Robert Graetz
Encyclopedia
Robert S. Graetz is a Lutheran clergyman who, as the white pastor of a black congregation in Montgomery, Alabama
, openly supported the Montgomery Bus Boycott
, a landmark event of the U.S. civil rights movement.
. A personal friend of Rosa Parks
http://www4.wittenberg.edu/news/2005/01_17.html, Graetz became secretary of the Montgomery Improvement Association
http://www.lutheransonline.com/servlet/lo_ProcServ/dbpage=page&mode=display&gid=20052687771948356801111555, the organization founded to organize and support the boycott. Graetz' support of the movement included appearing at meetings led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/publications/papers/vol3/561200.003-We_Are_Still_Walking.htm
For his support of the boycott, Graetz and his family were ostracized by other whites and suffered several episodes of harassment, including tire slashings http://www.montgomeryboycott.com/profile_graetz.htm, arrest http://www4.wittenberg.edu/news/2005/01_04.html and bombings. Bombs were planted at his home on three occasions; the largest did not explode. http://www.montgomeryboycott.com/profile_graetz.htm
Graetz wrote A White Preacher's Memoir: The Montgomery Bus Boycott (Black Belt Press, September 1999. ISBN 1579660150) about his experiences. The book They Walked to Freedom 1955-1956: The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott by Kenneth M. Hare (Sports Publishing LLC, 2005. ISBN 1596700106) contains a first-person account of his experiences as well as photographs of Graetz with Dr. King and others.
, and educated in Columbus, Ohio
. He graduated from Capital University
in Bexley, Ohio
in 1950 http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/chronology/details/560322-015.htm, and received a B.D. in 1955 from Evangelical Lutheran Theological Seminary in Columbus, Ohio (now Trinity Lutheran Seminary http://www.lutheransonline.com/servlet/lo_ProcServ/dbpage=page&mode=display&gid=20052687771948356801111555.
He married Jean Ellis (known as Jeannie) on June 10, 1951 in East Springfield, Pennsylvania. http://www.lutheransonline.com/servlet/lo_ProcServ/dbpage=page&mode=display&gid=20052687771948356801111555.
In 2008 the Graetzes returned to Montgomery, Alabama, where they are actively involved in various civic activities including the diversity group One Montgomery
and the League of Women Voters. Each year they host the annual Graetz Symposium at the National Center for the Study of Civil Rights and African-American Culture at Alabama State University.
Community Lutheran, Los Angeles
, Cal. (1952–54), as an intern (student pastor)
Trinity Lutheran, Montgomery, Ala. (1955–58)
St. Philip Lutheran, Columbus, Ohio (1958–67) -– later named Pastor Emeritus
Lutheran Mission 373, Washington, D.C.
(1967–70), an experimental community ministry
St. James Lutheran, Washington, D. C. (1970), interim pastor
Ohio Council of Churches, Columbus, Ohio
(1970–83)
Christ the King Lutheran, Columbus, Ohio (1974)
St. John Lutheran, Logan, Ohio (1983–95), part-time ministry
Retired, October 31, 1995 -– named Pastor Emeritus
St. Matthew Lutheran, Sugar Grove, Ohio
(1997–1998), interim pastor
St. John Lutheran Church, Logan, Ohio
(1998), interim pastor
St. Paul Lutheran Church, Pomeroy, Ohio
, and St. John Lutheran Church, Racine, Ohio
, interim pastor (2001–2002)
Faith Lutheran Church, Jackson, Ohio
, interim pastor (2002–2003)
Selma Humanitarian Award, from the producers and cast of the musical "Selma," about life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., 1976
Distinguished Alumnus, Trinity Lutheran Seminary, 1986
Doctor of Humanities, Capital University, 1990
Ohio Humanitarian Award, 1993, in conjunction with Martin Luther King Day celebration
(Ohio) Governor's Humanitarian Award, 1997, in conjunction with Martin Luther King Day celebration
"An Informed Church Serves a Diverse Society," chapter in The Church in a Diverse Society, ed. L.W. Halvorson, Augsburg, 1964
Monthly columnist for Columbus, Ohio, Diocese Catholic Times (1973–87)
Montgomery - a White Preacher's Memoir, Chicago: Augsburg Fortress, 1991 (re-published as A White Preacher's Memoir: The Montgomery Bus Boycott. Black Belt Press, September 1999. ISBN 1579660150
A White Preacher's Message on Race And Reconciliation: Based on His Experiences Beginning With the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Montgomery: New South Books, 2006. ISBN 1588381900
Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city...
