Letter From Dr. James Naismith to Dr. Luther Gulick, c. 1889-1890
Description:
A letter from Dr. James Naismith to Dr. Luther Gulick at the YMCA Training School, now Springfield College. In the letter, Naismith describes how he will not be able to teach his classes during the month of July and that he is currently looking for a substitute. It is dated only with June 4th and May 30th, and lists it was sent from Lachute, Canada near McGill University.
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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.
