Oct 15 2025 | Isaac Garcia | Sports Editor
Students returning to Western this fall may notice that the Old PE building is now Ruth Lautenbach Hall. This change came after an announcement Sept. 29 saying that it would be named after Ruth Lautenbach. Lautenbach was at the university, then known as Oregon College of Education, from 1940 to 1974 and was “the pioneering female physical education teacher and advocate for women’s sports,” as described by the university in a statement about the change. Dr. Carol Brownlow, a colleague of Lautenbach and inductee into the Western Oregon Hall of Fame, described her as a “professional at her core,” and called her “one of my favorite lifetime people.”
Most of Dr. Lautenbach’s work came before Title IX, a federal law passed in 1972 that prohibits sex-based discrimination in any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance. Because of this, Lautenbach had to advocate fiercely for women’s sports, making sure they had adequate and equal resources. Jon Carey, a former administrator, women’s basketball coach and athletic director, mentioned that when he started his career at OCE in 1975, the women’s sports programs were much more sophisticated than other universities. “I attribute that in large part to the influence of Dr. Lautenbach,” Carey said. Carey explained that many universities did not have a dedicated crew like OCE did to set up women’s athletic events, and athletes at other schools would have to set up their own events. In addition, participants in women’s sports at OCE in the 1940s were able to receive a “letter,” a form of recognition for achievement in a sport, and then eventually a letterman jacket under the same criteria as men. This was nearly unheard of at the time, but was the case at OCE due in large part to advocacy from Dr. Lautenbach.
Dr. Lautenbach was also described by Dr. Brownlow as “hard as nails, soft as a pillow.” Sharon Baugh, an advisee of both Dr. Lautenbach and Dr. Brownlow, agreed, adding that she was “straightforward and no-nonsense.” Baugh noted that upon her first meeting with Ruth Lautenbach, she encouraged her to be better academically than she had been to start her college career. “She set me on the right path the minute she met me,” Baugh said.
Baugh, who went on to get her master’s degree and have a career as a principal, wonders if she would’ve given the effort that she did if she had never met Dr. Lautenbach. Baugh also mentioned how Dr. Lautenbach had inspired her to fight for women’s sports herself, telling a story about how she stood up for the girls’ teams at a middle school she was working at, who had next to nothing in terms of resources. Baugh, like Lautenbach, stood up firmly and was able to secure equal funding and resources for both girls’ and boys’ sports at the school.
Dr. Brownlow believes that Dr. Lautenbach would be very humbled by the honor, saying that she was very modest and didn’t like to have a big fuss made about her. Baugh brought up how much time Dr. Lautenbach must’ve spent in the building that now shares her namesake, as well as saying that she is “super proud of what we’ve been able to do for Dr. Lautenbach.”
Contact the author at howlsports@wou.edu
