Peggy Evans Thomas, longtime contributor to the physical education and dance program at GPS, was honored on Tuesday as the 2009 Pathfinder for the state of Tennessee by the National Association for Girls and Women in Sport. Past recipients have included University of Tennessee basketball coach Pat Summitt.
The award was established to honor women who have demonstrated continuous dedication to the advocacy, recruitment, and enhancement of girls and women in sports and sport leadership in their states.
Ms. Thomas taught P.E. and dance at GPS for over 30 years. Beginning in 1953, she established a rigorous physical education curriculum and implemented varsity programs in basketball, volleyball, tennis, swimming, golf, and track, serving as the coach for most of those teams.
Continuing her philosophy of broad-based participation rather than opportunities for only the select few, 61% of students currently enrolled at GPS participate in interscholastic athletics. At GPS, she was also the director for Terpsichord, Tennessee’s first high school contemporary dance company.
At GPS, she was the recipient of the Outstanding Teacher Award and is the namesake of the Peggy Evans Thomas Dance Studio and the Peggy Thomas 100% Award, given annually at Class Day ceremonies.
She is a charter member of the GPS Athletic Hall of Fame. Eighteen of the other 20 women currently in the GPS Athletic Hall of Fame are her former students and athletes, including luncheon attendees Teresa Lawrence Phillips, athletics director at Tennessee State; Janet Parks, distinguished professor at Bowling Green State University; Laura Strang, and Debbie Young, GPS Admissions Director.