MAY NO ONE BE A STRANGER
150 YEARS OF UNITARIAN PRESENCE IN
by
Jean M. Hoefer
and
Irene Baros-Johnson
Drawings by Robert Coye
Logo Design by Dorothy Ashley
[Reprinted here by
permission]
MAY MEMORIAL UNITARIAN SOCIETY
1838 1988
[Web Page Additions by Roger Hiemstra, MMUUS
Archivist]
[Note: See
the Invitation At the End of This Document to
Help Write
the 1988-2006 History]
[page ii]
Copyright @ 1988
May Memorial Unitarian Society
Typeset and Printed by
The Printers Devil North, Inc.
[page
iii]
CONTENTS
Acknowledgements
Foreward
Rev. Dr. Nicholas C. Cardell, Jr. 1
A
New Field in the West 1838-1844 3
Rev. John P. B. Storer
The Church of the Messiah
To
Exercise a Larger Liberty 1845-1874 7
Rev. Samuel J. May
Abolition
Woman Suffrage
Education Reforms
Onward
and Upward 1868-1917 18
Rev. Samuel R. Calthrop
May
Rev. John H. Applebee
100 Years and Beyond 1917-1952 26
Rev. Applebee
Rev. W. W. W. Argow
Centennial Celebration
Parish House
Rev. Robert E. Romig
Rev. Glenn O. Canfield
Growth, Form, Movement 1952-1964 35
Rev. Robert L. Zoerheide
Relocation
Rev. John C. Fuller
May
Memorial Unitarian Society 1964-1973 44
New building on
Social Change and Hard Times
Open Channels 1973-1988 51
Rev. Nicholas C Cardell, Jr.
Sanctuary
Conclusion 59
Biographical Briefs 60
Index 62
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iv]
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The
official minutes of our Unitarian society's board of trustees and
congregational meetings are the primary source of this history, along with the
documents in our archive files. We used material from Elizabeth Walsh's and Helen
Saddington's centennial book A Backward Glance O'er
Traveled Roads. The scrapbooks kept by the society's historians over
the years and the memories of our members furnished many interesting details.
We also found information in the files at the Onondaga Historical Association,
the archives of the Unitarian Universalist Association in Boston, and the
library of the Meadville/Lombard Theological School in Chicago. We are indebted
to the staffs of the OHA and of Meadville Library and to UUA archivist Rev.
Mark Harris for their help, and to Dr. Sally Roesch
Wagner who furnished the quotation from Matilda Joslyn Gage. We also owe a
large debt of gratitude to the many people in the congregation who helped us
gather information and who read and critiqued the manuscript.
[page
1]
FOREWORD
Histories
of congregations are usually organized around the ministers who served them,
and focused on the styles and emphases of their ministries. This history is no
exception. It is probably the most practical approach, but it does not do
justice to the multitude of individuals who were and are the congregation.
One
of my colleagues, the Reverend Jack Mendelsohn, observed many years ago that
"Great churches make great ministers." Looking back over the roster
of ministers who served this society, it is clear that May Memorial has always
been a "great" congregation. The ministry of any religious community
depends for its fruitfulness not only on support for ministry, but also on
participation in it.
For
thoughtful, conscious life, all creation is precariously contained in a mended
cup of meaning. It is the cup from which we drink our lives, the cup with which
we drink to life. It is a cup that is broken and mended, broken and mended,
over and over again. Each time an era passes, a way of life is destroyed, or
someone of significance to us dies, we may cry out that our cup is broken. It
is at such times that we need each other and are needed.
Celebration
and healing are our tasks. Celebrating the wonders and mysteries of life, and
healing the mending of broken cups and broken lives these are the ministry
to which all of us are called. Nurturing and comforting each other in May
Memorial, and reaching out in compassion to those in our larger community whose
cups and lives have been broken by the mystery of fate or the cruelty of
injustice, these are the tasks that mark many of the high points in the history
of this congregation's ministry. It is a ministry that will always need a
"great" congregation.
NICK CARDELL, JR.
[page 2]
Rev. John P.
B. Storer, first minister 1838-1844
[page 3]
A NEW FIELD IN THE WEST
A
Unitarian society started in Syracuse during the 1830s, only a few years after
the Erie Canal had opened across New York State. In one generation Syracuse had
grown from a muddy four corners to a village of more than 3,000 people,
comfortable homes, busy offices, and warehouses. There were also taverns and
other nightspots where "canawlers" could
roister away the tedium of long days and nights on the silent waterway. In
several churches the pious listened nightly to tirades about the fires of hell
delivered by resident ministers and traveling evangelists who battled Satan
along the frontier.
Shocked
and dismayed by the excesses of the fire and brimstone preachers, Christians as
well as free thinkers came out to listen when Unitarian heretics came through
from New England to speak about a free religion of reason and brotherhood.
Syracuse historian W. Freeman Galpin wrote that Unitarian Rev. Henry Ware spoke
in Syracuse. "For one runner employed by the Unitarians to give notice of
the gathering," Ware reported, "ten were put in pay by the orthodox
to tell people not to go." These efforts resulted in an audience of more
than 100 people when he spoke the next day.
In
the intervals between missionary visits, Unitarians and Universalists gathered
for informal religious discussions in their homes. With the help of visiting
ministers they wrote a covenant that was signed by 14 people in the parlor of
Lydia and Elisha F. Wallace on 13 September 1838 forming the Unitarian
Congregational Society of Syracuse. On 4 October 1838 Dr. Hiram Hoyt and
Stephen Abbott presided at a meeting in Dr. Mayo's schoolhouse on Church (now
Willow) Street where Elihu Walter, Joel Owen, and Stephen Abbott were elected
the first trustees. The new congregation began a subscription to collect funds
for a church building and invited the Unitarians in Boston to help them find a
minister. A wooden chapel that cost $607 was completed at 317 East Genesee
Street in January 1839.
Several
visiting ministers came for a few weeks at a time to hold services and minister
to the people. One of the new church officers wrote the General Secretary in
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4]
but
so rapidly increased, that he soon had the satisfaction of addressing a
numerous and respectable audience. The Unitarian society at Syracuse by a
unanimous vote invited Mr. Storer to become their Pastor." On 30 March
1839 John Storer wrote to his congregation in Walpole that he was very happy
there and felt strongly attached to them, but he had made the painful decision
that "...it is my duty to go to the West...to tend a new field in the
Vineyard of the Lord."
John Storer moved to Syracuse in
the spring of 1839 to minister to the congregation of the "little
tabernacle," as he called the new chapel. His installation service on 20
June was held in the Methodist Church, because the little tabernacle was too
small to hold all the congregation and out-of-town visitors who attended. A
bachelor, Storer lived at the Syracuse House, a thriving hotel not far from the
canal docks, where distinguished travelers stayed and many important meetings were
held. Storer was described by those who knew him as a noble Christian, both
charming and scholarly. He had an intuitive sympathy for the joys -and sorrows
of all people from childhood through old age. Under his leadership the church
prospered and grew in spite of orthodox intolerance. A group of young men dared
to brave the storm and sneers of Orthodoxy by joining the society, although
social ostracism was so strong that few young women could face it. In 1877 C.
F. Williston, once mayor of Syracuse, reminisced in a letter to Rev. Samuel
Calthrop, "The notorious Elder Knapp used the Baptist Pulpit almost
nightly for weeks denouncing the Unitarian Devils as he called us, at the same
time asked pardon of 'Old Satan' for slandering him in that manner."
The
Unitarian congregation soon outgrew the little chapel described in Christian
Register as "a small and lowly tenement, which looked more like a
wood- house than a place of worship." After the Unitarians moved out, the
small wooden chapel continued to shelter new congregations, including the
Second Presbyterian, the Second Baptists, the Reformed Dutch, and the Wesleyan
Methodists.
Our
archives contain two letters written by members of the society in March 1840 to
John Townsend, one of the largest landowners and developers in the village.
They wrote to apply to the land company for a lot on which to build a Unitarian
church, because the Baptist, Presbyterian, and Episcopal "houses"
were all built on lots donated by Townsend's company. There is no further record
of the application, but it must have been turned down, because in August 1840
the society appointed Hiram Putnam, John Wilkinson, William Malcolm, Parley
Bassett, and Thomas Spencer to a committee to select and buy a lot for a larger
building. The women of the society financed the purchase with "avails from
fairs" and two lots on
[page
5]
The
corner
of Burnet, were bought for $1,000. In the
In
the summer of 1842 Mr. Storer traveled through
Between
the signing of contracts on
[page
6]
denominations.
The cornerstone was laid 27 June, the building completed that fall, and
dedication of the Church of the Messiah was celebrated on
Shortly
after moving to
The
Unitarian
ministers and friends from Storer's former congregations traveled to
[page 7]
TO EXERCISE A LARGER
Rev.
Samuel Joseph May preached his first sermon in
Samuel
Joseph May was born in
When
Sam May came back to Syracuse as a candidate for the pulpit opened by the death
of John Storer, he made sure that the congregation understood his commitments
to peace, temperance, and especially abolition. He had left two previous
ministries after conflicts with parishioners who objected to holding abolition
meetings and who wanted Negroes to sit in separate pews. During the past two
years in his position as head of a teacher's training school he had been
criticized for being a model of radical activism among his students. He wrote
about his candidating in
[page
8]
Rev. Samuel
J. May, second minister 1845-1868
After accepting the congregation's
unanimous invitation to be minister of the Church of the Messiah in late
1844, Sam May lingered in Massachusetts to help resolve a property dispute
between two factions of a divided church in Lexington, and to give Lucretia
time to recover from a premature delivery. The May family moved to
The
raw canal town troubled the
[page
9]
worked
together for state legislation to provide education and housing for canal boys.
The boys were rowdy, ignorant canal workers, usually homeless or runaway youths
who were shamefully exploited and often in trouble with the law. May also
helped start a school for children at the Onondaga Indian Reservation. A
planning group met at the Congregational Church in February 1846 and by
November of the same year a school building with seats and desks for 70 pupils
was dedicated at the Reservation. May and others acted within the cultural bias
of their time by setting a curriculum that taught farming and housekeeping
skills and emphasized steady work habits. More than a century passed before
educators considered including the language and traditions of the Onondaga
Nation in the school curriculum.
With
some of his church members and other philanthropic friends, May started the
first hospital in
Sam
May's lifelong concern was to prevent unnecessary misery. Like his father, a
May
held community discussion meetings at City Hall. One of his parishioners,
Harriet Smith Mills (mother of suffragist Harriet May Mills), described the
openness of these Sunday afternoon meetings that were attended by ministers and
people from all different churches. She wrote, "...it seemed to me the
ideal way of seeking truth...as no one has the whole truth, and from none is it
fully hidden." She sensed a real communion at the meetings, a fellowship
and fraternity beyond the sectarian bonds that divide people.
May
had a less formal style than many ministers. He wore a suit, not a robe in the
pulpit. He invited to the communion table all who wished to commemorate the
life and teachings of Jesus as a divinely inspired model. The Christianity that
May preached and professed stressed freedom of thought. When he addressed the
[page
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free
will, but also for developing citizens capable of self-government. For Sam May,
the core of Unitarian theology lay in the human mind and heart, "...it can
do a man no good to assert to that as a truth, which he does not perceive to be
true; it can do his heart no good to obey a precept, which he does not from his
heart believe to be right." May advised the graduates to be open to
learning even from the poor and illiterate, who, he assured them, would put to
shame their privileged education.
Pacifism
and nonviolence were natural outgrowths of May's religion. He preached against
capital punishment, and the whole
May's
activism undoubtedly alienated some of his flock, but his loving attitude
toward all people regardless of their opinions made his church popular. His
congregation soon outgrew its building. In the autumn of 1850 they rebuilt one
end of the church to make it 20 feet longer, allowing the addition of 28 more
pews. They also added a spire on top of the bell tower, which was the cause of
a remarkable catastrophe little more than one year later. Early Sunday morning
29 February 1852 the church was destroyed "by a hurricane which struck the
spire; threw it directly upon the ridge pole, crushed down the whole roof,
burst out the side and end walls, and in one movement demolished the entire
building excepting the front and the foundation." When the Unitarians
arrived for Sunday services they found their church was a pile of rubble. Near
the
[page
11]
east
end of the building the roof of the Northrup family home was crushed by the
falling bricks, trapping two women in the ruins. The church had collapsed about
The
stunned Unitarians gathering around the fallen building were mocked by some
more orthodox observers who "exulted over the penalty" that the
Almighty had exacted from the "unbelievers." The congregation
arranged to hold emergency services in City Hall, and after pledging to
reimburse the owner of the damaged house, Sam May reassured his congregation
with "a very feeling sermon" based on the gospel according to Luke,
xiii, 4, 5: "Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and
slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in
Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise
perish."
For
weeks the town was "rife with opinions on the matter of the punishment..."
But Mr. Northrup, a Methodist, took a moderate view saying, "If the storm
was God's punishment for unbelief, why was the steeple allowed to fall on our
house? We are orthodox. Don't make out God to be meaner than man. If your house
falls down, don't change your religion but change your carpenter."
