Robert van de Velde
born in Bloomington, Illinois on 4 May 1909
died in Princeton, New Jersey on 7 October 1989
Robert Jacob Velde was born on 4 May 1909 in Bloomington, Illinois, the second of three sons, between older brother Donald and younger brother James. Their Leslie father owned the Midwest’s very first Pierce-Arrow car dealership and their mother Della was a homemaker, both native Illinoisans. On his father’s side he was descendant from the renowned 17th Century Dutch maritime painter Willem van de Velde I (1633-1707) – numerous of his works are on display at Amsterdam’s famed Rijksmuseum. In fact, in his later years Robert reclaimed his Dutch heritage and namesake, legally changing his name to Robert van de Velde.
Velde was a formidable athlete, excelling particularly at football – he played end for Chicago’s Hyde Park High School before graduating to the University of Chicago’s team under legendary coach Amos Alonzo Stagg who, incidentally, was one of the prime movers behind basketball’s adoption of the 5-man team.