds.
- Later in the month Camille competed in Newark Star Eagle's Girls Meet at Weequhic park. In this meet Camille broke the world's record in the standing broad jump and the 60-yard hurdles. She equaled the American record in the 100-yard dash and finished 2nd in the 50-yard dash.
- Camille is a charter member of the Kean University Athletic Hall of Fame.
- Camille Sabie Malbrock died on March 20, 1998.
Lucile Godbold was the daughter of Mr. W.A. and Lucile Godbold of Estill, South Carolina. While a student at Winthrop College (now Winthrop University) in Rock Hill, South Carolina. Lucile was active in athletics. At the annual track meet in 1920, she broke two World's records and in 1922, she won 6 first place ribbons and established a new American record in the shot put.
At the Oaksmere meet, Lucile won the basketball throw, placed second in the 100-yard dash and the hop, step, and jump; and set a World's record in the shot put.
- In Paris, Lucile set a new World's record in the shot put (best throws with each hand are added together), finished 4th in the 300-meter run, 3rd in the javelin throw, and 4th in the 1000-meter run. Lucile did participate in the exhibition meet after the International meet. She won the triple jump, and placed second in the basketball throw.
- Lucile was athletic director at Columbia College, Columbia, South Carolina for 58 years. In 1971, the college named its new athletic complex in her honor.
- Lucile died on April 5, 1981.
Daughter of Mr. Lawrence J. Mead and Anna Frances Ely Mead, Frances Louise Mead grew up in Tarrytown, New York and in New York City. She was a 1921 graduate of Rosemary Hall (now Choate Rosemary Hall) in Greenwich, Connecticut. Her mother accompanied her to Paris.
In an article from the Hampshire Gazette dated October 14, 1922, Frances described the Meet: " ...we arrived at the Pershing Stadium all keyed up for the big test. Some of us, knowing a little French, attempted conversation with other teams. We discovered, that in most cases, this was not their first meet. After the preliminaries there was a pause in the day's activities known as the freshing hour, which we spent in a quaint little inn, where they played the Star Spangled Banner and presented us with an American Flag. Then we were ready to pass in review around the track. Teams from each country marched slowly past the judges and presented their colors during the playing of the various national anthems"
Nancy Voorhees was the daughter of Dr. James Ditmars Voorhees and Louise Brown Voorhees of East Hampton, Long Island, and sister of teammate, Louise. Dr. Voorhees was a noted obstetrician and professor. Nancy attended the Ethel Walker School in Connecticut.
At the Oaksmere meet, Nancy won the running high jump with a jump of 4 feet 7 inches and placed second in the standing broad jump.
- In Paris, she is listed as a competitor in the running high jump and the running broad jump. Nancy tied for first place in the running high jump with Carrie Hatt of Great Britain.
- Nancy married C. Redington Barrett in 1930.
- Nancy V. Barrett died in 1988.
Louise "Betty" Voorhees was the daughter of Dr. James Ditmars Voorhees and Louise Brown Voorhees of East Hampton, Long Island, and sister of teammate, Nancy. Dr. Voorhees was a noted obstetrician and professor. Louise attended Rosemary Hall (now Choate Rosemary Hall) and entered Bryn Mawr in 1922.
- In Paris Louise is listed as a competitor in the running high jump.
Anne Louise Harwick was born May 13, 1899 in Jacksonville, Florida. She was the daughter of William H. And Ellen Teresa Harwick. Anne received a B.S. degree from Florida State College in 1922. While an undergraduate student, she actively participated in college Field Days. In 1922, she won the shot put, Javelin throw, standing high jump, walking race and also competed in the hurdles and the baseball throw. In 1921, she won the shot put, set the college record in the javelin throw and baseball throw and placed in the 100-yard dash, and the standing high jump. She graduated holding the college records in the javelin, shot put, and baseball throw.
- In Paris, Anne was unable to compete in the javelin throw,in which she held the American record, and the shot put due to "overtraining."
- Anne was able to compete in the 300 meter race. Anne finished third in the first heat, but did not place in the finals.
- In the exhibition events after the International Meet, she won a silver medal in the baseball throw.
- After graduation Anne worked for one year as assistant director of athletics at Oaksmere School in Mamaroneck, New York. The school was described in publications as having extensive physical education facilities especially for water sports seeing how the school fronted the Oriental Sound.
