At age 23, Tilden was named Directress of Physical Culture at Iowa State in 1904
Brought new traditions to campus, including a May Day Pageant and May Pole Dances in 1911
Introduced girls’ sports – including basketball, hockey, tennis, swimming, archery and golf – on campus in 1915 under what was called the “Girls Athletic Club”
Helped Iowa State open its first on-campus golf course – a four-hole track near the intersection of Lincoln Way and Beach Avenue – in 1914
The recreation unit she started grew from fewer than 100 students at the beginning to several thousand when she retired in 1944