Thomas Kirk Cureton Jr.

Thomas Kirk Cureton Jr. (August 4, 1901 – December 18, 1992) was an American researcher and educator, known for his discoveries in physical fitness.

Early life and education Cureton was born on August 4, 1901, one of four children and the only son of Thomas Kirk Cureton Sr. and Annie Jeffreys. He grew up in Florida, between St. Augustine and Jacksonville. Though he suffered from asthma, he spent his childhood outdoors hunting, playing sports, and swimming. At age twelve, his father purchased him a membership to the Jacksonville YMCA. He was also a Boy Scout. In 1913, his family moved to Orlando, later moving to Waycross, Georgia, then Atlanta.

In Atlanta, Cureton attended Midtown High School and simultaneously worked as a bank teller. He graduated from high school in 1919, after which his father suggested he remain a banker. Cureton said doing so would "drive him mad", so he instead matriculated at Georgia Tech in the fall of 1920. While at Georgia Tech, he subsidized himself by working as an electrician and drafter. He also participated in the school's Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) and its cross country and swim teams. Though he broke a state record for a six-mile race as a freshman, he was more active as a swimmer. In the summers of 1920, 1921, and 1923, he appeared in the Southern Amateur Athletic Union swimming conference, placing in the top three in seven events between the three appearances.

While researching his ancestry, Cureton became an expert in genealogy. He primarily researched and published physical education, however.

Personal life and death Cureton married Isabelle Jeffcott on June 26, 1925. They had one child together, and they divorced in 1940. He then married Portia Miller in 1941, with whom he had two children.

As an avid swimmer, he broke fourteen swimming world records, and was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1980.

Cureton died on December 18, 1992, aged 91, in Urbana, Illinois.