MICHIGAN STATE COLLEGE
OF AGRICULTURE AND APPLIED SCIENCE a
EAST LANSING

 

DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION FOR MEN s

August 31, 1943

JENISON GYMNASIUM & FIELD House

Dr. Forrest C. Allen
Head Basketball Coach
University of Kansas
Lawrence, Kansas

Dear "Phog":

I have your recent letter upon my return from a short vacation. I note what you i
have to say regarding Don Isett. I received a letter from Don three or four
months ago regarding the possibility of the University awarding him a letter.

I wrote back and quite frankly "passed the buck." I will say the same thing to
you I said to Isett - namely I have not been in the employ of the University of
Kansas for a great many years and I believe it would not only be poor judgement
but bad taste for me to approach the University about the award of a letter which
I did not recommend while I was coaching there. If the Athletic Board or someone
of the Athletic administration of the University wishes to contact me, I shall

be glad to answer their questions and of course will recommend Don Isett as a
person and a gentleman quite highly. I have been in contact with Isett both here
end on the campus at Washington State. He is a personable fellow and certainly

a good citizen. I really feel, Phog, that if there was any type of injustice done a
to Isett, it was not in track and field but perhaps in football. He was a fair a
little bad? back and gave some pretty fair service as 1 remember it to the foot-
ball team. He was however unable to score more than one or two points in track.
As you have so kindly stated, I had quite a track team at that time and it was a
little bit tough to score points in track. Track is somewhat different from the ,
game sports. I have always been rather liberal in handing out awards but you have 4
to use some type of slide rule when points are won and distributed as they are in |
track and field. J

LRT ASS Relies a MeN nae MELE et Be coed

If you care to follow up Don's case and if Mr. Kloos or the President of your
board wishes to write me, I shall be glad to say a lot of nice things about Don
Isett. The board of course will have to act upon its own in awarding a letter
because I certainly can't do any recommending to the Kansas University Athletic
Board when I have no connection of any sort with it.

I just returned from St. Louis, Missouri where Ramsay is a resident in the City
Hospital in Pathology. He was married recently and we think his judgement is
pretty good. Our daughter, Sarah, is married to a Naval officer living in Washington,
D. C. and I have reached the point where I cannot deny my age - I am a grand-
father. Richard Joseph Hall arrived in January of this year. Please give my very
best regards to Mrs. Allen and the other members of your famiiy - both personal
and athletic. I, like every other civilian of our age, am looking forward to the
end of our present mess when we can again resume normal lives. I don't mind being
busy and working long hours with the Air Corps boys but I can't believe anybody ~
ever gained anything from war. Please advise me if there is anything I can do to
clear up the Isett case if you really think it needs reviewing. |