"Basketball Hall of Fame" fund raising pamphlet (c. 1952-1953)

Item Information

Title:
"Basketball Hall of Fame" fund raising pamphlet (c. 1952-1953)
Description:
This fund raising pamphlet titled "Basketball hall of fame," was likely written in 1952-1953 for distribution before the 1953 basketball season. This pamphlet contains the following: the first page is a proposed rending of the hall of fame, the following page shows images of the site, then sections are titled "Basketball hall of fame committee," which lists members of the committee formed for the Basketball Hall of Fame, "How the idea started," which gives a brief overview of the origin of the idea for the Basketball Hall of Fame, "What the building will house," which gives a list of the facilities that will be housed within the building, "How will this hall of fame operate?" which gives which gives an account of how the Hall of Fame will be managed through multiple entities responsible for different aspects of upkeep and maintenance, "How will the project be financed?" which gives a list of seven potential sources of revenue to raise the funds necessary to construct the hall, "Here's how you can stage an exhibition 'Old timer's game'," which gives directions (item four under the previous heading) on how to play a game of basketball according to the original rules and includes rentable costumes of 'old-time uniforms,' "A few tips to make your exhibition fund-raising publicity for your school," "Those who have staged an old timer's exhibition game enthusiastic!" which includes reviews of other institutions that have had success in presenting an old-time game of basketball for fund raising purposes, "We're counting on you!" which provides quotes from famous basketball coaches and players asking you to support this endeavor, "This history of basketball," "The men who helped make history," which describes the contemporaneous appeal of basketball and an image of the first basketball team, "A living history of basketball," which shows various images of basketball hoops and includes an image of a Meso-American Tlachtli hoop c. 952 CE, "Dr. James Naismith, founder," which gives a brief biography of the founder of the sport and includes a pensive portrait of Naismith. After those sections there are a floor plans, an aerial view of the proposed location, and a photograph of the location looking south south east towards lake Massasoit.
Creator:
The National Association of Basketball Coaches
Date:
[1952?–1953?]
Format:
Documents
Location:
Springfield College Archives and Special Collections
Collection (local):
College Archives Digital Collections
Series:
James Naismith Papers
Subjects:
Basketball Hall of Fame
Allied Health Sciences Building
Springfield College--Buildings
Naismith, James, 1861-1939
Patton, Thomas D.
Bunn, John W. (John William), 1898-1979
Basketball Hall of Fame (Springfield, Mass.)
Basketball
Places:
Massachusetts > Hampden (county) > Springfield
Extent:
24 pages
Link to Item:
http://cdm16122.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15370coll2/id/19515
Terms of Use:
Text and images are owned, held, or licensed by Springfield College and are available for personal, non-commercial, and educational use, provided that ownership is properly cited. A credit line is required and should read: Courtesy of Springfield College, Babson Library, Archives and Special Collections. Any commercial use without written permission from Springfield College is strictly prohibited. Other individuals or entities other than, and in addition to, Springfield College may also own copyrights and other propriety rights. The publishing, exhibiting, or broadcasting party assumes all responsibility for clearing reproduction rights and for any infringement of United States copyright law.
Contact host institution for more information.
Publisher:
Springfield College
Language:
English
Notes:
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. he original Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame was constructed on the Springfield College Campus due to the college’s deep connection to the sport of basketball; from Dr. James Naismith, who invented the game while he was a faculty member at the school in 1891; to Dr. Edward Hickox, the driving force behind the Hall’s creation; and the innumerable members of the faculty who have sat on national rules committee. The Basketball Hall of Fame had a difficult beginning, taking nine years to build due to the difficulties of procuring funds. Ground breaking for the Hall occurred in September 1959, but it did not open to the public until February 18, 1968. The total estimated cost of the building was put at $1,156,400. In 1963 only $195,000 had been raised but just over a year later $251,749.11 was contributed by the Greater Springfield Area and the building began to get back on track. In 1959 when the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame construction began the first group of players, coaches, and contributors to the sport were inducted into the Hall of Fame. This first group of inductees included five with ties to Springfield College; Dr. James Naismith, Amos Alonzo Stagg, Luther H. Gulick, Edward J. Hickox, and Naismith’s First Team from Springfield College, then known as the International YMCA Training School. By the time the Hall of Fame opened in 1968 it already had 43 inductees. When the Hall of Fame first opened to the public in 1968 it had over 1000 visitors on the first day and just over a year later it had had a total of 16,500 visitors. With the ever-growing popularity of the sport of basketball, inductees into the Hall of Fame, and visitors, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame began to outgrow its Springfield College home. In 1985 the Hall of Fame opened in a new location in Springfield and the original Hall of Fame building ownership was transferred to Springfield College. Renovations on the building began in 1987 and the building was rededicated as the Allied Health Sciences Center in April of 1989.
The cover and back cover are not part of the original document, but was added by the librarians at Springfield College to put on library shelves.
Identifier:
ms506-01-21-005