A letter written by Wilbur McCormack to the International YMCA College, now Springfield College. Mr. McCormack was a member of the class of 1934 of the college. His major during his stay in Springfield College was Physical Education. Captain (U.S. Army) McCormack, addressed his letter to the Registrar of the college, in order to request his eligibility for a Bachelor of Science Degree from Springfield College.
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Mr. McCormack, a former athlete, gymnast and wrestler was a noted dancer in the 1930s with Ted Shawn's "Denishawn Dancers", the first all-male dance troupe in the U.S. Mr. McCormack also taught in the Jacob’s Pillow School of Dance in the 1930’s. In May 1940, Ted Shawn dissolved his men dancers’ company. Afterwards, Wilbur McCormack joined the army where he made Captain. He was wounded in World War two and turned to choreography, creating the famed "Boxing Dance". Jacob’s Pillow School of Dance was the first dance school in the United States and it hosts the renowned Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival in Massachusetts. The school was founded by Ted Shawn. Ted Shawn taught at Springfield College during the 1932-33 school year, and a number of Springfield College students went on tour with Shawn in the first all male modern dance troupe. Ted Shawn (October 21, 1891 - January 9, 1972), originally Edwin Myers Shawn, was one of the first notable male pioneers of American modern dance. Along with creating Denishawn with former wife Ruth St. Denis, he also created the well-known, all-male company Ted Shawn and His Men Dancers.
