Luther Gulick Basketball HOF Lot - Signed Letter, Bible & Biography Naismith Auto

Signed letter on Camp Fire Girls Stationary w/ original envelope – There are very few examples of Luther Gulick’s signature in existence. This letter is similar to the one sold at Heritage Auctions (Lot #82425) in 2013 (same letterhead, signature, etc). Like the previous auction notes, authenticators have ruled this signature inconclusive due to lack of exemplars. This letter was obtained by a seller of vintage ephemera in New England. The letter seems to be in response to a poem or story the recipient submitted to the Camp Fire girls. I assume the recipient was close with Luther as he addresses her with the nickname, "Migwan". The recipient, Dorothy Aiken (Johnson) was the granddaughter of the Aiken family of inventors who also built the clog railroad on Mt. Washington.

Luther Gulick’s personal boyhood bible – The Holy Bible, Old & New Testaments, by America Bible Society 1877. The inscription inside the front cover states in ink, “Luther H. Gulick, Presented by his grand-mother Fanny. F (or P?) Gulick, Nov. 26th, 1878”. “1878” is also written in pencil underneath the inscription. Inside the back cover is written in pencil, "Frances Jewett Gulick" in what looks like a child's handwriting, indicating that Luther handed his bible down to his daughter Frances. Also inside the back cover in pencil is, "#152 - 1.00" which may be the bible's catalog number and original price. Bible measures approx. 6”x4.5”x2” This bible was obtained from a antique book seller specializing in bibles. Bible is in Acceptable condition with significant wear, tears in cover at hinges, gutters are showing tears, sections of pages are loose but still mostly attached to binding, gilt page edges are dull, ribbon page marker is no longer attached to binding but is sticking out top and bottom of book.

Luther Halsey Gulick's Biography written by Ethel Josephine Dorgan as part of her thesis for her doctorate degree at Columbia University in 1934. Original and extremely rare.

About Luther Gulick: Luther Halsey Gulick was the catalyst for the invention of basketball. Gulick was founding superintendent of the physical education department of the International YMCA Training School, now Springfield College, in Springfield, Massachusetts, from 1887-1900. He designed a triangle logo—Spirit, Mind, & Body—representing the YMCA philosophy.

Gulick persuaded a young instructor named James Naismith, a teacher at the school, to create an indoor game that could be played during the off-season. In response, Naismith invented and popularized basketball. Gulick worked with Naismith to spread the sport, chairing the Basketball Committee of the Amateur Athletic Union (1895–1905) and representing the United States Olympic Committee during the 1908 Olympic Games. For his efforts to increase the popularity of basketball and of physical fitness in general, Gulick was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a contributor in 1959.
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Gulick also founded the Camp Fire Girls organization in 1910 and co-founded the Playground Association of America, now known as the National Recreation and Parks Association. Gulick's contributions to the creation of the modern Olympic Games and the establishment of the Camp Fire Girls and the Boy Scouts of America highlight his enduring legacy in promoting health, fitness, and character development among youth.