Letter regarding Renato William Jones's election to the Basketball Hall of Fame (December 17, 1963)
Description:
This letter is from Edward Steitz, Director of Athletics of Springfield College, to William Mokray, Chairman of the Honors Committee of Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (December 17, 1963). Steitz wrote the letter to recommend Springfield College alumnus Renato William Jones to be elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a contributor for Jones's work in promoting the game of basketball. Edward Hickox, Springfield College Basketball coach, is mentioned in the letter. Renato William Jones, also known as R. William, or simply William Jones, is a member of Class 1928 of Springfield College (then known as International YMCA College). Jones was a British basketball executive and popularizer of basketball in Europe and in Asia. He was born on October 5, 1905 in Rome, Italy. After graduating from Springfield College, he spent a year working as a playground director at a YMCA in Adana, Turkey. From 1929 to 1932, he returned to the International YMCA School of Physical Education in Geneva, where he worked as an assistant for Dr. Elmer Berry. From 1932 to 1957, he remained in Switzerland and continued working with the YMCA in a variety of capacities. From 1956 to 1968, he moved to Germany to work at the UNESCO Institute for Youth. Jones was one of the founding fathers of the Fédération Internationale de Basketball Amateur (FIBA) in 1932 and served as the first Secretary-General from 1932 until 1976. Later, he was made secretary general of the International Council of Sport and Physical Education in 1958. He was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1964 and the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2007. He was also made a patron of the Amateur Basketball Association of England in 1973. Jones was a long-time trustee of Springfield College, and in 1968 the school awarded him an Honorary Doctor of Humanics. He passed away on April 22, 1981. For biographical information on Edward S. Steitz, see: https://springfield.as.atlas-sys.com/agents/people/110.
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