Friends Annual Soup Supper
April 23, 2010, 6 PM
“An Evening with Dr. James Naismith, Inventor of Basketball”
Guest Speaker – Dr. Bill Worley, portrayer
Indian Creek Community Church
12480 S. Black Bob Road, Olathe
Don't miss this year's soup supper! Bill Worley will portray Dr. James Naismith, inventor of basketball as a game in 1891 while a graduate student at the YMCA International Institute in Springfield, MA. Coming to the University of Kansas in 1898, Naismith organized the first male basketball team and “coached” it for 9 years. Retaining a lifelong interest in “his” game as a recreational activity, he was most proud to be able to toss up the first basketball at an Olympics game in Berlin in 1936.
Come learn about the original 13 rules of basketball and how Naismith envisioned the game as a passing and running game only. Successful goals counted one point, and play had to be halted while the soccer ball (which was what the first basketball really was) was retrieved from the fruit basket nailed to the overhead running track. Dr. Worley will bring copies of the rules and replicas of the original basketball and basket for your inspection.
Dr. Worley is an Instructor of History at Metropolitan Community Colleges – Blue River (Independence) and Adjunct Professor of History, University of Missouri-Kansas City. He has written several books about Kansas City and regional history including “J.C. Nichols & the Shaping of Kansas City” and “Kansas City: Rise of a Regional Metropolis. In addition to Dr. Naismith, Worley portrays Walt Disney, Tom Pendergast & Harry Truman. This summer he will portray William Henry Seward, Lincoln’s Secretary of State, in the Oklahoma Chautauqua.
The soup supper of soup, garden salad, bread, dessert and coffee or iced tea will be served at 6 PM. Tickets are $10 per person.
Reservations may be made on-line beginning April 6 with payment to be received by April 19. The reservation form may also be printed and sent no later than April 19. You may also make a reservation by calling (913) 971-6879 with payment arriving no later than April 19.
Send payment to Rita J. Patterson, Olathe Public Library, 201 E. Park, Olathe, KS 66061.
No refunds will be issued for soup supper cancellations.