Letter to informing Springfield College of Gunsun Hoh's death (October 12, 1975)
Description:
This is a letter sent to Harold "Hal" Lynch, the Alumni Director of Springfield College. The letter is written by Helen Civiletto, widow of Frank Civiletto (Class of 1923). In the letter, Helen informed Lynch that Gunsun Hoh (Hao Gengsheng; 郝更生) was hit by a motorcycle and passed away. There is a date on the top right corner says "Sun Oct. 12, 1925 - 6p.m.", which could be a mistake made by the author, since Gunsun Hoh passed away on October 10, 1975. Therefore, the date may be "Sun Oct. 12, 1975 - 6p.m." There is also a photograph of Gunsun Hoh attached with the letter. Gunsun Hoh (Hao Gengsheng; 郝更生) was born on June 14, 1899. He was a Springfield College alumnus from the class of 1923 and a major figure in China’s physical education movement. Immediately after graduation, Hoh began working as a physical education director at the YMCA in Shanghai and then the YMCA in Hankow. In 1925, he became the director of physical education at what is now Tsinghua University in Beijing. In 1938, Hoh moved away from the YMCA and began directing physical education in a number of different colleges and universities. In 1943, he became the physical education director for the National Ministry of Education. Among a number of other achievements while serving in this role, Hoh prepared China’s top athletes for the 1948 and 1952 Olympic Games. Widely published, he has served as a professor of six universities in China and as a national leader in all phases of sports and physical education in Asian countries. In 1950, he began working with the National Ministry of Education in Taiwan. In 1973, Springfield College presented him with the Distinguished Alumni Award.
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