, openly supported the Montgomery Bus Boycott
Montgomery Bus Boycott
The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a political and social protest campaign that started in 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama, USA, intended to oppose the city's policy of racial segregation on its public transit system. Many important figures in the civil rights movement were involved in the boycott,...
, a landmark event of the U.S. civil rights movement.
Role in civil rights movement
Graetz' first full-time job as pastor was to a black congregation, Trinity Lutheran Church in Montgomery. He began working there in 1955, the year of the Montgomery Bus BoycottMontgomery Bus Boycott
The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a political and social protest campaign that started in 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama, USA, intended to oppose the city's policy of racial segregation on its public transit system. Many important figures in the civil rights movement were involved in the boycott,...
. A personal friend of Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks
Rosa Louise McCauley Parks was an African-American civil rights activist, whom the U.S. Congress called "the first lady of civil rights", and "the mother of the freedom movement"....
http://www4.wittenberg.edu/news/2005/01_17.html, Graetz became secretary of the Montgomery Improvement Association
Montgomery Improvement Association
The Montgomery Improvement Association was formed on December 5, 1955 by black ministers and community leaders in Montgomery, Alabama. Under the leadership of Martin Luther King, Jr...
http://www.lutheransonline.com/servlet/lo_ProcServ/dbpage=page&mode=display&gid=20052687771948356801111555, the organization founded to organize and support the boycott. Graetz' support of the movement included appearing at meetings led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/publications/papers/vol3/561200.003-We_Are_Still_Walking.htm
For his support of the boycott, Graetz and his family were ostracized by other whites and suffered several episodes of harassment, including tire slashings http://www.montgomeryboycott.com/profile_graetz.htm, arrest http://www4.wittenberg.edu/news/2005/01_04.html and bombings. Bombs were planted at his home on three occasions; the largest did not explode. http://www.montgomeryboycott.com/profile_graetz.htm
Graetz wrote A White Preacher's Memoir: The Montgomery Bus Boycott (Black Belt Press, September 1999. ISBN 1579660150) about his experiences. The book They Walked to Freedom 1955-1956: The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott by Kenneth M. Hare (Sports Publishing LLC, 2005. ISBN 1596700106) contains a first-person account of his experiences as well as photographs of Graetz with Dr. King and others.
Biographical details
Graetz was born in Clarksburg, West VirginiaClarksburg, West Virginia
Clarksburg is a city in and the county seat of Harrison County, West Virginia, United States, in the north-central region of the state. It is the principal city of the Clarksburg, WV Micropolitan Statistical Area...
, and educated in Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
. He graduated from Capital University
Capital University
Capital University is a private liberal arts university of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America located in Bexley, Ohio, founded in 1830. In addition to its rigorous liberal arts program, the university also offers a reputable adult degree program in Columbus, Ohio. It is one of the oldest...
in Bexley, Ohio
Bexley, Ohio
Bexley is an affluent suburban city in Franklin County, Ohio. Founded as a village over a hundred years ago, the City of Bexley is an old, tree-lined suburb of Columbus, the state capital of Ohio, situated on the banks of Alum Creek next to Driving Park and Wolfe Park, just east of the Franklin...
in 1950 http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/chronology/details/560322-015.htm, and received a B.D. in 1955 from Evangelical Lutheran Theological Seminary in Columbus, Ohio (now Trinity Lutheran Seminary http://www.lutheransonline.com/servlet/lo_ProcServ/dbpage=page&mode=display&gid=20052687771948356801111555.
He married Jean Ellis (known as Jeannie) on June 10, 1951 in East Springfield, Pennsylvania. http://www.lutheransonline.com/servlet/lo_ProcServ/dbpage=page&mode=display&gid=20052687771948356801111555.
