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THE SPELMAN SPOTLIGHT
APRIL 3, 1964
The Rockefeller Family and Spelman
(five generations)
“The great law of culture is: Let each become all that he was
created capable of being.” Carlyle.
In the year 1961 The Story of Spelman College, written by
Florence Matilda Read, was published. It is a history of Spelman
that goes back to the old town of New Salem, Massachusetts. Miss
Read has perfectly sectioned the story from the beginning to its
present state. It is from one of these chapters that I have selected
the Founders’ Day observance story.
“The reality that is Spelman Col- and Miss Packard showed me and
lege could not have been born with
out Miss Giles and Miss Packard.
In the formative years, Miss Upton
and the New England women were
indispensable. But the school could
not have grown to its status as a
college without the interest and aid
of the Spelman-Rockefeller family.
“The philanthropies of Mr. Rocke
feller would no doubt have had
other stimuli, and the well-being of
mankind would have been promoted
regardless of these women, but the
fact remains, and has its significance,
that the catalyzing agent of his in
terest in Negro education was his
acquaintance with Miss Packard and
Miss Giles and the students they
were teaching in the school they
founded.
“Among the New Englanders who
moved from eastern Massachusetts
to Ohio were the Samuel Buel Spel-
mans who traveled west in a two-
horse wagon over the Allegheny
Mountains. Their son, Harvey Buel
Spelman, married Lucy Henry. Three
children were born to them: Luck
Marie, Laura Celstia, and Henry
fennings.
“The home of Mr. and Mrs. Spel
man was a station on the Under
ground Railroad and they helped
many slaves get to Canada and free
dom. Mrs. Spelman, at the seminary
on April 11, 1884, told the assembly
that the only dinners she ever cooked
on the Sabbath were for the slaves
on their journey northward.
“Mr. Rockefeller throughout his life
was happy in his family relationships,
genial, understanding, with a lively
interest in his growing children; stern
and upright but not ‘hard.’ Even
the most recent biography fails to do
justice to his admirable traits of un
selfishness, good humor, loyalty to
his friends and causes, devotion to
human welfare. The large part he
and his family had in Spelman’s his
tory was by no means confined to
gifts of money.
“It was Mr. Rockefeller’s policy to
give and give generously; but not
to give to institutions and causes un
til convinced of their worth. He
wanted his gifts to stimulate others
to give (hence the practice of ‘match
ing’ or conditional gifts); and he
wished to assist organizations that
had vitality, not to bolster dying
causes. He therefore looked to see
whether the women at Spelman had
‘stickative qualities’, and found them
not wanting.
“At the turn of the century, Mr.
Rockefeller began to refer letters
about Spelman to his son, John D.
Rockefeller, Jr. who transmitted the
authorization of his father in June
1900 for four new buildings, and
with whom the correspondence was
conducted with regard to the names
for them. It was Mr. John D. Rocke
feller, Jr. who requested that quad
ruple plated silverware, in place of
triple plate, be purchased for the
new dining hall.
“After a visit to Spelman, Mr.
Rockefeller, Jr. wrote Miss Giles:
“ ‘Of all the places of interest which
I have visited during my Southern
trip none were so pleasing and so
satisfactory to me as Spelman, and of
the various courtesies that were ex
tended to me by friends in the dif
ferent cities, none were so highly
appreciated and so thoroughly en
joyed as those shown me in your
house during the two days spent
with you.
“ ‘Spelman in its grounds, its build
ings, its courses of study, its meth
ods, and above all its spirit, far sur
pass my highest expectations. I was
delighted with everything I saw
and am happy to have had even a
small part in helping to build up
this splendid work. . . I count it
a benediction on my life to have
spent two days in your home . . .
and I appreciate most fully the kind
hospitality which you, Miss Upton
the cordial welcome given me by
all the other teachers and schol
ars . . .
“How the students of the day felt
about the Spelmans and Rockefellers
comes frequently to light. For ex
ample, in a letter to the President
of Spelman College written in 1929,
Mrs. Carrie Walls Gassaway, one of
the 1888 graduates, reported a talk
she had recently made ‘at a dinner
with some of Cleveland’s real good
intelligent women . . .’
“ ‘Since I have been in Cleveland
(ten years with the exception of
two . . .), on Memorial Day my
husband or one of my sons has
driven me out to Lakeview Ceme
tery. I went there to see only one
grave—that was the grave of the
sainted Mrs. Laura Spelman Rocke
feller. Now you understand why on
Memorial Day in Cleveland, Ohio,
I visited this sainted woman’s grave.
To make it plainer this is the only
way I have of showing my apprecia
tion of what Mr. John D. Rockefeller,
and his sainted wife have done for
the girls of the Southland, me in
cluded for I am one of them.’
“Mrs. Mary F. Rockefeller is a
member of the Spelman College
Board of Trustees. Her husband,
Laurance Spelman Rockefeller, is the
middle son of Mr. and Mrs. Rocke
feller, Jr., and was named in honor
of his grandmother, Laura Spelman.
