Induction Video(Written: June 2015)Long before Title IX caught the attention of universities, Emogene Nelson was recognized as a strong voice in physical education and competitive sports for Wisconsin women. When the Wisconsin Women’s Intercollegiate Athletic Conference was created, she became its executive secretary in 1977 and led the colleges and universities into the mainstream of women’s athletics.
Nelson joined the physical education staff at UW-River Falls in 1970, where she served as department chair from 1970-73, and as assistant to the vice chancellor after 1973. By a vote of students and alumni, she was presented with the Outstanding Teacher Award in 1978. Nelson also served on the Board of Education of the River Falls Public Schools from 1975-78.
There is hardly a state-wide committee on physical education in the UW System or public schools on which Nelson did not serve. She was president of the Wisconsin Association for Health, Physical Education, and Recreation, on the search committee for the president of the UW System and was a historian for the Midwest District of the American Health Association to name a few. In 1986, a wing of May Hall on the UW-River Falls campus was named The Nelson Center.
Nelson is a member of the NAIA District 14 and UW-River Falls halls of fame. She earned a rural education degree from UW-River Falls, bachelor’s degree from UW-La Crosse, and master’s degree and Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota. Nelson passed away in August 1984.