Biography: CORRIGAN-EKAS, Kathy

Inducted: 1992 Born: 1945, Weymouth, MA

Kathy was a “quick study”and learned the basics well much faster than the average gymnast.  This ability to quickly learn and perform well under pressure made her a true champion regardless of a late start in the sport.

Although starting gymnastics at the relatively late age of 16, Kathy learned quickly giving credit to her coaches, James Corrigan, Sr.  & Diane Potter at Springfield College. Her gymnastic prowess and international successes spawned a lifetime of encouraging physical fitness through all age groups.  Olympic Games:  1964 (Tokyo, Japan) Team member; Kathy was also Captain of the gymnastics team during her senior year at Springfield College and participated on their Exhibition Team; Pan American Games: Gold-Team, SilverAA, & BronzeFX, & V. U.S.A. Teams: USA vs. Czechoslovakian Tour (1964); International Gymnaestrada (Vienna, Austria), (1965); “Little Olympic Team”, Mexico City, Mexico, (1966). Education: B.S., Springfield College, (1966), M.Ed., Penn State, (1968). Coaching: Coached & taught at Weymouth HS, Bridgewater State College, & Penn State U. Honors: First woman inducted into the “Springfield College Athletic Hall of Fame”; served as Gymnastic Consultant to the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sport”; served as speaker for the American College of sports and Medicine; elected as Vice-Chairperson to the U. S. Gymnastics Safety Association. Kathy also served as an active volunteer for the Massachusetts Special Olympics Movement and as an “honorary coach” for the Special Olympic Summer Games in 1983.  Personal: Currently Kathy owns the Kathy Corrigan School of Gymnastics in Rockland, MA. It is a successful program and may well be one of the oldest recreational gymnastics schools in the country. Programs include Baby Fitness, Mom & Me for toddlers, Gym Tot Fitness for Preschoolers, Pre- and postnatal classes plus adult Aerobic and Fitness Programs.  Her husband, Mance, owns a Racquetball-Fitness Club and her children are avid sports participants.  Family: Two children & two grandchildren. Website: