Adele Celeste Ulrich (1924-2011) was a professor of health, physical education and recreation for several decades, and a leader in the field of physical education. She was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and received her bachelor of science degree from Woman’s College (now UNCG) in 1946, her master’s degree from UNC-Chapel Hill in 1947, and her PhD from the University of Southern California in 1956. From 1947 to 1956, Ulrich taught at Madison College (now James Madison University) in Harrisonburg, Virginia, then returned to Woman’s College in 1956, where she taught in the School of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation until 1979. She left UNCG in 1979 for the University of Oregon in Eugene, where she served as professor and Dean of the College of Human Development and Performance until her retirement.
Ulrich contributed extensively to the promotion of physical education and sport through her research, writing, and speaking. Her involvement in professional associations included serving on numerous committees: as Vice President of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, and Recreation (AAHPER) and Chairwoman of the Physical Education Division, and then as President from 1976 to 1977. During her term as President of the National Association for Physical Education of College Women (NAPECW), Ulrich established the Amy Morris Homans Lecture and the journal Quest. In 1983, she was the recipient of AAHPER’s prestigious Luther Halsey Gulick Award.
In 1998 Ulrich established a generous endowment to provide recognition for professional service activities by faculty members in the UNCG Department of Exercise and Sports Science. She died on August 4, 2011.