In 2008 the Graetzes returned to Montgomery, Alabama, where they are actively involved in various civic activities including the diversity group One Montgomery
One Montgomery
One Montgomery is a diverse group of citizens in Montgomery, Alabama who seek to promote understanding and trust between people of different racial and ethnic backgrounds through discussion, education, social interaction, and enhanced personal relationships...
and the League of Women Voters. Each year they host the annual Graetz Symposium at the National Center for the Study of Civil Rights and African-American Culture at Alabama State University.
Career
This list is from the Lutherans Online page for Pr. Graetz here.Community Lutheran, Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, Cal. (1952–54), as an intern (student pastor)
Trinity Lutheran, Montgomery, Ala. (1955–58)
St. Philip Lutheran, Columbus, Ohio (1958–67) -– later named Pastor Emeritus
Lutheran Mission 373, Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
(1967–70), an experimental community ministry
St. James Lutheran, Washington, D. C. (1970), interim pastor
Ohio Council of Churches, Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
(1970–83)
Christ the King Lutheran, Columbus, Ohio (1974)
St. John Lutheran, Logan, Ohio (1983–95), part-time ministry
Retired, October 31, 1995 -– named Pastor Emeritus
St. Matthew Lutheran, Sugar Grove, Ohio
Sugar Grove, Ohio
Sugar Grove is a village in Fairfield County, Ohio, United States. The population was 448 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Sugar Grove is located at ....
(1997–1998), interim pastor
St. John Lutheran Church, Logan, Ohio
Logan, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 6,704 people, 2,790 households, and 1,768 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,175.2 people per square mile . There were 2,948 housing units at an average density of 956.5 per square mile...
(1998), interim pastor
St. Paul Lutheran Church, Pomeroy, Ohio
Pomeroy, Ohio
Pomeroy is a village in and the county seat of Meigs County, Ohio, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 1,966 at the 2000 census. During the late 19th century, Pomeroy was an important producer of coal and salt...
, and St. John Lutheran Church, Racine, Ohio
Racine, Ohio
Racine is a village in Meigs County, Ohio, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 746 at the 2000 census.Racine is Ohio's closest incorporated village to Buffington Island, the site of Ohio's only battle in the American Civil War....
, interim pastor (2001–2002)
Faith Lutheran Church, Jackson, Ohio
Jackson, Ohio
Jackson is a city in and the county seat of Jackson County, Ohio, United States. The population was 6,184 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Jackson is located at ....
, interim pastor (2002–2003)
Awards
Russwurm Award, National Negro Newspaper Publishers Association, 1957Selma Humanitarian Award, from the producers and cast of the musical "Selma," about life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., 1976
Distinguished Alumnus, Trinity Lutheran Seminary, 1986
Doctor of Humanities, Capital University, 1990
Ohio Humanitarian Award, 1993, in conjunction with Martin Luther King Day celebration
(Ohio) Governor's Humanitarian Award, 1997, in conjunction with Martin Luther King Day celebration
Books and publications
A Congregational Guide to Human Relations, 1964"An Informed Church Serves a Diverse Society," chapter in The Church in a Diverse Society, ed. L.W. Halvorson, Augsburg, 1964
Monthly columnist for Columbus, Ohio, Diocese Catholic Times (1973–87)
Montgomery - a White Preacher's Memoir, Chicago: Augsburg Fortress, 1991 (re-published as A White Preacher's Memoir: The Montgomery Bus Boycott. Black Belt Press, September 1999. ISBN 1579660150
A White Preacher's Message on Race And Reconciliation: Based on His Experiences Beginning With the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Montgomery: New South Books, 2006. ISBN 1588381900
External links
- Wittenberg University http://www.wittenberg.edu/ press release on Graetz' appearance at a Martin Luther King commemoration in January 2005
- Wittenberg University http://www.wittenberg.edu/ press release following Graetz' appearance on campus in January, 2005
- Profile of Graetz, with photo, in a special Montgomery Advertiser section on the Montgomery Bus Boycott
- National Public Radio, News and Notes, Nov. 4, 2005: Ed Gordon interviews Robert Graetz
- New South Books press release prior to a January, 2007 Graetz appearance at the Alabama Department of Archives and History