Louise Freer (1884-1966) accepted a position as Director of Physical Education (PE) for Women at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1915. She taught at the UI for the next 34 years until she retired in 1949. When she first arrived at the UI, Louise Freer helped to plan a large gymnasium and a swimming pool to be added to the Woman's Building, now called the English Building. She had to wait 15 more years before the UI would build a separate building for women's physical education. The Women's Gymnasium on Goodwin Avenue was renamed Louise Freer Hall in 1968.

Louise Freer was born March 31, 1884, at Mt. Vernon, Iowa where her father, Hamline H. Freer, was a professor and dean at Cornell College. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Romance
Languages in 1907 at Cornell College, then a Bachelor of Science and a master's in physical education from Teachers College, Columbia University.

Louise Freer believed in equal physical education opportunities for women and men and she started new courses and organized activities for women. Some examples were courses in modern dance, the Terrapin
swim club, and the Orchesis dance club. For the teacher-training program she started, Professor Freer also introduced courses in PE history.

In the 1940's, Louise Freer came to Leal Elementary School in Urbana to teach physical education and dance to the students. Professor Freer was well-liked by students and people she worked with because she was fair and she had a good sense of humor. When friends needed someone to listen to problems or they needed encouragement, she would try to help them.

Some hobbies she enjoyed were traveling, painting, and walking. Louise Freer received many awards, including one from the American Association of Health and Physical Education and Recreation. After retiring from the University, she stayed in Urbana until 1960. She then moved to Minneapolis. Professor Freer died in 1966 at the age of 82.