HISTORY NEBRASKA MANUSCRIPT FINDING AID
RG1334.AM: James Gordon Roberts, 1909-1996
Correspondence: 1948-1953
Omaha, Douglas County, Nebraska
Size: One folder
BACKGROUND NOTE
Born July 20, 1909 to James R. and Harriet Roberts, J. Gordon Roberts grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska, where his father had founded the Roberts Dairy Company in 1906. J. Gordon attended the University of Nebraska for a time and then went to work as a reporter for the Lincoln Journal Star. James R. Gordon became ill in 1932, so J. Gordon joined the Roberts Dairy Company. He took over as president in 1939 and continued in that position until at least the early 1970s. He was active in supporting various youth activities and was honored for his support of midget football and American Legion baseball. J. Gordon Roberts died November 4, 1996 in Pinellas County, Florida.
SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE
The collection consists of one folder containing correspondence mostly sent to J. Gordon Roberts between 1948 and 1953. The bulk of the correspondence relates to the participation of the Roberts Dairy “Pure-Pak” football team in the 1948 Santa Claus Bowl Game. The Santa Claus Bowl was a weekend of youth football sponsored initially by the Pop Warner Foundation and later by the National Boys Football Foundation. It brought together the weekend after Christmas four youth league football teams whose players ranged in age from 9 to 13 and whose weight could not exceed 110 pounds. The teams played in two semi-final games, with the winners meeting in the “championship” game and the losers in a consolation game. The 1948 Santa Claus Bowl was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 1949 and 1950 Santa Claus Bowls were held in Omaha, Nebraska. Of note are a telegram from FBI Director, J. Edgar Hoover, and a telegram from “Pop” Warner. Additional correspondence relates to Roberts’ involvement in civic and charitable events.
Subject headings:
Football
Hoover, John Edgar, 1895-1972
Jarvis, Crittenden C.
Roberts Midgets
Roberts Pure-Paks
Roberts, James Gordon, 1909-1996
Santa Claus Bowl
Sports
Warner, Glenn S. “Pop,” 1871-1954
Revised TMM 04-05-2018
