A handwritten letter sent by Tasuke Yuasa to his classmate Henry W. Batt “Batts”, dated March 16, 1967. The purpose of Mr. Yuasa is to inform his regret about not being able to attend the class of ’32 reunion. Mr. Yuasa also mentions that after working in a senior high school for 33 years, he retired at age 67.
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Mr. Tasuke Yuasa was born in 1900 and started his studies at the International YMCA College (now Springfield College) in 1929, graduating with a Bachelor in Physical Education in 1932. He worked in various part-time jobs to be able to study at the College. Nicknamed “Tony” during his time in Springfield, Mr. Yuasa was a member of the Cosmopolitan Club, the Gym Team, and practiced boxing, wrestling, and swimming. Mr. Yuasa returned to Japan to work as a physical education teacher, introducing gymnastics, a somewhat new sport in Japan at the time. After retiring, Mr. Yuasa applied himself to folk dancing, before passing away in 1992. In the words of his son “his experience at Springfield changed his life, and nurtured a sense of pride and mission to dedicate himself to gymnastics education in Japan”.