The
Unitarian church trustees requested permission to hold services in the First
Presbyterian Church each Sabbath at
Once
again, H. N. White was designated by the trustees to oversee construction of
the church building. Most of the $10,000 cost of rebuilding came from a public
auction of pews, although $2,000 was contributed by friends in
The building was
rededicated on 14 April 1853. One local newspaper reported that the service
emphasized God's work: "Remember those in
[page
12]
bonds...those
in adversity...(and) to prevent men from putting the bottle in their neighbor's
mouth making him drunken also." Another paper printed Mr. May's entire dedication
sermon that "summoned ourselves and others to exercise a larger
liberty...to make religious doctrine and religious duty the subjects of their
own personal investigation."
The
anti- Unitarian sentiment in
[page
13]
cooperated
on abolition and temperance work. May accepted, and treated the citizens of
May
was a founding member of the American Antislavery Society. He frequently
arranged for the group to meet in
In
October 1851 May played a
leading role in the famous Jerry Rescue in which a large number of men,
including some leading citizens, stormed the jail and freed a former slave
named Jerry who had been arrested under the Fugitive Slave Act. An escape
attempt earlier in the day had failed and Jerry had been injured. May visited
him in jail and promised him that he would be freed. The successful rescue was
planned in the office of Dr. Hiram Hoyt, one of the founders of the Unitarian
society. The rescuers organized their operation carefully so that no one was
killed or seriously injured in the struggle, although the jail building
suffered a lot of damage. Other Syracusans considered the rescue an outrage
against law and order. They held a protest meeting and 677 citizens signed a
petition denouncing the "Jerry Riot" But there were strong
antislavery sympathizers like former Mayor Alfred H. Hovey who had chaired a
meeting of protest against the Fugitive Slave Act when it was passed in 1850.
Several of the principal rescuers (rioters) were arrested and Unitarians George
Barnes, Oliver T. Burt, Dr. Lyman Clary, and Captain Hiram Putnam put up most
of their bail, while Charles B. Sedgwick provided legal counsel. None of the
antislavery people who
[page
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participated
in Jerry's rescue were sent to jail. For years afterward, whenever Sam May
faced a controversy, he would remark with a twinkle that he was getting ready
for another Jerry Rescue.
Illness
kept May out of the fray during part of 1858 and most of 1859. He rested in
At
an antislavery convention in
Sam
May viewed the destruction and bloodshed of the Civil War as a judgment on both
the North and the South for participating in the sin of slavery. Young men from
his church enlisted in the army and many other members of the society
volunteered to aid the war effort. The women sewed, knitted, and prepared
bandages, the men worked with the Sanitary Commission to organize shipments of
supplies for the wounded. May traveled to
When
he spoke of the rights of citizens, May also included the rights of women.
Before he met antislavery activists Lucretia Mott and the Grimke sisters in the
early 1830s May had never questioned the common assumption that women were not
to engage in public affairs. Troubled at first by women speaking in public
places, he had listened with an open mind and soon adopted their cause as his
own. He invited women such as the Quaker leader Lucretia Mott and
Congregationalist Rev. Antoinette Brown to speak from his pulpit in
Some
Syracusans were shocked and outraged when May stood on the platform with women
who were wearing the controversial bloomer
[page
15]
costume.
He was reluctant to discuss women's clothing but was eventually persuaded to come
out against tight corsets and other disabling fashions when the conservative
clergy and press ridiculed the reformers. Soon afterward a group of village
ladies called on him to complain about this public discussion of women's dress,
announcing that they had a message for him from the Lord. May received them
cordially and remarked he did not doubt they had a message, but he did doubt
its authorship.
After
the Civil War, Sam May helped organize the Onondaga County Suffrage Association
and held a series of meetings at City Hall. He invited Elizabeth Cady Stanton
and Lucy Stone to speak, promising "two or three able, gentlemanly
opponents who are sincere in thinking our doctrines erroneous and who will
give them an opportunity fully to vindicate those doctrines in every
particular." When the first National Conference of Unitarian Churches was
held in 1865, May stirred controversy by suggesting that Universalists should
also be invited, and that churches should send both men and women as delegates.
At the second national conference in 1866 two women from
Early
in his ministry May had seen the devastating effects of alcohol abuse on
individuals and their families, which led him to enlist in the temperance
movement. He taught temperance songs in his Sunday schools, urged the school
children to "sign the pledge" promising never to use alcohol, and
supported community temperance rallies wherever he lived. During his
All of May's deepest
convictions seemed to coalesce in his educational work, and this may have
been his most important and lasting contribution to Syracuse. In 1848 he worded
the resolutions at a public meeting that established the school system of the
newly incorporated City of
[page
16]
Council
was not interested, so May led a campaign to raise part of the money and
persuade the city to build the school. He recruited Andrew D. White, a
prominent educator who later became first president of Cornell, to collect
funds. He enlisted public enthusiasm at a meeting in the fall of 1866 and in
December the citizens voted $75,000 for the new high school, which was built at
After
May's term on the Board was over, a new elementary school on
In
1868 May resigned his pulpit because of ill health and the society called Rev.
Samuel Calthrop to be their minister. Lucretia May had died in 1865 and Sam
went to live at the home of his daughter, Charlotte May Wilkinson. He continued
to work as a missionary, preaching in nearby towns and villages and traveling
as far as
In
the summer of 1871 his friend Andrew White, president of
During
the night following White's. visit Sam May died, ending 26 years of loving
service to a community that had known him as pastor,
[page
17]
teacher,
and friend. They all came
to his funeral, people from rich homes and humble ones, from his own
religious society and many others, colleagues in his struggle for human and civil
rights, individuals he had helped and befriended. Black people in
In memory of Samuel Joseph May, born in Boston
September 12, 1797, died
in
The
tablet was installed below a large
stained glass window when the James Street church was dedicated in 1885 and
was not removed until the building was sold in 1963. At this writing its location is
unknown (Editors note: It was later located as this prior link shows).
Matilda Joslyn Gage, a radical feminist of the day, wrote after May's death,
"A curious ignoring of his position on (women's rights) took place at the
time of his funeral services, not one eulogist at church or grave even remotely
alluding to his full and well-known sympathy with the woman suffrage movement;
nor was a woman asked to speak upon that occasion."
The
Unitarian Society purchased a marble bust of May made by a young artist from
[page
18]
ONWARD AND UPWARD
A
man of great presence and enthusiasm, with a superb education and eight years
pastoral experience, a vigorous 39-year-old Samuel Calthrop accepted the call
of the Church of the Messiah to fill the pulpit so long occupied by Samuel
May. No one could ever take May's place, but the people had great hopes for
this big, handsome Englishman who had left the Church of England because it
worshipped a bad god." He
had been an honor student preparing for the ministry at Cambridge University,
but was refused his diploma when he declined to subscribe to the articles
of faith of the English Church. He came to the
To
prepare himself for the American ministry, Calthrop lectured at Harvard and
then started a school for boys at
Financially
embarrassed by his move to
In
the spring of 1871 Calthrop moved his family from a house on
Changes
in the church followed Samuel Calthrop's arrival. The
board of trustees was enlarged from six to nine men, and the names of women
[page
19]
began
to appear in the official minutes, which always before had been exclusively
masculine. A committee was appointed to welcome and seat newcomers at Sunday
services. Pews were free and revenues to support the church came from an
"envelope system of voluntary pledges. The church was mortgaged to pay
for renovations, including finishing the basement rooms for meetings and Sunday
school classes. Members argued hotly over allowing the children" to dance
at church socials in the new basement. Among the many volunteer Sunday school
superintendents who served over the years, Mary Redfield Bagg
stands out for the graded course of study that she introduced at May Memorial.
It was adopted by other churches in the denomination for their Sunday schools.
During
the 1870s the congregation could not meet expenses and Mr. Calthrop took
several cuts in salary. In the face of continuing deficits, the church decided
to reinstate the sale of pews in 1878, and gave up the "envelope system"
of subscriptions completely several years later. The ladies of the congregation
received a special resolution of thanks in 1878 "for the very efficient
manner in which they had extinguished the church debt." As a group, the
church women were now pledging several hundred dollars a year in fund-raising
events. At this time they were not formally organized, but several years later
the women of May Memorial formed the Women's Auxiliary to the Unitarian
Association. This organization eventually became the Women's
The
new church meeting rooms were used by groups outside the congregation. For
several years Calthrop held classes there, inviting the public to study
subjects like astronomy, botany, geology, chemistry, Roman history, and the
Hebrew prophets. The Syracuse Botany Club was formed by his students and is
still active today. It was organized by members of a fern class taught by Lily
Barnes. Mrs. L. L. Goodrich was president for 30 years.
Calthrop
read omnivorously and kept his congregation informed about intellectual trends
and controversies. From his pulpit he dared to advocate that latest scientific
heresy, evolution. In 1871 he mentioned the subject in the graduation address
he gave at
[page
20]
University
awarded him an honorary LH.D. with the tribute, "There is no honorable
designation too good for him."
Sam
Calthrop's absent-mindedness was legendary. There are
several stories of his riding or driving his horses on some errand and then
walking home without them. It was said that, left to care for his baby
daughter, he deposited her with a neighbor, and when Mrs. Calthrop came home he
did not know where the child was. Once when Mrs. Calthrop was out for the
evening, he put the children to bed, and reported to her later that one of them
had put up quite a struggle. When she looked in on the sleeping children, she
found that the recalcitrant one was not hers but the child of a neighbor. One
summer he came to town from his summer camp at the head of
After
some attempts at advertising for building plans, the trustees again hired
Horatio White to design and oversee the building of the church, to be
constructed of Onondaga limestone on a lot at
The new church was
completed in the fall of 1885, a gray stone building of mixed Gothic and Romanesque
design with a black slate roof. The front of the building faced
______________________
*A box of memorabilia
sealed into the wall during the ceremony came to light again four generations
later and its contents are now in the church archives. As of this writing, the cornerstone itself rests in
the memorial garden of our present church building.
[page
21]
by
a spacious octagonal vestibule and side porches, all of which, including
auditorium and ceilings, are finished with western cherry lumber, high
wainscotings and paneled ceilings. The pews are constructed with cherry, in a
crescent form, the floor descending towards the pulpit thirty inches. The
rental capacity is 450 sittings, with ample accommodation for 500. The organ
and choir are located in a high arched niche over the pulpit."
The
inside roof and walls were braced with carved wooden trusses and steel rods
that stretched across the upper space of the auditorium. Five tall, arched
windows in each side wall were eventually filled with stained glass windows,
memorials to John Storer and lay men and women who had been devoted church
members.* One
hundred twelve pews filled the auditorium where center and two side aisles
led down to the dais and pulpit. Flanking the dais were panels lettered with
Bible verses under the headings "God Is Our Father" and "Christ
Is Our Teacher," and below each of these panels was a large fireplace and
mantel. Doors on either side led to Sunday school rooms, stairs, a parlor,
kitchen, and other conveniences." In the basement were three furnaces
guaranteed to keep the rooms heated to 70 degrees in zero weather. They didn't,
and had to be replaced with four others a few years later. When
The
Music
was very important to this congregation. Each year one of the first duties of
the trustees was to appoint a music committee, which had more members than any
other standing committee. The church women regularly raised money for the music
fund, and in 1884 they also gave Mrs. Calthrop a Steinway grand piano with a
silver plaque. In the late 1880s the finances faltered again and yearly
deficits began to build up, but the congregation would not consent to trim the
$1,200 appropriated
______________________
*When the building was sold
eighty years later, photographs were taken of the windows. They are kept in the
church archives and displayed on
the church web site.
[page
22]
for
the organist and choir," usually a paid quartet. When the trustees
suggested the church might have to close, the organist resigned and volunteers
had to supply the music. The next year the congregation voted to raise funds by
a special subscription to hire an organist and quartet and to enlarge the organ
loft to accommodate a chorus choir.
Economic
problems beset the whole country in the early 1890s. During the panic of 1893
members of the Unitarian society joined with others in the community to feed
the hungry, using city schools as distribution centers. Sam Calthrop stayed in
town to coordinate the effort and did not return to Primrose Hill until the
crisis was over. The previous year he and his daughters, with the Helping Hand
Guild Committee of the church, had started the Newsboys' Evening Home in the
Sunday school rooms. Youngsters could come several nights a week for cookies,
cocoa, classes, and games. The Boys' Home ran in the church for 10 years until
it could move to more appropriate quarters. The organization kept on growing
and is now known as the Syracuse Boys' Club.
The
Women's
At
this time two young women of the congregation were preparing for the Unitarian
ministry and both were ordained at May Memorial church. The first was Marie H.
Jenney, who was ordained in June 1898 and served as co-pastor with Rev. Mary
Safford in the
Young
women at the church were not the only ones overcoming traditions. At the annual
meeting in 1901 the congregation started a policy of electing members of the
Women's
[page
23]
Rev. Dr.
Samuel R. Calthrop, third minister 1868-1911
presented
a new registry book to the congregation. This project had been proposed and
discussed for a decade. All
past members of the congregation were listed in the registry, with their
individual signatures if copies were available. Current members were invited to
add their signatures, and all new members since then. Long-time members recall
that signing the book has not always been expected of new members, but it is
today and the same registry book is still being used.
