Personal Life
Naismith was the eldest child of Margaret and John Naismith, two Scottish immigrants. His mother, Margaret Young, was born in 1833 and immigrated as the fourth of 11 children to Lanark County, Canada in 1852. His father, John Naismith, was born in 1836, left Europe when he was 18 and also settled down in Lanark County. After marrying, John Naismith worked as a saw hand, but unfortunately, the couple soon contracted typhoid fever and died when Naismith was just 9 years old. He was then raised by a strict, religious grandmother and his uncle Peter.
On June 20, 1894, Naismith married Maude E. Sherman from Springfield, MA, USA. The couple had five children: Margaret Mason (1895-1976), Helen Carolyn (1897-1980), John Edwin (1900-1986), Maude Ann (1904-1972) and James Sherman (1913-1980). He was a member of the Pi Gamma Mu and Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternities, and regarding his spiritual beliefs, Naismith was a Presbyterian Minister, he was also remembered as a Freemason. Maude Naismith died in 1937, and on June 11, 1939, he married his second wife Florence B. Kincaid. Naismith suffered a major brain hemorrhage on November 19 the same year and died nine days later in his home located in Lawrence, Kansas. Naismith was 78 years old. Naismith is buried with his first wife in Memorial Park Cemetery in Lawrence, KS. Florence Kincaid died in 1977 at the age of 98 and is buried with her first husband Dr. Frank B. Kincaid in Elmwood Cemetery in Beloit, KS.
During his lifetime, Naismith's education and academic positions held were as follows:
| Location | Position | Period | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bennie's Corner Grade School (Ontario) | Primary school | 1867–1875 | |
| Almonte High School | Secondary school | 1875–1877, 1881–83 | Dropped out and reentered |
| McGill University | University student | 1883–87 | |
| McGill University | Instructor in Physical Education | 1887–1890 | Gold Wickstead Medal (1887), Best All-Around Athlete; Silver Cup (1886), first prize for one-mile walk; Silver Wickstead Medal (1885), Best All-Around Athlete; Awarded one of McGill's first varsity letters |
| The Presbyterian College, Montreal | Education in Theology | 1887–1890 | Silver medal (1890), second highest award for regular and special honour work in Theology |
| Springfield College | Instructor in Physical Education | 1890–1895 | Invented "Basket Ball" in December 1891 |
| YMCA of Denver | Instructor in Physical Education | 1895–1898 | |
| University of Kansas | Instructor in Physical Education and Chapel Director | 1898–1909 | |
| University of Kansas | Basketball Coach | 1898–1907 | First-ever campus basketball coach |
| University of Kansas | Professor and University Physician | 1909–1917 | Hiatus from 1914 on due to World War I |
| First Kansas Infantry | Chaplain/Captain | 1914–1917 | Military service due to World War I |
| First Kansas Infantry (Mexican Border) | Chaplain | 1916 | |
| Military & YMCA secretary in France | Lecturer of Moral Conditions and Sex Education | 1917–1919 | |
| University of Kansas | Athletic Director | 1919–1937 | Emeritus in 1937 |
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