Dr. Jane Katz Recognized for Excellence in Physical Education

Dr. Katz has been ranked sixth out of the Top 100 athletes of all time for the United States Masters Swimming All-American Team

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Marquis Who's Who

Oct 25, 2021, 10:05 ET

NEW YORK, Oct. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Dr. Jane Katz is a distinguished biographee of Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are chosen from among a pool of the most prominent professionals and are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.

Inspired by her father, who had nearly drowned as a teenager and subsequently developed a considerable passion for teaching people how to swim, Dr. Katz earned a Bachelor of Science in health and physical education at the City College of New York in 1963. She later embarked upon her career as a high school health and physical education teacher at Seward Park High School from 1963 to 1964. In 1964, she began her tenure as a professor of physical education at Bronx Community College, a role she would hold until 1989. During this time, Dr. Katz continued her studies and obtained a Master of Arts in organization and administration from New York University in 1966 and a Master of Education in therapeutic recreation for aging and a Doctor of Education in gerontology from the Teachers College at Columbia University in 1972 and 1978, respectively.

Dr. Katz was subsequently appointed as a professor of health and physical education at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in 1989, remaining in this post until her retirement in 2019. Throughout her career, she has contributed to a number of other professional endeavors as well. Dr. Katz is a certified water safety instructor and trainer with the American Red Cross, with which she has also been active as a reviewer for water safety and swimming.

In addition, Dr. Katz is a well-regarded author and is best known for her book, "Swimming for Total Fitness: A Complete Program for Swimming Stronger, Faster and Better." Featured in numerous other books, articles, instructional videos and television interviews, she is a regular presenter at seminars and workshops. In her retirement, Dr. Katz has worked as a member of the guest faculty on the update your medicine committee for Weill Cornell Medicine, the co-chairperson of the women's swimming committee for Maccabi USA/Sports for Israel and a member of the National Council on Women's Health.

An accomplished swimmer in her own right, Dr. Katz ranks sixth out of the Top 100 Athletes of All Time for the United States Masters Swimming All-American Team. She was noted as a member and the vice chairperson of the National Masters All-American Swim Team since 1974 and a member of the United States Maccabiah Swim Team since 1957. Setting the Masters swim championship record for the state of New York in 2019, Dr. Katz has received countless awards and medals for her swimming over the years, including multiple gold medals at the Huntsman World Senior Games in 2008.

Dr. Katz has also competed in a variety of events, such as freestyle, backstroke, butterfly and even synchronized swimming. She was notably presented with a Gold Medal for the 100-meter and 400-meter butterfly relays during the 1961 Maccabiah Games. In 1964, Dr. Katz had the incredibly opportunity to be a part of the United States Synchronized Swimming Performance Team for the Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.

In 2018, Dr. Katz was honored as one of the Legends of the Maccabiah by the New York Athletic Club, the most recent accolade in a career filled with honors and accomplishments. She was previously celebrated with a Harold Martin Award for the program, "Every Child A Swimmer." Inducted to the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 2016, Dr. Katz accepted the Lifetime Achievement Award from the President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition in 2014.

Furthermore, Dr. Katz has been recognized with several eponymous honors, including the Dr. Jane Katz Cross-Training Award from the United States Water Fitness Association in 2005 and the Dr. Jane Katz Fitness Swimming Award in 1991. Her legacy was further cemented with the Dr. Jane Katz Natatorium at the Children's Better Health Institute in 2001 and the "Spend a Day With Jane Katz" event at the National Forum for the Advancement of Aquatics in 1997.

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Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America^{^®}, Marquis Who's Who^{^®} has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Today, Who's Who in America^{^®} remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. Marquis^{^®} publications may be visited at the official Marquis Who's Who^{^®} website at www.marquiswhoswho.com.

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