International Institute for Sport History
IISOH
Library and Museum
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GYMNASTICS ENDOWMENT
&
GYMNASTICS COLLECTION
Portrait of Friedrich Ludwig Jahn, German educator
considered to be the "father of gymnastics."
Lithograph by Georg Ludwig Engelbach circa 1852.
The IISOH is seeking $1 million (one million Dollars)
from a donor in order to establish an endowment
for the sport of GYMNASTICS.
This is a naming opportunity for the donor to have a perpetual identification
with the sport of GYMNASTICS. The endowment would be named by the donor
with the approval of the IISOH Board of Directors.
The endowment becomes a permanent trust fund invested by the Institute
with only the quarterly earned interest being used for development of the
GYMNASTICS collections in both the Library and Museum.
CASH DONATIONS:
Cash donations IN ANY AMOUNT are always welcome --
$25 is also greatly appreciated.
The Board of Directors would like to thank all donors for their support. Every donation will be recognized
in our publications or web site pages. Donations over $250 will be honored by the Board of Directors with
an engraved brick to be placed on the patios or walkways that will surround the cafe and scultpure gardens.
Larger donations will be acknowledged with larger plaques in marble, stone or bronze and displayed on designated
walls of honor inside or outside the buildings in accordance with the instructions of the Board of Directors.
Become a Charter Member -- Make a cash donation
click here
NON-CASH DONATIONS:
The Library and Museum eagerly accept donations of material that are within the scope of its collections.
Collectors are encouraged to send us books, monographs, theses & dissertations, magazine and subscription collections
for the library, as well as medals, pins, torches, posters, artwork and collectibles for the Museum.
LIBRARY donations:
- Material in ANY language, including but not limited to English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portugese, Flemish, Swedish,
Finnish, Danish, Norwegian, Latin, Greek, Russian, Ukrainian, Serbo-Croatian, Hebrew, Arabic, Japanese, Chinese, Farsi, Sanskrit and dozens of others.
The scope of the collection is international and comprehensive.
- Books, Monographs, Theses & Dissertations
- Bound and unbound serials (magazines, journals, etc) and Newspapers (hard copies or microfilm)
- Juvenile literature
- Dictionaries, Encyclopedias, Reference books
- Manuscripts, Archives of organizations
- Original letters of correspondance
- Maps
- Ephemera (pamphlets, booklets, folders, flyers, tickets, etc).
- Miscellaneous items that do not fit into the above categories
MUSEUM donations:
- Gymnastics Posters
- Antique Gymnastics equipment
- Statuary in bronze, resin, plaster, terracotta, etc.
- Paintings, Serigraphs, Drawings, etc.
- Photographs, prints, negatives, glass plates, etc.
- Films, movies, videos, dvd's, especially older films in need of archival preservation
- Music, records, tapes, sheet music
- Graphics, 16th - 19th century lithographs & prints
- Gymnastics-related medals, awards, trophies
- Gymnastics commemorative medals, participation medals, badges, etc.
- Gymnastics pins
- Gymnastics flags, banners, advertising
- Gymnastics-related memorabilia
- Philatelic items, stamp collections, illustrated postcards on Gymnastics
- Numismatic items, coins, exonumia with Gymnastics themes
- Uniforms, clothing, textiles, fashions
- Physical education, recreation and play equipment related to Gymnastics
- Games, especially antique items
These lists are not comprehensive and are limited only by your imagination!
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Gymnastics is an international sport and we seek everything, in every language, in order to develop a comprehensive collection.
Gymnastics is extremely popular in many countries including as Russia, Germany, Japan, Sweden, Canada as well as the United States and many others.
It is one of the most important sports in Germany and neighboring countries in Northern and Central Europe. American Physical Education in schools began
in the late 1800's and teachers argued ferociously between the Swedish and German styles of gymnastics. This debate was over which form of gymnastics
was better suited for educational use in American schools. In the end -- both were dumped in favor of American sports such as baseball, football, basketball
and volleyball. The use of gymnastics in physical education was a European idea and was very closely related to military training and discipline.
British education emphasized character building with sports such as rugby. American education concentrated on playing games and team sports
with an emphasis on competition. Hence -- gymnastics did not gain popularity in the USA until the mid-20th century.
Gymnastics took a huge leap in popularity when Olga Korbut, of the Soviet Union,
won the hearts of fans worldwide with her magnificent performance in the 1972 Munich Olympic Games.
Then in 1976 a Rumanian athlete, Nadia Comaneci,
thrilled the world with her perfect performances at the Montreal Olympic Games.
The sport became immensely popular with clubs and camps established all over the USA. But in the late 1990's participation declined as schools began to cut
athletic team budgets in order to field more women's athletic teams such as softball. Intercollegiate competition dropped dramatically as dozens of universities
dropped the sport in order to save money. Today gymnastics is a strong club sport and one of the most popular events in the Olympic Games.
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The Institute's long-term goal is to develop the most comprehensive gymnastics research collection in the world.
Please donate generously to this project.
For additional subject areas that we seek to endow, click here to see SUBJECT list
The IISOH is a Pennsylvania Non-profit
Educational, Literary and Research Corporation
under section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code
The IISOH is organized to operate a library and museum for:
History of Sport
Physical Education
Recreation
Dance
Sport in Art
Olympic Games
Donations are tax deductible
Links to pages about the International Institute for Sport History.
Contact:
Mr. Harvey Abrams, President
International Institute for Sport History
(IISOH)
PO Box 175
State College, PA, USA 16804
email:
HAbrams@iisoh.org
This page was created February 23, 2002
This page was updated December 11, 2009
This page was updated December 23, 2011
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