Celebrate
the Past
Virtual Hall of Fame Hart Devenney 1952-1955
A graduate of Springfield College in 1927 Hart worked within the
Y.M.C.A. organization in Springfield and then in Montreal. When
the Canadian government began to fund recreation leadership training
through the Dominion-Provincial Youth Training Program in 1938,
Devenney was employed by the Province of Manitoba to be its Director
of Urban Community Youth Centres. His work in community recreation
in Manitoba was interrupted with several years of war service with
the Air Force, but was recommenced in 1945 when he returned as Director
of Physical Fitness and Recreation giving assistance to over 200
volunteer community recreation committees. After ten years in Manitoba,
he relocated to Ontario to spend 13 years as the Ontario Department
of Education's physical education consultant. Retirement from government
service took him to work as managing editor of C.A.H.P.E.R. and
its assistant director.
Hart Devenney's lifetime of work for the Y.M.C.A., the citizens
of Manitoba and of Ontario and for C.A.H.P.E.R. were recognized
with the Association's R. Tait MacKenzie award for distinguished
service to the profession in 1973. Accolades
Articles
1973 R. Tait McKenzie Honour Award Physical education programs from coast to coast; university degree offerings from Newfoundland to British Columbia; physical education a recognized part of the curriculum in all provinces. The field has indeed come a long way in the last few decades. In Memoriam CAHPER JOURNAL 1976 On July 30th, 1976, Physical Education suffered a great loss in the death of Hart M. Devenney. When Hart received his Honour Award from CAHPER in 1973 many of his colleagues learned, for the first time, something of his experiences and background. This information will surely bear repeating since its variety and diversity formed the very essences of the man and his breadth of outlook.
From the 40th Celebration of CAHPER Quoted from Hart Devenney during the fortieth celebration in 1973 “There is a tendency on the part of those who are engaged
in professional tasks to forget the past, concentrate on the present
and dabble in the future. The tendency to forget or pass over what
has gone before, and yes, even to reject the past as traditional,
is commonplace. And yet the answer to many of the problems of the
present is to be found in a better knowledge and understanding of
the past. Links THE INDELIBLE MARK OF SPRINGFIELD COLLEGE: Its Role In
Developing Recreation Leadership in Canada 1915 to 1935 Hart Devenney: http://ace.acadiau.ca/~markham/paper~1.HTM
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“Hart Devenney was one of the small band of pioneers who helped
to gain respect for Physical Education as a valid discipline in
this country. It is almost impossible to appreciate the difficulties
under which he had to operate - workshops in remote parts of the
country, activity sessions with children wearing impossible layers
of winter clothing including heavy rubber boots, and the lack of
understanding and sympathy often shown by administrators. Almost
invariably he would travel with a trunk full of equipment because
in those early days he rarely found any in the schools. He was one
of a small group of people who worked tirelessly to improve conditions
and who succeeded in gaining respect and recognition for his profession
by his own sincerity and devotion. “
Copyright © PHE Canada, 2008 Formerly
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