Herbert Spaugh
Encyclopedia
Walter Herbert Spaugh was a U.S.
Bishop
of the Moravian Church. By the 1960s he was one of the most prominent clergymen in North Carolina, as well as in the Southern Province of the Moravian Church.
Spaugh was born in Salem (now Winston-Salem
), North Carolina
, the eldest of three sons of Rufus Armenius Spaugh (1865–1953) and Anna Louise (Hege) Spaugh (1872–1933). Spaugh graduated from Tinsley Military Institute in Winston-Salem in 1913, and from Moravian College
in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
in 1916 (he had earned extra credits at Tinsley, enabling him to graduate from college in three years). He earned a Bachelor of Divinity
degree from Moravian Theological Seminary in 1924, and a Master of Arts degree from Davidson College
in 1931.
During World War I
Spaugh served in the United States Army. He was stationed at Fort Jackson (South Carolina).
Spaugh married Ida Brown Efird (28 November 1893–10 December 1978) in Winston-Salem on 21 April 1920, his mother's forty-eighth birthday. Herbert and Ida had two sons and a daughter: Earle Frederick, Herbert, Jr., and Carolyn.
In 1924, Spaugh became the first full-time minister of the Little Church on the Lane in Charlotte, North Carolina
. He held that position for forty-two years. He was consecrated a Bishop of the Moravian Church on 27 December 1959 at Charlotte by Bishops John Kenneth Pfohl, Kenneth Gardiner Hamilton, and Carl John Helmich. He was a syndicated newspaper columnist whose work was carried in newspapers across the South. He also served as a trustee of Salem College
and Moravian College
, and was active in a number of ecumenical and civic organizations.
Spaugh died in Charlotte, North Carolina.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of the Moravian Church. By the 1960s he was one of the most prominent clergymen in North Carolina, as well as in the Southern Province of the Moravian Church.
Spaugh was born in Salem (now Winston-Salem
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Winston-Salem is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina, with a 2010 population of 229,617. Winston-Salem is the county seat and largest city of Forsyth County and the fourth-largest city in the state. Winston-Salem is the second largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region and is home to...
), North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, the eldest of three sons of Rufus Armenius Spaugh (1865–1953) and Anna Louise (Hege) Spaugh (1872–1933). Spaugh graduated from Tinsley Military Institute in Winston-Salem in 1913, and from Moravian College
Moravian College
Moravian College a private liberal arts college, and the associated Moravian Theological Seminary are located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, United States, in the Lehigh Valley region.-History:...
in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Bethlehem is a city in Lehigh and Northampton Counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 74,982, making it the seventh largest city in Pennsylvania, after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie,...
in 1916 (he had earned extra credits at Tinsley, enabling him to graduate from college in three years). He earned a Bachelor of Divinity
Bachelor of Divinity
In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity is usually an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology or, rarely, religious studies....
degree from Moravian Theological Seminary in 1924, and a Master of Arts degree from Davidson College
Davidson College
Davidson College is a private liberal arts college in Davidson, North Carolina. The college has graduated 23 Rhodes Scholars and is consistently ranked in the top ten liberal arts colleges in the country by U.S. News and World Report magazine, although it has recently dropped to 11th in U.S. News...
in 1931.
During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
Spaugh served in the United States Army. He was stationed at Fort Jackson (South Carolina).
Spaugh married Ida Brown Efird (28 November 1893–10 December 1978) in Winston-Salem on 21 April 1920, his mother's forty-eighth birthday. Herbert and Ida had two sons and a daughter: Earle Frederick, Herbert, Jr., and Carolyn.
In 1924, Spaugh became the first full-time minister of the Little Church on the Lane in Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
. He held that position for forty-two years. He was consecrated a Bishop of the Moravian Church on 27 December 1959 at Charlotte by Bishops John Kenneth Pfohl, Kenneth Gardiner Hamilton, and Carl John Helmich. He was a syndicated newspaper columnist whose work was carried in newspapers across the South. He also served as a trustee of Salem College
Salem College
Salem College is a liberal arts women's college in Winston-Salem, North Carolina founded in 1772. Originally established as a primary school, it later became an academy and finally a college. It is the oldest female educational establishment that is still a women's college...
and Moravian College
Moravian College
Moravian College a private liberal arts college, and the associated Moravian Theological Seminary are located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, United States, in the Lehigh Valley region.-History:...
, and was active in a number of ecumenical and civic organizations.
Spaugh died in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Books
- The Pathway to Contentment (1945)
- Everyday Counsel for Everyday Living, The Dowd Press, Inc. (1951) (Online version)
- The Pathway to a Happy Marriage (1953)
Sources
- The Boy, The Man, and the Bishop, by Barbara Harding
- Note (J. Murrey Atkins Library)
- History of the Moravian Church: The Renewed Unitas Fratrum, 1722-1957, by J. Taylor Hamilton and Kenneth G. Hamilton (Bethlehem, PA, and Winston-Salem, NC: Interprovincial Board of Christian Education, Moravian Church in America, 1967).
- Little Church on the Lane, Moravian Archives
External links
- A Short Introduction to the History, Customs and Practices of the Moravian Church, by Herbert Spaugh, Episcopus Fratrum