Paes ae

1206 E. Jefferson
Bloomington, Illinois
October 29, 1940

Mr. Forrest Allen, Director
Physical Education and Recreation
University of Kansas

Lawrence, Kansas

Dear Mre Allens

Thank you for your letter of October 18. I hope that your schedule will
permit you to stop off at Bloomington in November. Perhaps we could
get a few of the Kansas alumni together. I only know two or three
myself, but the alwmi secretary might be able to give me the names of
others who live in or near Bloomington. I kmow that Mr. Young will be
mighty glad to see you, too.

I believe that such a memorial as we discussed should be more than just

a gymasium. I think that it should incorporate all the features of an
ultra-modern basketball gymnasium, but in addition to this, should have a
section devoted to basketball history, early equipment, etc. Obviously
much of this which was used during the last half century is still
available, but it will not remain available indefinitely.

I do not know the details of the Rules Committee set-up, but if this
could be built on the Kansas campus as a National Home for basketball,
it would have a strong appeal. It might be that offices of the Rules
Committee could be maintained there and meetings held there inasmuch
as it is a central point in the United States.

I talked with Mr. Lomberg over the telephone when in Chicago ea few
weeks ago. He was interested and his comment was favorable, but he
emphasized the fact that it would be a huge undertaking. Mr. Arch Ward
atithe TRIBUNE was out of town and Marvin McCarthy at the TIMES was busy
for the only time I had to go there was just ahead of press time.

Brick Young asked that I see Major Griffith, but I hesitated to do this
without knowing more of the official set-up and without having more
definite plans to outline.

I do not believe it would be hard to get major sports writers behind such
an undertaking, nor do I feel that leading basketball coaches would do
other than cooperate to the fullest extent.

Inasmuch as the year after the coming one is the fifieth anniversary of
basketball, it would be easy to have the game written up and featured
together with the Naismith Memorial in such magazines as COLLIERS, LIFE, etc.