Letter to Florence Naismith from Draper (June 13, 1940)

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.

George O. Draper, Springfield College’s alumni secretary, wrote this letter to James A. Naismith’s second wife, Florence B. (Kincaid) Naismith, on June 13, 1940. He included with the letter one of the programs from the memorial service honoring James Naismith and other alumni. Draper writes that she will always be welcome at the college.