Fighting ALS: RU Fit Fest to honor memory of late Health & Exercise Science Professor Theresa Cone

Whether teaching or dancing or traveling, Theresa Cone was always in constant motion.

On Friday, Oct. 4, the Rowan University community will honor Cone’s devotion to living an active, healthy lifestyle by hosting the inaugural RU Fit Fest from 4-6 p.m. on the intramural field on the Glassboro campus. Registration is $5. To register, visit campusrec.rowan.edu.

A portion of the proceeds from the Fit Fest, which will include friendly fitness competitions for students, faculty, staff and alumni, will benefit the ALS Association. An emeritus Health & Exercise Science professor, Cone died on Sept. 27 of complications from ALS.

Organized by a host of groups, including the Exercise is Medicine Club, a student organization, and Campus Recreation, the Fit Fest will include three competitive events—a medicine ball toss, a push up contest and a sled push—as well as fun fitness tests, including bear crawls and battle ropes. The fest will offer educational information on a host of topics related to health and wellness. The competitive events will feature men’s and women’s divisions.

Cone and her husband, Steve, also an HES professor, retired together from Rowan in 2016. That year, she was diagnosed with ALS, a progressive neurodegenerative disease that attacks nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. There is no cure for ALS. After her diagnosis, the Cones spent three years traveling the globe, visiting 14 countries.

Her story is an inspiration, says Rowan sophomore HES major William Samalonis, president of the Exercise is Medicine Club.

“I chose Rowan because it has a well-recognized HES program,” says Samalonis, adding that the club hopes to make the RU Fit Fest an annual event. “To have this event in the name of someone who has helped build the program we’re studying in is really humbling. We’re excited to put this event on in Dr. Cone’s memory.”

An expert in dance and motion, Cone taught at Rowan for 13 years. She taught courses focusing on content and instructional strategies for including dance in the physical education curriculum and in developing content, programs and strategies for teaching individuals with disabilities in physical education, dance and recreation activities.

At Rowan, she was adviser to the Student Council for Exceptional Children and the founder and director of the Rowan University and Kingsway Learning Center Physical Activity Program for Students with Disabilities.

Cone served as a member of the board of trustees for the New Jersey Special Olympics and was the former president of the National Dance Association.  In 1989, she was named the association’s Dance Educator of the Year.

Steve Cone and Theresa’s mother, Sophia Purcell, will be in attendance at the Fit Fest. Donations in Cone’s memory can be made here.

The ALS Association is a non-profit organization that conducts global research, provides assistance for people with ALS, fosters government partnerships, and aggressively searches for new treatments and a cure.

In-person registration for the RU Fit Fest can be made the day of the event at the front desk of the Rec Center.

The event also is sponsored by the Academic Success Center & Disability Resources, the National Wellness Institute, the Health & Physical Education Club and Appenzeller Training Systems.