The Genesis of the Physical Education Program at the University of Pamplona, Colombia: José “Chepe” Encarnación Flórez Torres (1927–2016)

Abstract

In Colombia, since the early 1960s, Physical Education was established definitively at the university level. It was driven by individuals with a strong social and educational spirit who, with tenacity and academic conviction, designed and promoted processes that allowed Physical Education to be recognized as a university profession. This began at the Universidad Pedagógica Nacional, later continued at the Universidad de Antioquia, and simultaneously in Pamplona, where a devoted educator and lover of physical and sports activities, José “Chepe” Flórez, understood that the opportunities life provided had to be realized. This article honors and remembers him with affection by those who knew him.