Fallbrook's Cordes receives Lifetime Achievement Award from President's Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In celebration of National Physical Fitness and Sports Month, the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition (PCFSN) proudly released its 2014 Lifetime Achievement Award winners, one of which is Kathleen Ann Cordes of Fallbrook. Cordes is a groundbreaking collegiate coach and athletic director.

Presented annually since 2007, the Lifetime Achievement Award is given to individuals whose careers have greatly contributed to the advancement or promotion of physical activity, fitness, sports, and nutrition-related programs nationwide. Recipients are selected by members of PCFSN based on the span and scope of an individual’s career, the estimated number of lives they have touched, and the impact of their legacy.

Cordes has served as a professor emerita, chair, coach, director, and is a well-known author of textbooks in the recreation field.

During her career, she served as one of the first female directors of men and women’s athletics in the country; the first female varsity coach at University of Notre Dame; and first athletic director of Saint Mary’s College, Norte Dame, Ind.

The American Alliance of Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance recognized Cordes with national, district, and state honor awards. She received national/state awards for Distinguished Service to Recreation; was elected American Leisure Academy Senior Fellow; and selected for Indiana University’s Anita Aldrich Distinguished Alumni Award.

As executive director for the American Association for Leisure/ Recreation, Cordes worked on a White House Millennium committee and authored the official volume, “America’s Trails for the 21st Century,” to promote health and the wider use of trails across the country.

In addition to Cordes, other 2014 recipients include: Dr. Steven N. Blair, an acclaimed research scientist; Boyd Epley, “Godfather of Strength and Conditioning;” Dr. Barbara L. Drinkwater, renowned researcher of female exercise physiology; and Dr. Jane Katz, aquatic pioneer and swimming legend.