In a 2009 New York Times article, biographer Rob Rains describes how the 56-year-old Naismith enlisted as a U.S. Army chaplain and served on the French front lines. What's more, Rains recounts how the forward-thinking inventor (who had previously experimented with a breathalyzer prototype and a stretching machine to make people taller) dreamed up the idea of a G.I. Bill three decades before it was officially created! Here, Naismith is pictured with two fellow chaplains in a high-quality, heavy-stock, silver-gelatin photo (EX, 4-3/4 x 6-3/4") that is captioned on the reverse, "In France 1917-1919." Naismith's black-ink "9-10" script of their three names includes the intriguing autograph-style variation, "Dr. Naismith." Full LOA from JSA.
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