James Naismith deeply involved with the members, serving as Chapter Counselor for sixteen years, from 1923 until his death in 1939. He eventually married SigEp's Housemother, Mrs. Florence Kincaid. Members interviewed from that era remembered Dr. Naismith: "He was deeply religious" "He listened more than he spoke" "He thought sports were nothing but an avenue to keep young people involved so they could do their studies and relate to their community" "It was real nice having someone the caliber of Dr. Naismith so involved ... he helped many a SigEp!" In 1935, the National Association of Basketball Coaches (created by Naismith's pupil
James Naismith Instead, he was more interested in his physical education career, receiving an honorary PE Masters degree in 1910, patrolled the Mexican border for four months in 1916, traveled to France, published two books ("A Modern College" in 1911 and "Essence of a Healthy Life" in 1918). He took American citizenship in 1925. In 1909, Naismith's duties at Kansas were redefined as a Professorship; he served as the "de facto" athletic director at Kansas for much of the early 20th century. In 1923, Dr. Naismith was a founder of the Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity at the University of Kansas. Naismith was