For
30 years Dr. Calthrop had preached without notes and his sermons were becoming
either too short or too long, because the trustees in 1897 requested that he
"prepare sermons of 30 minutes duration." He responded favorably and
also suggested the society hire an assistant. They did not have the funds to
pay another professional until 1901, when they decided to find an associate
minister. Albert W. Clark
of
[page
24]
unkindly
reported that although the congregation liked Mr. Clark, they had voted to have
sermons delivered only by Dr. Calthrop.
The
Sunday school grew under young
The
Women's
In
December 1909 three trustees called on Dr. Calthrop, then 80 years old, to
discuss church conditions. They reported at the next board meeting that it was
mutually agreed the time had come when a younger man should be secured to take
up the work of the church, with Dr. Calthrop as pastor emeritus. In January
1911 the Reverend John Henry Applebee, also English by birth but educated in
the
The
church was renovated and a new organ installed in a new choir loft at the back
of the auditorium. For several years afterward the public was invited to
regular organ recitals that were an important part of the church program. A
group of church ladies commissioned sculptor Gail Sherman Corbett to make a marble bust of Dr. Calthrop, and
two pedestals were ordered. The marble busts of May and Calthrop were placed in
the front of the sanctuary where they stood, white against the dark paneling
for the next 40 years.
At
the annual meeting of the congregation in January 1914 Dr. Calthrop, no longer
able to sit through a whole evening gave a parting blessing to the assembly and
said of Mr. Applebee, "...my good friend is
[page
25]
just
making things hum." In his annual report John Applebee explained a
social service plan worked out by the city and the churches, in which each
congregation assumed partial responsibility for social services in a specific
district. He asked the congregation to cooperate "to show our practical
religion of the brotherhood of all men." At about this time Applebee wrote
in his diary, "I have been here for three years and have just presided
over my first communion service. Since 1911 Dr. Calthrop as pastor emeritus has
preached once a month and taught a Sunday school class. This January, 1914, he
gracefully acquiesced in the opinion of his friends that he should be released
from all responsibility and work, owing to the necessary infirmities of
age."
At
the beginning of his fifth year at May Memorial, John Applebee reported to the
annual meeting that Sunday school attendance ranged from 70 to 130, the Women's
Alliance was strong, the Men's Club in a flourishing condition, and the Samuel
R. Calthrop League meeting regularly for play readings, lectures, and other
"instruction and profit." John Applebee, who was a slender five feet
eight inches, related that on his first visit to Syracuse his host, Samuel
Calthrop, had set him to sawing wood, and someone in an aside whispered
"he has been sawing wood ever since." With grateful enthusiasm
members at the meeting passed several resolutions thanking John and Alice
Applebee for their faithful work, warmth, and inspiration" under
conditions making any adequate financial recompense impossible." One year
later the trustees raised Applebee's salary to $3,000.
Samuel
Calthrop died in 1917 at the age of 86. Church member Salem Hyde wrote a
memorial in which the congregation expressed "... tenderest
affection... overwhelming gratitude toward the memory of our pastor and friend,
who has given us so much and given it so graciously and with such telling
effect on us and on the people of this community." Beside Mr. Applebee at
the funeral service were Rev. Frederick Betts of the Universalist church, Rabbi
Adolph Guttman of
And now may the peace of God that passeth
all understanding, keep our hearts and minds in the blessed knowledge that our
Father's love is eternal: may that love be ours; our guide through life; our joy in
death; and our glory throughout eternity. -- Amen.
[page
26]
100 YEARS AND BEYOND
World
War I brought
For
many years the Unitarian society had a tradition of holding a congregational
meeting in October to secure financial support for. the church. In the early years
of the society, a pew auction was held in October and a deed of
"ownership" was presented to each successful bidder. Later on, church
members voted at the October meeting to pay the cost of organist and choir
singers recommended by the music committee and, when auctions were abandoned,
they used the occasion to arrange their pew rentals for the coming year. By the
1900s the October meetings had become birthday celebrations for Sam Calthrop,
and Calthrop birthday dinners continued to be held for years after his death.
The Calthrop birthday anniversary dinner of
During
the years before and after World War I, joint services were held with the
Universalists and
The
women of the church were traditionally represented by two females on the Board
of Trustees, but in 1918 Mrs. F. R. Hazard was elected a third woman trustee.
In nominating her at the congregation's
[page
27]
annual
meeting, George Cheney noted that it was a departure from precedent, but
"the world turns and we have come upon a new time. Woman suffrage has
triumphantly carried the State of
The
turmoil and social changes of the 1920s are only vaguely reflected in the
church records. At a time when evangelist Billy Sunday was attracting hundreds
to the traditional Protestant churches, the Unitarians, who had bought a movie
projector for the Army Club, invited the public to weekly movie shows. In 1923
the congregation sponsored a week-long mission service that featured a visiting
Unitarian minister. At least one family we know joined May Memorial in reaction
to Billy Sunday and that was Joyce Ball's family, the DeLines.
In 1922 attendance at May Memorial averaged about 130 and there were 43
children and seven teachers in the Sunday school. The church school director
was Elizabeth Lewis who became one of the first members to receive the Annual
Award when it was started in the mid-1950s. Our records describe a church
meeting in 1925 when the congregation discussed reviving the communion
ceremony, which had not been held for some time," as part of the Easter
service. Implementation was turned over to the trustees who decided on a simple
memorial communion service to be held on Palm Sunday. Our older members can
remember communion held in the church on some occasions after that, but the
practice had disappeared by the 1950s.
Once
again in the late 1920s the church was faced with dwindling membership and a
beloved elderly minister who no longer filled the pews on Sunday. Dr. Applebee
(DD Meadville, 1924) twice offered to resign, but the congregation was very
fond of their saintly pastor. They voted to keep him as minister and hired a
part-time secretary to assist him with writing and mailing the church
newsletter from his home on
Rev.
Evans A. Worthley was interim minister until the
congregation,
[page
28]
Rev. Dr. John H. Applebee,
1911-1929 Rev. Dr. W. W. W. Argow,
1930-1941
called a
dynamic new minister, W. W. W.
Argow, a former Baptist who became a pacifist and joined the Unitarian
denomination. He came to
In
spite of all this activity, the church finances were precarious, with deficits
depleting reserves and Dr. Argow turning back part of his salary every year.
The church tried to help with the problems of the Great Depression by opening
its Sunday school space as a reading room for unemployed people who were
walking the streets. An average of 75 men used the reading room every day it
was open during 1931 and 1932.
To
raise money for the church budget the Laymen's League sponsored lectures by the
famous minister John Haynes Holmes. The Women's
[page
29]
at
the art museum. They also sponsored plays for children put on by the Clare Tree
Major road company, and held garden parties at the home of Judge and Mrs.
