Alumni Luncheon Invitation (December 1931)

Item Information

Title:
Alumni Luncheon Invitation (December 1931)
Description:
This is an invitation to a Springfield College alumni luncheon held on December 29, 1931, at College Hall in the Hotel Astor in New York City. The luncheon honored two alumni: James Naismith (class of 1891, inventor of basketball) and William Morgan (class of 1894, inventor of volleyball). It was sponsored by the New York City Chapter of the Springfield College Alumni Association.
Creator:
Springfield College
Date:
December 1931
Format:
Documents
Location:
Springfield College Archives and Special Collections
Collection (local):
College Archives Digital Collections
Series:
James Naismith Papers
Subjects:
International Young Men's Christian Association College
Springfield College
Springfield College--Alumni and alumnae
Springfield College--Faculty
Basketball--History
Volleyball--History
Naismith, James, 1861-1939
Morgan, William G.
Invitations
Luncheons
Basketball
Volleyball
Places:
Massachusetts > Hampden (county) > Springfield
Link to Item:
http://cdm16122.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15370coll2/id/4749
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. William G. Morgan (January 23, 1870 – December 27, 1942) was a student at the Mount Hermon Preparatory School in Northfield, MA when he caught the eye of James Naismith at a football game. Naismith encouraged Morgan to attend Springfield College (then the International YMCA Training School). Morgan graduated in 1894 and became a physical director at the YMCA in Auburn, Maine. In 1895, he left Maine and became a physical director at the YMCA in Holyoke, Massachusetts. While in Holyoke, Morgan developed the game of volleyball (originally called "mintonette”) as a less strenuous alternative to basketball for middle-aged business men. Morgan's game combined elements of both basketball and badminton and was first debuted at Springfield College. Morgan left the YMCA in 1897 to work with General Electric and Westinghouse.
Identifier:
ms506-01-01-006