Girls basketball players to receive book from 1948 grad
Marian Bemis Johnson, left, is donating copies of the book she co-authored, to the local girls basketball team members. Right is her niece Brenda Novack, who will distribute the books Friday.
Nearly eight decades ago Marian Bemis Johnson graduated from Waterville High School.
When she attended school there were no girls sports in any high schools in Minnesota.
Johnson recently wrote a letter to the WEM girls basketball players explaining the some of her findings when it came to girls basketball in Minnesota.
“That was the life of most Minnesota girls and women in the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, and why was it that way?” Johnson said in her letter. “Why did anyone think that girls should not be athletes and play on teams and reach their personal goals?”
“So I decided to find out why. Well, I found out why and it was amazing: there had been girls basketball teams in the early 1900s,” Johnson added. “Girls loved basketball then too. Why did those teams get dropped and girls get shut out of the gymnasiums for over 40 years with not teams, no coaches, and no fun?”
Johnson started researching the early years of girls basketball and ended up the co-author of the book “Daughters of the Game: The first Era of Minnesota Girls High School Basketball, 1891-1942.”
Many pictures from this book have been on display at the Minnesota Historical Society exhibit in St. Paul.
To see more on this story pick up the April 10, 2025 print edition of the LifeEnterprise paper.
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