Hiscock on
The
big event of the decade was the one hundredth anniversary of the society
celebrated by a week of activities in October 1938. Centennial events started
with the Sunday service on 16 October led by Dr. Argow who spoke about the "Challenge of an
Inheritance." He was assisted by church member Rev. Elizabeth Padgham, now
retired and living in
In
December 1939 May Memorial invited the congregation of
Dr.
Elizabeth Manwell, a teacher of child development at
[page
30]
and
author of several books, some in collaboration with Sophia Lyon Fahs, a well-known Unitarian writer and educator. Manwell's book "Consider the Children, How They
Grow" was an important addition to parent education and won an honorable
mention from Parents Magazine in 1940.
Dr.
Reginald Manwell,
In
October 1940 the congregation bought the home of the Van Duyn
family who had lived next door. The building was of special interest to
Unitarians because it had housed the first family relations clinic, a precursor
of Planned Parenthood and a controversial facility that many church members
supported. A woman most instrumental in the success of the clinic was Sarah
Hazard Knapp, daughter of Dora Hazard and mother of our long-time member, Sarah
Auchincloss. The asking price of $5,000 was paid in
cash thanks to a legacy left by Anna Agan Chase.
Volunteers raised money, remodeled, redecorated, and the church school moved
into the parish house soon after the New Year. Dr. Argow called the
congregation together on
The
1940s challenged the social consciences of religious liberals more than any
time since the Civil War. During the next dozen years, two ministers came and
went at May Memorial. Both were youthful and conscientious men who ultimately
felt a call to duty more challenging than the needs of a comfortable,
middle-class congregation. The majority of Unitarians at May Memorial seemed
very conservative to liberal clergymen, although the members themselves
considered their church a bastion of liberalism in a conservative community.
Rev.
Robert Eldon Romig came to the pulpit at May Memorial in the summer of 1941.
Because of the wartime housing shortage Bob and Ellen Romig could not find a
suitable home, and the church bought a parsonage for them, a large colonial
house on
[page
31]
Dr. Elizabeth Manwell
DRE 1936-1949
96
the year before. In 1944 Romig worked for the United War Fund, organizing five
In
spite of the pacifist sympathies of its ministers and some members, most of the
young men who grew up at May Memorial went into the service when the United States
entered World War II, and many of them were killed. The honor roll for both
world wars is preserved in the church archives. The women of the congregation
concentrated their war efforts in two directions, sewing for refugees, and
serving lunches to school children whose mothers were working full-time. In
1943 Alice Southwick and Dorothy Wertheimer organized volunteer women from the
church, the neighborhood, and the university. Each volunteer came in one day a
week to help cook and serve lunch to the children. The project grew to involve
about 70 volunteers a week serving from 50 to 60 lunches daily. By the end of
June 1945 the women had served 8,500 lunches! When the war ended, the women
turned to collecting and packing food and clothing for European relief. In
December 1945 they shipped 118 boxes of food and in 1947 a similar number of
boxes of clothing was packed and sent to
Rev.
Glenn Owen Canfield came to May Memorial in the fall of 1946,
[page
32]
May
1884-1964
May Memorial
Parish House,
1940-1964
(next door
to church connected by a corridor)
[page
33]
determined
to open the congregation to more liberal ideas. He had become a Unitarian in
1943 after ten years as a Presbyterian minister in the midwest.
During his
When
Elizabeth Manwell retired in 1949 the congregation celebrated her work at May
Memorial and throughout the denomination with a dinner. At the same time they
welcomed Josephine Gould as the new director of the church school to which she
had contributed much knowledge and experience over the years. She was already
well known for her work and publications in the religious education field.
Church
membership was increasing. Canfield attracted a strong young
[page
34]
Rev. Robert E. Romig, 1941-1946 Rev. Glenn O. Canfield, 1946-1952
adult
group though his campus ministry and, with the help of newspaper ads inviting
the public to "come and think," membership at May Memorial increased
to 400, the largest in its history.
In
September 1951 the congregation held a dinner to celebrate the fiftieth
anniversary of Elizabeth Padgham's ordination. Glenn Canfield spoke of the
service she gave to her home church during her retirement. In the fall of 1952
Glenn Canfield and his wife Ellen left
With
its large, active congregation and its excellent church school program, May
Memorial was one of the strongest churches in the denomination. At least one
denominational official warned of a conservative bloc in the congregation.
"The minister who goes there will have to trim his sails considerably and
with some strategy may be able to keep the liberal gains that Glenn Canfield
has made," wrote Dale DeWitt of AUA. He praised the "splendid
people" in the church even as he expressed doubt that a social emphasis
program could be achieved at May Memorial. The pulpit committee soon presented
two excellent candidates who visited the society to give candidating
sermons. In a congregational meeting the members voted to call the one
recommended by the pulpit committee. It was a close vote, which left the winner
with some disappointed parishioners to win over, although he received a
unanimous vote of confidence once the election was official. The congregation
had chosen the Reverend Robert
L. Zoerheide from
[page
35]
GROWTH, FORM, MOVEMENT
When
Bob Zoerheide came to May Memorial, no one foresaw the tremendous changes that
would accompany his ministry. He was a tall, youthful man with a quietly
deliberate manner. Theology and personal religion were important themes of his
sermons. He spoke about individualism, variations in Unitarian thought,
Biblical scholarship, the Dead Sea Scrolls and the new philosophy of
existentialism. He did not neglect social problems. He served on the board of
NAACP, he supported civil rights and housing, but the closest he came to activism
was to speak out on church-state issues such as religious instruction in
schools and loyalty oaths for teachers and other public employees.
Almost
as soon as he arrived, Bob Zoerheide found himself drawn into a controversy
regarding the Council of Churches. The Syracuse Council of Churches had been
formed by the Protestant Christian churches, including the Unitarians and
Universalists, in 1931. Both the Unitarian and Universalist ministers had been
active in the council ever since, serving as officers and board members of the
organization. May Memorial trustees annually appointed lay members to serve on
boards and committees of the council. When the National Council of Churches
reorganized in 1945, it required member congregations to declare acceptance of
Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, but the local council did not adopt the
statement as a membership test.
