Letter to Roberts from Naismith (January 23, 1937)
Description:
James A. Naismith wrote this letter to R. G. Roberts on January 23, 1937. In the letter, Naismith describes his distinctive walrus moustache as well as the uniform worn when he first played basketball. He also writes that he has been asked to put on a paid replica of the first game, but that is too difficult to do so.
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James A. Naismith (November 6, 1861 – November 28, 1939), known as "The Father of Basketball," was born in Almonte, Ontario. When he was nine, both of his parents died of typhoid fever and he was raised by his uncle, who later financed Naismith's way through college. He earned his theological degree from McGill University and graduated from Springfield College, then the YMCA Training School, in 1891. After graduation, he was hired as a faculty member, where he taught for five years. It is in his first year as a faculty member at Springfield College that he created the game of Basketball as an activity for an unruly class. In 1895, Naismith enrolled at the Gross Medical School in Denver and received his M.D. in 1898. In that same year, Naismith took the position of department head of physical education at the University of Kansas, where he remained until his death.
The right edge of the paper is missing.
