Naismith, but for Canada to say basketball is Canada’s game, no, because he brought it here. And Canada? Yes, he was born in Canada, Dr. “That’s where he invented the game, and that’s where they put the Hall of Fame, so a legitimate claim there as well. “Well, Springfield should have an argument,” Keegan said. What about Springfield, Mass.? Or Almonte, Ontario? Where did he want to spend an eternity? Well, in heaven, but where did he want to people to be able to see him for an eternity? Lawrence, Kansas.” "He’s buried in Lawrence, so that’s a pretty good claim right there. “I think Dr.Naismith and his family made the argument for me,” Keegan said. Tom Keegan, the sports editor of the Lawrence Journal-World newspaper, feels it should be at KU. “I think really a collection that is of a person that is this important, not only to the history of basketball but to the history of sporting in North America and in the world, I’d like to see the collection more accessible to the public.” Stitt said. It’s been nice having the artifacts within the family, the younger Stitt says, but acknowledges the need for an exhibit that draws from various collections. He assists his father with preserving his family’s Naismith collection. “For the researcher, that’s a definite benefit because they would be able to sit down in one place at a place like Spencer Research Library where the university archives is located and see as many things as possible,” Schulte said. She would like to see Naismith artifacts gathered in one location in the U.S. I was very concerned about that and went about trying to change that situation.”īecky Schulte is an archivist at the University of Kansas, where Naismith was the only Jayhawks coach with a career losing record. “Probably to American collectors who would hoard it and brag about it and whatever. “I recognized that this treasure trove of Canadian cultural heritage was about to be disseminated in the wind,” he said. He talked about his collection by phone from his home, where he owns a bull named James Naismith and two noisy pet birds. Overbury lives walking distance from the farm where Naismith grew up in Almonte, Ontario, Canada.Ĭalling himself a nationalistic Canadian, an ephemera collectibles dealer, and a basketball fan, Overbury purchased a collection of personal archives from the Naismith family seven years ago. “One doesn’t need a Springfield, Massachusetts, mammoth money-losing-and-always-on-edge-financially institution to wow things,” Overbury said. Stephen Overbury sees himself as a rival. He later bought family documents, photos, and even furniture that Naismith himself crafted.īut he’s not the only Naismith collector. After purchasing several children’s books that once belonged to the Naismith family, Stitt’s collection blossomed. "She goes, “Oh yeah.’ And I go, ‘Really?’ And she goes, ‘Yes, my husband has a bunch of that stuff in the back room.’” Palmer, who owned the store, ‘Does this have anything to do with the guy that coached basketball at the University of Kansas?’" Stitt remembered. There, he spied a children’s book with Naismith’s name on the cover. Ten years ago Stitt walked through a tough Kansas City, Kan., neighborhood and into Palmer’s antique store. In the late ‘70s, Central Missouri student Larry Stitt saw the trophy and became interested in Naismith. The Maude Naismith Trophy was first awarded 75 years ago after the University of Central Missouri successfully defended its first NAIA national championship.
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