A SUNY Cortland scholar-athlete, coach and faculty member, William J. Tomik was a national leader in exercise physiology and the catalyst for the creation of a "wellness concept" on the Cortland campus. In October 1993, SUNY Cortland dedicated its fitness facility in Van Hoesen Hall in honor of Tomik, who had been a Physical Education Department faculty member for 28 years. He was a professor and director of the Human Performance Laboratory at the time of his retirement in 1985.
The ninth of 13 children born to Czech immigrants in Binghamton, N.Y., Tomik graudated from Binghamton North High, served as a U.S. Naval Air corpsman during World War II and attended Cortland on the G.I. Bill. He competed in gymnastics and soccer. Tomik graduated summa cum laude in 1951. He earned a master's degree in education from Syracuse University and, in 1968, a Ph.D. in exercise physiology from the University of Maryland. Tomik taught at Vestal (N.Y.) Central School, Hamilton College and Hamburg (N.Y.) Central School before joining the SUNY Cortland faculty in 1957.
At various times, he coached the Red Dragon soccer, swimming, golf, gymnastics and lacrosse teams. Cortland's rise to national prominence in men's lacrosse, which culminated with national championships in the 1970's began under Tomik's tutelage in the early 1960's. In the classrooms and labs, Tomik was a national leader in worksite fitness programs. He helped to develop the first set of standards for worksite fitness personnel and was instrumental in preparing and placing Cortland graduates into the new and expanding professional field.
Tomik's research and teaching centered in the area of exercise physiology. He studied the effects of exercise and training upon human body systems. His work in the SUNY Cortland Human Performance Laboratory, located in the Park Center, added to his continuing interest in the relationship of fitness to cardiovascular health. He headed the Coronary Heart Disease Intervention Program, which included community exercise stress testing and health forums.
A consulting editor and reviewer of textbooks on exercise, Tomik was a curriculum writer for the New York State Education Department. He served on a SUNY Cortland Task Force for the Improvement of Teaching and Learning and has been honored by the Office of Educational Communications for Improvement of Undergraduate Instruction.
He and his wife, Mary Rypokis Tomik '49, have three sons: Bob, Carl and Jim.
UPDATE - March, 2015: Tomik retired in 1985 and spends his time volunteering at the library over twenty hours a week
UPDATE: Tomik passed away on July 14, 2020 at age 95.
