Dr. Emily M. Haymes
Doctor Emily Martha Haymes was born March 3, 1939, in Springfield, Missouri, the daughter of Ellsworth Haymes and Mary Elizabeth Haymes. She departed this life December 6, 2024.
She grew up in Southwest Missouri with a love for science and athletics. She graduated from Marshfield High School and attended Drury College in Springfield, Missouri where she graduated Cum Laude with a degree in Mathematics and Physical Education in 1961. She went on to become an instructor in Physical Education at Valparaiso University, Indiana, and then as an Assistant Professor of Physical Education at Mary Washington College, Virginia. In 1969 she began working on her PhD degree at Penn State University in physiology and physical education. She was a dedicated graduate student, known for being first in and last to leave. Throughout, she found time for her passion for sports, as an avid golfer and field hocky player. She received her PhD in 1973 at Penn State and continued there as a post-doctoral research follow in the Laboratory for Human Performance Research. Dr. Haymes’ early research focused on thermoregulation and laid the foundation for the limits of human exercise to environmental stressors, particularly in female athletes. Dr. Haymes continued her career as Assistant Professor at the University of Colorado, Boulder, from 1974 to 1979. While there the United States Olympic Cross Country Ski Team came to the laboratory for testing. Dr. Haymes became the first to study the effects of cold on thermal regulation during skiing. She became a special consultant to both the U.S. and British Olympic teams.
In 1979 Dr. Haymes moved back to her beloved former academic home of Florida State University in Tallahassee, where she continued her environmental research exploring physiological changes to cold and altitude on iron status and performance of cross-country skiers. In 1986 Dr. Haymes coauthored the book, The Environment and Human Performance with Dr. Christine Wells. They explored the effects of heat, cold, altitude and pollution on human performance. Dr. Haymes was particularly interested in the effect of exercise on iron status and performance in female athletes. Her work on iron metabolism and exercise resulted in Dr. Haymes’ inclusion of sports nutrition with her foundational expertise in exercise thermoregulation. Dr. Haymes examined all aspects of male and female disparity in performance, and her research was and is widely relied upon by other scientists.
Dr. Haymes was a strong leader in her field and held numerous prominent positions in the American College of Sports Medicine, including its executive board, (first woman) and Vice President and President of the Southeast chapter in 1996. She was awarded the Citation Award by her scientific peers. She retired from Florida State University in 2009 and was awarded the coveted position of Professor Emeritus.
Prior to her retirement, Dr. Haymes served 30 years (1979 to 2009) on the faculty of Florida State University Department of Nutrition, Food and Exercise Sciences during which time she chaired 26 doctors of committees, 15 master’s theses committees and was a member of an additional 26 dissertation committees. Hers was a life of focus and was well lived.
Dr. Haymes always remained close and involved with her family and their interests and activities. She always returned to the Ozarks for Christmas. She loved women’s basketball and as long as she was able, she played golf (year-round) and loved to snow ski and travel worldwide. She was active in the PEO Sisterhood.
She is survived by her brother, Dr. William Haymes; her sister, Elizabeth Sims; four nieces and nephews; five great nieces and nephews. Emily loved her pets and pampered them. She was loved and will be missed by her family, many friends and her colleagues at Florida State University and in the Tallahassee area.
Her families’ thoughts go out to the caring staff at Webco Manor for their love and attention. Emily was generous and lived her life fully and completely with no bad habits. May we all learn from her example.
Any donations may be made to the Southeast American College of Sports Medicine, 4300 Williams Road, Lewisville, N.C. 27023 for the “Annual Emily Haymes Mentoring Breakfast,” and may be left in the care of Fraker Funeral Home, Inc., P.O. Box 85, Marshfield, MO 65706.
A service celebration her life will be on December 13, 2024, at 1:30 p.m., in the chapel of Fraker Funeral Home, Inc. The family visitation will be after the service.