The first meeting of the Western Society for Kinesiology and Wellness (WSKW), originally called the Western College Men’s Physical Education Society (WCMPES), was held at the University of Utah in the Fall of 1956.  A Small group of college and university physical educators from the western states met to discuss inequity in selecting sites for the College Physical Education Association’s (CPEA) annual meetings.  From this initial meeting came recommendations that CPEA meet periodically in states west of the Mississippi or provide for a CPEA western division.

After the Utah meeting, questionnaires were distributed to western college and university male physical educators by E. C. Davis of the University of Southern California.  In response to the questionnaires, the following decisions were made:

1. To meet independently from CPEA.

2. To deal only with the topic of physical education.

3. To use a round table discussion format without presenters or panels.  Each member was to serve as a resource person for the rest of the membership.

4. To limit the program to the discussion of two or three problems or issues in the field of physical education.

At the CPEA national meeting of 1957, WCMPES members elected to meet independently in Reno, Nevada in October 1958.  A committee was formed to draft an Operating Code.  The Operating Code, limited to one typewritten page, set forth conditions for continuing the format as prescribed by its charter members.

After CPEA’s demise, the subsequent formation of the National Association of Physical Education in Higher Education (NAPAHE), overtures were made by WCMPES to amalgamate and/or meet jointly with the Western Society for Physical Education of College Women.  WSPECW rejected the offers.  In 1986, WCMPES chose to drop the “M” from its title to become WCPES and open its membership to all college and university physical educators.

The Dr. G. Arthur Brown Young Scholars Program was originated in 1987 by Robert J. Ritson of the Oregon Department of Education and others, and was primarily promoted and administered by Robert D. Peavy of Washington State University until 1997.  This program was designed to encourage the involvement of younger college and university physical educators in WCPES.  A call for Young Scholar papers is made annually and up to four papers are chosen to receive Young Scholar Awards.  Monetary awards are given to these Young Scholars to help defray travel costs to the conference, and time is allotted in the conference program for the presentation of these papers.  Papers are also published in the WCPES Monograph Series.  Dr. Broten has set up a fund to finance the program.

In 1988, a WCPES logo was designed by Sam Winningham, approved by the WCPES, and has been used since that time.  In 1994, the motto, “Where the conference is the program and mentoring and networking are the foundation.” was proposed by Jerry L. Ballew of the University of Nevada, Reno.  It was approved or use with the logo on a newly designed letterhead and envelopes.

In 1999, students were invited to the conference, and “The R. D. Peavy Student Symposium” was introduced by Lawrence D. Bruya of Washington State University and administered by the Washington State University Kinesiology Club, Phi Epsilon Kappa.

The name of the organization was changed to Western Society for Kinesiology and Wellness in 2004.

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