In Memoriam: Della Durant, 1929-2013

Della Durant, an instrumental figure in the development on intercollegiate athletics at Pennsylvania State University, has died in State College. She was 84 years old.

Durant joined the faculty at Penn State in 1956 as an instructor of physical education. In 1964, she was named the inaugural coordinator of the women’s varsity sports program. When the men and women’s sports programs combined in 1973, Durant was named assistant athletic director and senior woman administrator. She was one of the first women to serve on the NCAA council.

A native of Great Barrington, Massachusetts, Durant was a graduate of Russell Sage College in Troy, New York. She held a master’s degree in physical education from Penn State.