- In 1935, after a business career, she served as Assistant Supervisor, Division of Employment, Works Progress Administration for two years. She entered Tulane University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in 1937, and received a Master's of Social Work in 1943. During this time she was working with the Department of Public Welfare and the Housing Authority of New Orleans.
- She worked for fourteen years as a medical social worker at Blue Ridge Sanatorium in Charlottesville, Virginia. She moved to Boonesville, Virginia in 1967.
- In 1968, she published Possum Trot, a novel about a Florida sharecropper.
- Anne Harwick died on April 27, 1974, in Charlottesville and is buried in Boonesville, Virginia.
Esther Greene was a student at Balboa High School, Canal Zone, Panama. Born in New York, she was the daughter of Jay l. and Emma M. Green. At home Esther, according to a newspaper story, " was barred from all athletic meets because she has captured so many prizes that those in charge have decided some of the other contestants should be given an opportunity."
- Esther was a contestant in the 300-meters, but did not compete in the finals.
Kathryn Agar was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James Scanlon Agar from Chicago, Illinois. She attended the Faulkner School for Girls in Chicago, and Oaksmere. While a student at Oaksmere, Kathryn was a member of the 220-yard relay team that held the American record. At the Oaksmere meet Kathryn broke the world's record in the javelin throw and finished second in the basketball throw. Her brother, John G. "Jack" Agar played football at the University of Chicago. Her nephew, John Agar, Jr., married Shirley Temple in 1946.
- In Paris she is listed as a competitor in the javelin throw, 60-meter dash, and 100-meters run. Kathryn did not compete in the finals of any event.
Kathryn described the night after the Meet: " Last night we just stuffed our selves with cake and candy and stayed out as late as the chaperons would permit. Just imagine fifteen peppy young American girls going to bed at 9 o'clock every night in training for that Olympiad, and not eating sweets more than once a month. We didn't think it was possible, but we felt wonderful." Chicago Daily Tribune, August 22, 1922. - Kathryn Agar Jaicks, mother of four, was a resident of Lake Forest, Illinois for almost 50 years before her death on March 18, 1987.
Helen Krepps was initially chosen as a member of the team but did join. Helen, from Columbus, Ohio, graduated with a B. A. degree from Ohio State University in 1923. She was active in athletics as a student, running track and playing basketball for three years. Helen won individual honors at the third annual track meet at Ohio State University in May 1922. There she equaled the collegiate record in the 100-yard hurdles.
Helen began working at East Tennessee Normal School (now East Tennessee State University) in 1924, as women's basketball coach. In 1930, the college replaced women's intercollegiate sports with an intramural program. Helen remained at ETSU until 1933. In 1930, Helen was voted by the students as the most popular faculty member. Helen married in 1932, and is listed as Helen Krepps Smith.
Lucy Fletcher was initially chosen as a member of the team but did not join. Daughter of George Warren and Eliza Anne Edwards Fletcher, Lucy was born in 1903, in Greensboro, Florida. Lucy was a star athlete at Greensboro High School playing basketball, running the 50-yard and 100-yard dashes, and throwing the javelin. When she was a high school student she competed in a state track meet in 1922, held at the Florida State College for Women (now Florida State University). At the meet, Lucy was outstanding in the standing broad jump with a distance of over 8 feet. Dr. Stewart wrote that the jump "is the best performance we had in recent years." According to family history Lucy's mother ask her not to go to Paris and she did not go against that wish. Lucy married Hugh Murry Brown in 1922, and they had five children.
Suzanne Becker was a physical education teacher/coach at Leonia High School in Leonia, New Jersey in 1922. At the Oaksmere Meet in May 1922, she brought a talented group of students to compete including Elizabeth Stine and Maybelle Gilliland. Leonia High School won the trophy for accumulating the most points in the Oaksmere Meet. Suzanne agreed to Dr. Stewart's request that she be an assistant coach for the team competing in Paris.
In 1922, Suzanne was elected as a permanent member the Federation Sportive Feminine Internationale, the sponsoring body of the International Meet.
