Biography
Eugene Samuel Libby was born April 28, 1865, in Gardiner ME. Upon leaving school in his formative years, Libby worked at a grocery store for three years. It was during this time that he became a Christain. In 1887 at age 22, he moved to Redlands CA, where after a year in the real estate business, became secretary of the Redlands YMCA. After holding this post for a year and a half, he decided to attend the International went to the YMCA Training School, now Springfield College, in 1891.
Just a few months into his education in Springfield, Libby, and classmate T. Duncan Patton were on their way to their rooms to get ready for gym class when their instructor stopped them and requested they captain the two teams of a new game he had invented. Naismith then pulled the Original Rules out of his pocket and explained what he hoped to see in the game. A few minutes later, the men reported to class and the first game began. Libby also held the position of Class Orator on Class Day. He was described as a man of high character by the class historian and often wrote satirical poetry with his friend Patton for fun.
Upon graduating from the Training School in 1892, Libby returned to Redlands, where he resumed work with the YMCA for a short time. He then got back into real estate, while also becoming the first reporter for the Redlands Daily Facts, and wrote stories for several newspapers. His ties to the YMCA Training School kept him close to the association. From 1892-1904 he was a member of the board of directors and chairman of the membership committee for the Redlands branch. In addition to this, he taught Sunday school at the First Methodist Sunday School for ten years and was active in the Redlands community. An avid swimmer and diver, he was instrumental in the founding of the Redlands municipal pool, and it is estimated he taught 2,500 children how to swim. He died of a heart attack in front of his church in 1948 at the age of 83.