In Memoriam: Margaret JoAnne Safrit, 1935-2023

Margaret “Jo” Safrit, who held the Henry-Basom Professorship at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, died last month at the Well-Spring Retirement Community in Greensboro, North Carolina. She was 87 years old.

Dr. Safrit was a graduate of what is now the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where she majored in physical education. After spending three years at the University of Texas, Austin, she enrolled in the graduate program at the University of Wisconsin, where she earned her master’s and doctoral degrees in kinesiology.

Dr. Safrit had a long career in academia, holding faculty positions at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, American University in Washington, D.C, and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Dr. Safrit was the author of several books including Complete Guide to Youth Fitness Testing, Introduction to measurement in Physical Education and Exercise Science, and Evaluation in Physical Education: Assessing Motor Behavior.