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Janet Seeley

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Janet Seeley
A smiling young white woman wearing a jacket over a white dress; photographed outdoors in front of a stone wall; she has a bobbed haircut and a book under one arm
Janet Seeley, from the 1927 yearbook of Bryn Mawr College
BornJune 2, 1905
DiedDecember 20, 1987 (aged 82)
Occupation(s)College physical education professor, dance educator
RelativesFrederick Townsend Martin (great-uncle)
Bradley Martin (great-uncle)

Janet Seeley (June 2, 1905 – December 20, 1987) was an American college professor. She was a member of the faculty at William Smith College from 1932 to 1971, and was director of the school's physical education department and dance program. A gymnasium on campus, and two scholarships, are named for Seeley.

Early life and education

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Janet Seeley was born in Connecticut and raised in Rye, New York, the eldest daughter of Frank Earle Seeley and Mabel Martin Seeley.[1] Philanthropist Frederick Townsend Martin and socialite Bradley Martin were her mother's uncles.[2] She graduated from Bryn Mawr College in 1927,[3] and earned a master's degree from Teachers College, Columbia University in 1932. At Bryn Mawr she was president of the school's athletic association,[4] and a member of the school's field hockey team.[5] She also trained as a dancer,[6][7] at the Bennington School of Dance and the Elizabeth Duncan School of Dance in Munich,[8][9] and with Martha Graham; she earned a teaching certificate in dance in 1939.[10]

Career

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After college, Seeley coached field hockey at Bryn Mawr.[11] She joined the faculty of William Smith College in 1932, and remained there until she retired in 1971. She taught dance courses, directed and choreographed shows for the school's dance club[9][12][13] and chaired the physical education department.[10] She experimented with playing recorded music during exercise and sports, as when she played waltz music during badminton practice.[14]

Personal life and legacy

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Seeley lived with her colleague Marcia Winn.[15] Seeley died in 1987, at the age of 82. The Winn-Seeley Gymnasium at Hobart and William Smith Colleges was named for the pair in 1970.[16][17] In 1975, she and two of her siblings inherited the estate of their cousin, Elizabeth Sterling Seeley.[18] In 1997 both Winn and Seeley were inducted posthumously into the Hobart and William Smith Colleges Athletics Hall of Fame.[10] The college also awards a Janet Seeley Performing Arts Scholarship "for performance and/or choreography".[19] The college's Winn-Seeley Award is presented to the outstanding senior woman athlete.[20]

References

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  1. ^ "Mrs. Frank E. Seeley (nee Martin)". Pittsburgh Daily Post. November 1, 1903. p. 37. Retrieved May 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Henry Townsend Martin; Brother of Late Bradley and F. T. Martin Dies in a Sanitarium". The New York Times. 1915-08-21. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-05-13.
  3. ^ Bryn Mawr College, Class of 1927 (1927 yearbook). via Internet Archive
  4. ^ "Alumni Parade in Gowns of 1904; Bryn Mawr Class Creates Hit Attired in Styles Worn at Graduation". The Philadelphia Inquirer. June 1, 1926. p. 24. Retrieved May 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "In Intercity Hockey Matches". The Philadelphia Inquirer. November 25, 1927. p. 21. Retrieved May 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Student Dancers Perform in Geneva". Democrat and Chronicle. May 21, 1950. p. 103. Retrieved May 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Genevans Embark at Europe Ports". Democrat and Chronicle. August 26, 1939. p. 25. Retrieved May 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Honors are Won by Julie Denham". Buffalo Evening News. September 30, 1937. p. 10. Retrieved May 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ a b Howell, Joanne (May 11, 1951). "Choreography More than Big Word to Janet Seeley". Geneva Herald. pp. 2–3.
  10. ^ a b c "Janet Seeley (1997) - Hall of Fame". Hobart and William Smith College Athletics. Retrieved 2023-05-13.
  11. ^ Lurie, Dora (November 2, 1930). "Girl College Teams Beat Club Elevens". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 50. Retrieved May 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Smith College Recital Set". Democrat and Chronicle. May 16, 1954. p. 99. Retrieved May 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Geneva College to Offer Dance Concert". Democrat and Chronicle. May 5, 1955. p. 47. Retrieved May 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Swing Setting for Sports Seen When Waltz Aids Badminton". Democrat and Chronicle. March 26, 1939. p. 32. Retrieved May 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ Winn was listed as Seeley's "partner" in the 1950 federal census; 1950 United States Federal Census returns for Geneva, Ontario County, New York; via Ancestry
  16. ^ Lippincott, Kerry (2019-07-26). "William Smith College Athletics, 1908-1971". Historic Geneva. Retrieved 2023-05-13.
  17. ^ Marks, John. "Looking Back: William Smith cultivated sport from the beginning". Finger Lakes Times. Retrieved 2023-05-13.
  18. ^ Boros, Phyllis A. (October 30, 1975). "Seeley Estate Set at Nearly $200,000; Her First Cousins to Get Inheritance". The Bridgeport Post. p. 64. Retrieved May 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ "Dance and Choreography Scholarship". Hobart and William Smith Colleges. Retrieved 2023-05-13.
  20. ^ "Winn-Seeley Award". Hobart and William Smith College Athletics. Retrieved 2023-05-13.
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  • Winn-Seeley Gymnasium, a photograph taken in the 1970s, from the Historical Photographs collection of Hobart and William Smith Colleges
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