Gradually,
before and during the war years, the majority of Unitarians let go their
traditional ties to Christianity in favor of a commitment to broader religious
values. By the time Bob Zoerheide arrived here at the height of the McCarthy
era, when "liberal" was a popular euphemism for
"communist," many traditional Christians were becoming very uneasy
with their liberal religious brethren. Because of the Christian emphasis, some
members of May Memorial pushed for the congregation to dissociate itself from
the Syracuse Council of Churches. This attitude grew stronger when the majority
of the Protestant churches sponsored a campaign in
It
was not a good time to break with the Protestant community. During those
midcentury years a struggle was going on about state aid to parochial schools
and released time in the public schools for the purpose
[page
36]
of
religious instruction. These programs were considered violations of the
constitutional principle of the separation of church and state, and the AUA had
protested against them through resolutions passed by delegates at the
denominational May Meetings. Unitarians and Universalists in
Plans
for a liberal religious coalition in
[page
37]
Rev. Robert
L. Zoerheide
Minister
from 1952 to 1961
work
on arrangements and hospitality. The Hotel Syracuse staff was cooperative but
confused. They are said to have directed arriving Unitarian delegates to a
meeting of "Ukrainians" on the tenth floor. Telephone communication
kept each conference informed about the other's deliberations as the two groups
considered separately the Commission recommendations.
Of
course there were difficulties. Rev. Max Kapp, Dean
of St. Lawrence Theological School, quipped that the Universalists were afraid
of being swallowed by the larger Unitarian denomination, while the Unitarians
feared they would get indigestion. When the two groups were near agreement they
met in joint sessions at the Syracuse War Memorial auditorium to discuss and
vote on identical recommendations. They argued about whether to include the
name "Jesus" and other "great prophets," and finally
resolved the issue by leaving out names and referring to the
"Judeo-Christian heritage." Delegates voted to combine the national
organizations of the two denominations into one that would be called the
Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA). They proposed a constitution that
would be approved by both denominations at their last national conventions in
1960.
Credit
for the success of the merger meetings was largely due to the friendly manner
and parliamentary skills of moderator Ralph Kharas, a
member of May Memorial and Dean of Syracuse University Law School. After the
conference, he is said to have confided to friends, "I wasn't always
exactly sure of the proper ruling, but I made quick decisions and when I banged
the gavel no one objected."
The
merger in no way affected the independence of individual congregations, who
were left to decide for themselves whether they wanted to change their names or
join with others. Congregations all over the country were asked to approve the
merger plan before it could be implemented. In January the congregation at May
Memorial voted for it 85 to 1. Relations between May Memorial and the Syracuse
Universalist church remained cordial and each congregation continued on its
traditional way after the denominations united.
[page
38]
The
May Memorial tradition of offering use of the church building to community
groups helped start several local institutions. One of them was the
The
hard times of the thirties and the grim years of war and refugees were gone,
but the society had a new problem, overcrowding. Young suburban families filled
the two buildings every Sunday and their automobiles lined both sides of the
surrounding streets. The church school exceeded its capacity with 180 pupils
and more came every year. The church rented rooms in the
The
trustees launched an expansion fund drive in October 1956 and appointed a site
committee that scoured the city for suitable property without success. At the
trustees meeting in December they were tired and ready to abandon the idea of
moving, but Bob Zoerheide persuaded them to reorganize their committees and
keep on looking. In March 1957 the congregation reaffirmed the decision to
relocate by a vote of 107 to 10 and authorized the board of trustees to take
any action necessary to implement it. Several months later the site committee
found the property
[page
39]
they
were looking for and the congregation passed a motion to buy it. With the
acquisition of land at the corner of
Disappointments
dogged the relocation process.
At
the annual meeting in June 1960 Bob Zoerheide described an informal survey of
U-U churches that placed May Memorial near the top nationally in overall
membership, size and excellence of church school, budget, and support of the
denomination. During his ministry membership had grown to more than 500, and
the annual budget had grown from $14,000 to $34,000. There were three active
youth groups in the church, a part-time paid youth director and a large campus
club of Unitarian youth who met several times a month at Hendricks Chapel. A
program council of representatives from all congregational groups met regularly
to coordinate church activities and report to the trustees. An active
membership committee greeted visitors and planned meetings and social events
for interested newcomers. The trustees accepted the names of new people into
membership by formal action at board meetings, and new members kept coming.
Such
a vital congregation could not allow itself to be discouraged. In the fall of
1960 the board of trustees under president John Chamberlin started a new
capital fund drive and appointed three new committees to develop alternative
plans for the future: long range, staying at
Besides
the increased membership, the church had changed in other ways during Bob Zoerheide's ministry. An all-volunteer choir had replaced
the paid quartet; young parents could bring their infants and
[page
40]
toddlers
for child care while they participated in adult activities or taught in the
church school; and the life-size marble patriarchs that had flanked the pulpit
for so long were moved first to the vestibule, and then out of sight entirely
to a history room in the small front tower. Most importantly, the society had a
new site and a good start on a building fund, although they still had no
architect.
Another
congregational vote in April 1961 reaffirmed the members' determination to
relocate. They voted 145 to 95 to build at 3800
At
the same time, the pulpit committee had been looking for a minister. At a
congregational meeting in June 1961 members voted unanimously to call the Reverend John Channing Fuller
from Orlando, Florida to be the next minister of May Memorial.
John
and Betsy Fuller settled in
[page
41]
growth,
and movement, is fundamental to Unitarian belief." They asked for architecture
marked by beauty, dignity, serenity, strength, stimulation, and challenge. And
they engaged the best acoustical consultant and most expert organ builder
available.
At
the annual meeting in 1963 the treasurer announced a new high in annual income,
$51,000. Henry Mertens reported that the final building plans would be let out
for bids that summer. In September the congregation voted 100 to 10 to hire Kosoff Construction Company and construction started a few
weeks later. Although sale of the
Building
plans were not the only congregational concerns. More families were joining and
the church school registered 300 children in 1962 and 1963. Bob Burdick
organized a group of parents to keep a fire watch patrol in the parish house
during church school sessions because the building was considered unsafe. A
special donation funding Sunday morning care for infants and toddlers ran out
and a decision had to be made whether to continue it. Elizabeth Manwell and Jo
Gould opposed having the young parents' cooperative babyfold because they
believed nursery care was detrimental for children under the age of three. The
trustees studied the question and decided to support the babyfold separately
from the church school.
Meanwhile
John Fuller was not neglecting the social problems of
Standing
in the carved mahogany pulpit above one side of the dais, John Fuller could
look down through a decorative ironwork grill in the floor into the furnace in
the basement below. In the winter time he joked that he only had to lean over
to see the fires of hell. He did not need this view to remind him to address
the "burning issues" of the day. In addition to his own interests in
liberal causes, activist members of the congregation were enthusiastic
supporters of black protests against urban renewal programs in the center of
[page
42]
counter
discrimination that made it difficult for displaced black families to find
affordable housing in other parts of the city, John Fuller and Elizabeth
Manwell formed a May Memorial committee that worked with other organizations
helping displaced families find housing. These developments disturbed church
members who felt the proper concern of the Unitarian Society was basic moral
and philosophical discussion, with social action to be left to the discretion
of each individual, not to involve the congregation as a whole. This was not a
new conflict, only new to the generation that encountered it for the first
time.