Suzanne Becker Young wrote in a letter to James Dawson, Jr., an Olympic consultant in 1976, that she heard some of the criticism directed at women competing in track and field which extended to Dr. Stewart and the team. She writes: " Upon our return to the States, I found a very considerable amount of criticism and opposition to competitive athletics for women. I attended a Woman's Physical Education Association Convention in Washington at which several speakers claimed that participants were subjected to hazards that were a potential danger to their future life. Needless to say I took vigorous exception." (letter in Columbia College Archives)
Winifred Edgerton Merrill was born in Ripon, Wisconsin on September 24, 1862. She earned a B.A. at Wellesley College in 1886, and became the first woman to earn a degree from Columbia University when she completed her Ph.D. cum laude in 1886. She studied higher mathematics and astronomy at Columbia. Her degree application was initially refused. President Barnard suggested she be interviewed by each Trustee and was accepted on the next vote. Mrs. Merrill served, for a short time, on the committee which called for the establishment of Barnard College.
Winifred Edgerton married Dr. Frederick Merrill in 1887. Dr. Frederick Merrill served as New York State Geologist and as the director of the New York State Museum. The couple were the parents of four children: Louise, Hamilton, Winifred, and Edgerton. Dr. Frederick Merrill died in 1916.
Mrs. Merrill established Oaksmere in 1906, in New Rochelle, New York and it moved to Mamaroneck, NY in 1914. The 1922-23 American Private Schools describes the school as follows: " For some years it has maintained the reputation of being the highest priced school and is patronized by those who spend freely." Tuition for the same year was $2,000 and the enrollment was 75. The same entry describes Mrs. Merrill as " a woman of personal charm and an unusually capable business executive." In 1912, she opened a branch campus in Paris, France called Oaksmere Abroad. During World War One, Mrs. Merrill purchased and sent an ambulance to France. Mrs. Merrill paid for the team's accommodations in Paris. The Hotel Montreal at 37 Rue d'Hauteville was the team's headquarters in Paris.
Oaksmere students included Clara Boal, grand-niece of "Buffalo" Bill Cody; and actresses Katharine Cornell and Natalie Schafer. Mrs. Merrill brought talented teachers to Oaksmere.
Robert Russell Bennett taught music and worked with Mrs. Merrill to develop her theory that people's signatures translated through a mathematical formula onto a musical scale could reveal the person's character. The results were called Musical Autograms. Mr. Bennett and Mrs. Merrill, along with David Belasco wrote a musical piece, A Belasco Sonata for the Piano and several of Mr. Bennett's works were influenced by his time at Oaksmere. Pieces include Water-Mirror and a march, The Oaksmere Spirit. While at Oaksmere, Robert Russell Bennett met one of Mrs. Merrill's daughters, Louise and they were married in December 1919. Oaksmere closed its doors in 1926.
Columbia University honored Mrs. Merrill in 1933, on the fiftieth anniversary of her graduation from Wellesley with a portrait by H. E. Ogden Campbell. Below the portrait of Mrs. Merrill bears the inscription, "She Opened The Door." It was hung in Philosophy Hall.
Mrs. Merrill moved to New York City, residing in and working as librarian at The Barbizon Hotel for Women. She moved in with her son, Hamilton, of Fairfield, Connecticut and died on 6 September 1951, at 88 years of age.
Dr. Harry Eaton Stewart was born October 6, 1887, in St. Louis, Missouri. In 1910, he graduated from Yale University with a M.D. and for the next six years practiced medicine in Washington, Connecticut. During the same time Dr. Stewart also worked as an instructor in physical education at the Wykeham Rise School for Girls in the same town. Dr. Stewart developed a deep interest in the medical aspects of physical activity.
In 1919, at the request of the surgeon general's office Dr. Stewart established the first school of physical therapy in the United States, the New Haven School of Physical Therapy. He served as president from its inception until his death in 1948. Its initial aim was to professionally train physical therapist for the U.S. Public Health Service, but began offering Associate in Science degrees in 1940. In that year the school became the Junior College of Physical Therapy. Dr. Stewart wrote numerous articles and three textbooks.
He was a member of the American Physical Education Association and founded the National Women's Track Athletic Association. In 1922, he was elected to the International Federation of Feminine Athletes (France) the sponsoring organization for the 1922 International Track Meet for Women. When the invitation was made to bring the first team of women from the United States to participate in a track and field meet, Dr. Stewart met the challenge. He faced financial hardships associated with bringing a team to compete internationally and very strong criticism from many members of the American Physical Education Association.
Today, a University of Connecticut scholarship in physical therapy bears his name. It was established by the New Haven College of Physical Therapy in his memory.
Dr. Harry Eaton Stewart died on January 6, 1948.