Able, sympathetic, possessing sound
judgment, Mrs. Laurance Rockefel
ler takes an interest in individual
students as well as in college policy
and procedure. She was especially
helpful when the college was rais
ing funds to build the Gymnasium,
Individual gifts were received from
herself and others of the Rockefeller
family. All five of the sons of Mr.
Rockefeller, Junior have at one time
or another visited Spelman College.
“The fifth generation is growing
fast in numbers and influence—Mr.
Rockefeller, Jr. has over twenty
grandchildren. That the interest of
their generation in Spelman College
has just begun is the institution’s trust
and hope. It is eminently fitting and
deeply touching to have the first gift
from the fifth generation from Laura
Spelman Rockefeller, a great-great
granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. Har
vey Buel Rockefeller. It has marked
the seventy-first year since Mr. John
D. Rockefeller’s first gift to Miss
Packard and Miss Giles, the gift
which was his first gift to Negro
education.”
As we Spelmanites look about this
place of learning, our feelings are
indescribable because we can say
or do little to express our grati
tude, a feeling of thankful apprecia
tion for the founders and builders of
this great institution. We can think,
however, that “there must be some
thing great about this place because
I am here.” Gloria Ann Wise
COMMUNISM
(Continued from page 2)
opposition is that to restrict by law
the appearance of known Commu
nist and acknowledged fellow travel
ers chokes off academic freedom,
restricts intellectual growth, and pro
hibits the presentation of “both sides”
of the great struggle now in progress
between democracy and communism.
Colleges exist for the purpose of
fostering research, and to add to the
existing knowledge through stimula
tion by teaching. The notion that
colleges are forums to advance the
ideas of any and every citizen is
incompatible and impractical on in
tellectual grounds. On what grounds
and for what reason have colleges
become obligated to harbor radicals
and radical ideas?
Certain activities, while they may
interest a large segment of the col
lege population, are not authentic
college activities. Cock fights, and
burlesque shows, etc., while they in-
The YWCA In
The News
By Charles Etta White
PROJECTS:
Tutorials
During the week of March 1 the
student tutorials were initiated. De
signed especially with our little sis
ters (Freshmen) in mind, the classes
are scheduled to meet from 6:00 p.m.
to 7:00 p.m. on weekdays. However
there are several exceptions which
depend upon the conveniences of
both teacher and pupils. Co-opera
ting student tutors, include Renee
Adkins, G. Thomas, and Annette
Jones in French, Charles Etta White
in Spanish, Josephine Dunbar in
mathematics, Ida Rose McCree in
biology and chemistry, Betty Lane
in music, and Edna Johnson in a
“whole heap” of fields such as Eng
lish Literature, Political Science, and
American History. So get on the
band wagon and sign up today! Con
tact your Y president or any of the
above mentioned tutors.
Voter Registration
The National Student Movement
of the YWCA is sponsoring voter
registration projects in cities through
out the South during the spring va
cation weeks. In Atlanta the project
will be held from March 22 to April
4, 1964. Each weekly project be
gins with a Sunday training session
and is followed by a week of involv-
ment. It is expected that Spelman
will be represented by a team of
five the week of March 22. Our stu
dents will be joined by at least 20
other students from “Y’s” throughout
the nation.
Summer Work
“Migrant Projects” . . . Three
probable locations in the Southwest,
East Coast and West Coast will pro
vide projects which focus both on
the human needs of migratory farm
labor and on ways of effecting social
change through retraining, communi
ty development and legislation. (Open
to upperclass men and women stu
dents.) Costs: Board and room plus
t
"A
Spelman women recently inducted into Pi Delta Phi, National French
Honor Society are left to right: Wanda Marshall, July Tillman, Sandra
Montgomery, Carolyn Odom, Cheryl Birchette. Back row: Jeannie Holloway,
Grace Kelly, Georgianne Thomas. Inset: Mme. Schlant.
PRESIDENT MANLEY INVITED TO
ATTEND MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE
terest many individuals, do not be
long on the college campus, con
trary to the beliefs of a great many
people.
The argument that it is necessary
to hear a Communist and to see him
physically in order to know what
students need to know as educated
and responsible members of the aca
demic and civil communities is un
warranted. Should this reasoning pre
vail, we would need to open our
prisons and escort to the campus
known felons, as well as those com
mitted for misdemeanor acts in order
for our intellectual community to
more fully understand crime and its
impact upon society. Which one
among us would not rush to lock
his doors and lay out his gun if the
police called to say an avowed crim
inal was on his way to our home to
kill us? That precisely is the situation
which prevails today with respect to
communism.
The question of whether or not
the leading American Communists
really advocated, desired, and in
tended overthrow of the American
Government was settled in 1949 in
the trial of the Communist Party
leaders. In order to obtain convic
tions under the Smith Act, the Gov
ernment produced seven people who
had joined the Communist Party
either with the approval of or at the
suggestion of the FBI.
These seven witnesses were proven
loyal American citizens who were
willing to assume great risk in order
to obtain essential information for
the Government about the Party.
