SCULPTOR R. TAIT MCKENZIE AND BASKETBALL FOUNDER JAMES NAISMITH Público Deposited
The E-Sylum: Volume 9, Number 48, November 26, 2006, Article 7
SCULPTOR R. TAIT MCKENZIE AND BASKETBALL FOUNDER JAMES NAISMITH
Harry Waterson writes: "Yesterday I got a postcard from Heritage
Auction Galleries touting their Naismith Collection. However, for
a numismatic sales organization I was surprised that there was not
any mention of the incredibly strong links between Naismith and R.
Tait McKenzie a well renowned sculptor and medallist of the early
part of the last century. Maybe the catalog mentions McKenzie.
Below is a review of a book about the two of them that I thought
I would bring to your attention."[Aha! So it turns out there is a numismatic connection to James
Naismith, after all. The inventor of basketball was discussed in
last week's issue. The book Harry references is "Almonte's Brothers
of the Wind: R. Tait McKenzie and James Naismith" by Frank Cosentino.
See below for more information. -Editor]"Almonte's Brothers of the Wind is a biography of R. Tait McKenzie
and James Naismith, two Canadians prominent in the development of
sports and sports education. Naismith is best known as the creator
of the game of basketball. McKenzie became a sculptor of international
renown famous for his creations of athletes from various sports and
numerous memorials.James Naismith and Tait McKenzie were outstanding Canadians who
outgrew the bounds of rural, eastern Ontario where they were born
and left their mark on the world stage.""Fewer Canadians are likely to be aware of the work of R. Tait
McKenzie. Six years younger than Naismith, he idolized the older
boy, followed a similar career path, and became his life-long friend.
Both men went from Almonte Township in the Ottawa Valley to McGill
University. Both became McGill Directors of Gymnastics and medical
doctors. Both were also interested in sports as part of the complete
development of the person, believing that a sound mind and sound
body must go together. However, while Naismith left his mark by
creating basketball, McKenzie left his by creating widely acclaimed
sculptures in Canada, the United States, and Europe. The book
contains illustrations of his work."To view the book's web page on the University of Manitoba web site, see:
umanitoba.caAMERICAN SESQUICENTENNIAL MEDALS
esylum_v07n19a15.htmlRUSSIAN WINNER SNUBS FIELDS MEDAL
esylum_v09n35a10.html- 2006-11-26
- 9