Joyce O. Locks Scholarship
A native of Little Falls, MN, Joyce Locks received her degree in physical education from St. Cloud State University in 1949, and after teaching in Wadena, MN and Thief River Falls, MN, she received her Masters’ degree in physical education from the University of Northern Colorado. Before arriving at Winona State in 1962, Joyce also taught at Luther College, Minneapolis North High School and Augustana College, South Dakota. Joyce retired from WSU in 1987 after 25 years as WSU’s first Director of Women’s Athletics, and as a softball, tennis and golf coach. Joyce mentioned the 1984 golf team’s appearance in the first national women’s golf tournament as one of her favorite coaching highlights.
As one of the pioneers in the development of women’s intercollegiate athletics at WSU, Joyce organized and administered a women’s athletic commission, and was very instrumental in the development of women’s athletics in Minnesota. She served on state, regional, and national committees to organize women’s athletics and helped form AIAW (Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women). Joyce was also one of the founders of the Northern Sun Conference, wrote the governing documents for this organization, and served as one of three consultants for the organization of the Wisconsin Women’s Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Joyce was inducted into the WSU Athletic Hall of Fame October 15, 1994.
Joyce states, “It was many years ago when I graduated from St. Cloud State University, then known as St. Cloud State Teachers College. Getting an education was important to me even though financially it was very difficult to stay in school. I persevered and was happy to receive my teaching degree. I taught at several different places and was always happy to meet students from different backgrounds. Therefore, establishing a scholarship for a worthy university student who is studying Health Promotion – School Health is a privilege and something I need to do.”
Scholarship contacts are Joyce and Tracy Harmann.