Mrs. Merrill established Oaksmere in 1906, at New Rochelle, NY and it moved to Orienta Point, Mamaroneck, New York in 1914. In a 1920-1921 school catalog, the spirit of Oaksmere is given as; "The inspiration of Mrs. Merrill's School for Girls is a concept of the position of the modern woman in her home, in the social organization, in business life, and of the education and training the girl should receive to give her distinction in these activities." It was located on fifty acres that had a half mile of water frontage. The gymnasium contained a swimming pool, an indoor basketball court, an apparatus room, and rooms for indoor golf practice. Outdoors there was a seven-hole golf course, tennis courts, ice skating rink, basketball court, and field for hockey, baseball, and track. There was also a squash court in one of the residence halls. The students also used the water frontage for swimming, conoeing, and rowing. The 1922-23 American Private Schools describes the school as follows: " For some years it has maintained the reputation of being the highest priced school and is patronized by those who spend freely." Board and tuitition for 1929-1921 school year was $2,700. The same entry describes Mrs. Merrill as " a woman of personal charm and an unusually capable business executive." In 1912, she opened a branch campus in Paris, France called Oaksmere Abroad. During World War One, Mrs. Merrill purchased and sent an ambulance to France.
Oaksmere students included Clara Boal, grand-niece of "Buffalo" Bill Cody; and actresses Katharine Cornell and Natalie Schafer. Mrs. Merrill brought talented teachers to Oaksmere including musician Robert Russell Bennett and David Belasco was director of the drama department. Oaksmere closed its doors in 1926.
Coach Joseph D'Angola served asassistant coach and his wife, Anita, served as chaperone for the team. He was Camille Sabie's coach at Newark Normal School. Mr. D'Angola coached at then Newark Normal School and Newark State College (now Kean University) from 1918 to 1956. He is a member of the Kean University Athletic Hall of Fame.
Mme. Alice Milliat (1884-1957)
Alice Milliat worked to promote women's athletics both in her native France and in the world. She was a member of Femina Sport, a sports club founded in 1911. Six years later when a number of sports clubs formed the Federation des Societes Feminines Sportives de France (FSFS), Alice was named treasurer. In two years, she was president of the organization.
Mme.MIlliat pushed the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to include women's track and field events. These events were finally included in a limited way in the 1928 Amsterdam Games. Mme. Milliat, spurred by the IOC's rejection, formed the Federation Sportive Feminine Internationale (FSFI) to organize international track and field meets for women. The first was held in Paris, at Pershing Stadium on August 20, 1922. Three more Meets were held in 1926, 1930, and 1934.
Mary Lines was a member of the team from Great Britain. She is considered as " the best female athlete of her era."(Bonini, Gherardo International Encyclopedia of Women and Sports,2001, vol.2, page 669).
Sophie C. Eliott-Lynn (later Lady Heath)
Sophie Elliot Lynn was a member of the team from Great Britain. Born Sophie Peirce Evans in Knockaderry, County Limerick, Ireland in 1896. She earned a degree in science from the University of Dublin. Before she was 29, she had been married and widowed. She was a key force in founding the English Women's Amateur Athletic Association in 1922. She wrote Athletics For Women and Girls: How to be an Athlete and Why in 1925. The book was based on papers she presented to the International Olympic Committee in 1925, and the preface is a talk she gave that was also broadcast by the BBC on April 9, 1925.
She was also a pioneering aviator. Lady Heath qualified for private, or A license, but the International Commission for Air Navigation revolked women's rights to earn a commercial, or B license, in 1924. Lady Heath fought the band and the commission agreed that if she attended flight school and passed the test, she would be granted a commercial license. She did in 1926 and the commission recinded the ban.
She became the first woman to fly solo from CapeTown, South Africa to London in 1927-28. She went on publicity tours in England and in the United States. In 1928 she was received by President and Mrs. Cooledge. An interesting story from that flight is that when she requested the British Air Ministry for a plane to lead her across the Mediterranean sea, she was denied. Not to be defeated, she asked Benito Mussolini for an escort plane. He agreed on the condition that she share her experiences with him.
In failing health in her last years, Lady Heath was destitute when she died.
See A Proper Spectacle: Women Olympians 1900-1936 by Stephanie Daniels and Anita Tedder; "Heath, Lady Sophie Mary" in Encyclopedia of Women in Aviation and Space by Rosanne Welch, 1998; London Times,