They testified that they had been
taught in Communist schools in the
United States as potential Party
leaders that Communism could,
should, and would be achieved by
revolution. It is understandable and
justifiable then that a State Govern
ment such as ours would wish to
bar the presence on state college
campuses of a representative of a
foreign government dedicated to the
destruction both of academic free
dom and of freedom in general,
operating under the guise of aca
demic freedom.
Galesburg, Ill.—
President A. E. Manley was in
vited to participate in an orientation
meeting in Atlanta, March 16th to
inaugurate an intensive program of
management training for college and
university administrators, according to
an announcement by Elmer F. Jagow,
business manager of Knox College
and director of the special project.
Jagow said about 50 colleges and
universities from throughout the na
tion have been invited to participate
in the Knox Seminars for Educa
tional Management. Other Atlanta
educators invited to take part in the
orientation meeting are President
Frank Cunningham of Morris Brown
College, President J. P. Brawley of
Clark College and President Ben
jamin Mays of Morehouse College.
The program will combine seminar
and classroom instruction for two
periods of one week each. A unique
feature of the undertaking will be a
consultation service to be provided
individually for each college during
the interval period between the for
mal training sessions. Seminar facul
ty members and consultants are out
standing college and university ad
ministrators from throughout the
nation.
Seminars will be held from June
8 to 12 and June 22 to 26 on the
Knox College campus. In addition
to President Manley, Dr. Oran W.
Eagleson, Dean, and the Treasurer
for the College will attend one of
these one-week seminars.
The consultation service will be
carried out from July, 1964, to March,
1965, on individual college campuses.
Other seminars will be held late in
1964 and during the first six months
of 1965.
According to Jagow, the seminars
on educational management have
been organized “to meet the chal
lenges now confronting institutions
of higher learning because of the
problems posed by increased enroll
ments and the growing complexity
of instructional programs.” The man
agement training seminars are being
conducted under terms of a special
grant to Knox by the Ford Founda
tion.
YWCA
a small program fee.
“Leadership Training School” . . .
An intensive six-week program which
combines study, group living and ex
perience in assuming leadership with
an academic program in theology,
ethics, and group work skills to focus
on developing effective campus lead
ership for student associations and
a deeper understanding of the Christ
ian faith. Facilities of the large Uni
versity community around Union
Theological Seminary and the cul
tural offerings of New York City
will add greatly to the summer’s pro
gram. (Open to upperclass men and
women students who carry leader
ship responsibilities in Campus
Christian Associations.) Dates: July
2-August 15, 1964. Costs: Approx.
$335, which includes room, board
and tuition (some partial scholar
ships are available).
For further information write:
Projects Director
National Student Council, YWCA
600 Lexington Avenue
New York, N. Y. 10022
CONFERENCES:
The weekend of March 6-8 found
Charles Etta White, Y President, and
Eleanor Hinton, National Vice Chair
man of the Student YWCA, attend
ing the annual Regional Assembly
of the Y in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
We enjoyed the plush services of the
Mountain View Hotel in the heart
of the Great Smokies. There were
71 delegates from 9 states represent
ing 32 institutions. Small work groups
were held to discuss: (1) Community
Projects and Tutorials, (2) The Causes
of World War III, (3) First Steps
to Race Relations, (4) Sex Values and
the Christian Faith, and (5) Direct
Action in Race Relations. Resource
persons included Vincent Harding,—
Director of the Minonite House in
Atlanta, Prathea Hall—from SNCC,
Leon Marion from World University
Service headquarters here in Atlanta,
and Constance Curry from the re
gional YWCA office also in Atlanta.
MRS. POWELL
(Continued from page 1)
and the Woman of the Year in Busi
ness award. The Urban League
awarded her its Community Service
Award in 1948, and she was recipient
of the certificate of merit by the
National Alumnae Association o f
Spelman College.
Mrs. Powell, who resided at 221
West Lake Drive, N.W., Atlanta,
Georgia, died in the Peter Brent Brig
ham Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
on Wednesday, February 26, 1964
after an illness which commenced
during the latter part of January.
The death of Mrs. Sadie Harris
Powell has removed an ideal and
glowing friend from the Spelman Col
lege Family—a friend who can never
be replaced. Her devotion, pleasing
personality and valuable services will
long be remembered. We will not
grievously mourn the death of Mrs.
Powell, but we will thank an om
nipotent creator for a life so well
spent, a life filled with unselfish con
tributions of valuable service to her
generation. May peace attend her
tender memory.
Miss Asa Uoki, Secretary of the Stu
dent Department—National YWCA of
Japan was also on hand.
The keynote address was de
livered by the Reverend Will D.
Campbell, Director of the Committee
on Southern Churchmen. His sub
ject was “Christian Faith and Ac
tion ”, An important observation men
tioned or emphasized by Reverend
Campbell was the constant reference
by many Americans to the “Negro
revolution.” The speaker felt that
this was a mistake, for the peaceful
protest actions of Negro citizens
could hardly be known as a revolu
tion. But instead should be “called”
and “is” a movement. Rev. Camp
bell went on, however, to say that
unless the Negro is immediately given
his rights the peaceful “movement”
might well turn into a “revolution”.