When
a new Public Affairs Committee formed, the trustees monitored it carefully,
requiring it to report to the board before taking any public action. The board
allowed the committee to organize a community-wide forum on discrimination in
housing and to lobby City Hall for practical measures to increase low-income
housing. After several informational meetings, six resolutions urging the
Syracuse Housing Authority and the city administration to take action were
presented to a formal meeting of the society for a vote in March 1965. They
were passed by standing vote and for the first time the congregation itself
spoke out publicly on a social issue.
In
1965 the committee issued an informative study, "Scattered Site Public
Housing for
During
these years the Sunday morning forum was a regular and popular part of the
church program that was ready-made for presenting public issues to the
congregation. Church school started at
[page
43]
Syracuse
Memorial Society, a nonprofit organization that assists its members to make
reasonably priced arrangements before they die. Henry Schmitz presided over the
group for a decade.
In
the winter of 1964 the new building was going well, but there was unrest in the
congregation. Because of the capital fund drive there had been no regular
canvass for three years, and canvassers in the fall of 1963 had found a lack of
enthusiasm for new pledges. President Warren Walsh complained of fragmentation
within the society, church school attendance was dropping and in January John
Fuller was hospitalized for exhaustion. This was the first outward sign of the
heart ailment that was to plague him for the next ten years until his untimely
death in 1974. Besides his work as minister of a large congregation he worked
on three committees for the UUA and several local community boards and
committees. After several weeks' leave he started back to work gradually and in
May he returned to a regular 5½ day work week, without so much committee
responsibility.
The
new building was to be ready in the fall of 1964 at a total cost of $446,391.
To meet this cost the society borrowed $180,000 to be repaid over 30 years with
mortgage payments totaling nearly $12,000 a year. At the annual meeting in the
spring of 1964, despite the net loss of 20 members during the past year, the
finance committee reported another record amount in pledges, $52,000. In
September a $75,000 offer for the
On
[page
44]
MAY MEMORIAL UNITARIAN SOCIETY
Saturday
and Sunday, 28 and 29 September 1964 were moving days for May Memorial, with no
services scheduled. Committees inventoried the furnishings at
The
architects and builders did their work well. There is an openness and serenity
about the wide auditorium that invites members of the audience to look toward
each other as well as toward the speaker in front. There is no pulpit, only a
simple, movable lectern of wrought
iron and wood designed by artist Dorothy Riester.
Instead of a dais, there is a wide
stage three steps above the auditorium floor. At the back of the stage a
fourth step leads up to the backdrop, a wooden partition with a long shelf for
decorating. The warm glow of the natural stained cedar walls is set off by dark
crossbeams at regular intervals. On either side of the platform massive demiarches carry the eye upward, past the clear glass
windows above the walls, up to the cedar paneled ceiling and the square cupola centered atop the
gently sloping roof. On sunny mornings the dark wood behind the minister is
lighted by an image like a butterfly (or an angel?) shining down from the
cupola and moving gradually down the wall and across the floor as the earth
turns toward the sun.
With
his first sermon in the new building, John Fuller set the relocation in the
context of liberal religion. It was not the inadequacy of the old building
alone that moved us, he said, but "an urge, a restlessness to bear witness
to our own time and to the vision of what we seek to be and to become... this
is the essence of liberal religion -- to fashion our own world, our own
insights, our own manifestations of truth and beauty and goodness."
In
this spirit of fashioning their own society, members gathered after the service
the next Sunday to discuss whether the name May Memorial should be kept or
discarded. Many of them knew little or nothing about Samuel Joseph May and they
associated the name with the stone towers at
[page
45]
May Memorial
Unitarian Society,
do
with the spirit and purpose of the congregation that occupied it. When they
heard about May's concern for the rights of blacks and women and the right of
all children to a good education, many felt that his agenda was completely
appropriate for the 1960 s. But they did not have time to reach a formal
consensus. One of the speakers at the forum was Elizabeth Manwell who had come
to take part even though she knew that her heart disease was becoming critical.
A few minutes after making a passionate plea for keeping May's name and
carrying on his work, she sighed and collapsed in the lap of long-time member Mary Cooper, whose great uncle
James Bagg had first suggested the name May Memorial
Church. Immediate attention from doctors present could not save
The
name "May" has another significance for
long-time members because of the years that May Slagle served as church
secretary. In the minds of many church school children who heard their parents
mention May Slagle, she, not the minister from 100 years ago, was the source of
the church name. Mrs. Slagle had been one of the most active volunteers in the
school lunch program during World War II, and her joy in cooking for children
was renewed every year at the Easter breakfast she prepared for the children
who came to rehearse the Easter pageant. As the school became larger and the
Easter pageant was dropped, she invited only the first and second graders to
breakfast. They put on stiff paper rabbit ears with pink linings, ate scrambled
eggs and played games in the church dining room on the Saturday before Easter.
In the eyes of most adult members, May Slagle was the indispensable office
manager. She had
[page
46]
been
a part of the church for many years, as editor of the newsletter with Mr.
Canfield and office secretary with Bob Zoerheide. After the move to the new
building she worked as minister's secretary, parish assistant and hostess in
charge of building security until she retired in 1974. Another strong
member/employee who kept the society functioning was treasurer Alice Jordan.
She started working as assistant treasurer in the mid-1930s. A small, quiet,
friendly person, she kept the books in order until her death in 1970.
All
the staff and most of the congregation settled joyfully into the new building,
but the move brought many other changes. For the first time in the history of
this congregation a woman, Verah Johnson, was elected president at the annual
meeting in the spring of 1965. When church reopened in September the long-
standing
The
formal dedication of the new building was held on
In
spite of a large membership and active congregation, the trustees in charge of
the church finances were troubled. Mortgage payments amounting to nearly one
fourth of the church budget were a tremendous burden and the church was facing
larger deficits every year. At the annual meeting in June 1966 the members
heard about a great many activities, but a widespread failure to support the
economic needs of the
[page
47]
Rev. John C.
Fuller, minister
From 1961 to
1973.
society.
Church expenses stayed within budgeted figures, but pledges were falling
behind, and new expenses were anticipated. Jo Gould asked to limit her
responsibilities to supervision of the lower grades in the church school, and
the new Youth Education Committee called for an assistant minister to help with
the young people. John Fuller had already expressed a need for an assistant to
help him minister to the large congregation. In November, Fuller again went to
the hospital for a complete rest. Jo Gould requested a paid assistant, but the
society could not afford it and the trustees refused to charge a fee for pupils
in the church school. In 1967 the UUA began formal accreditation for Directors
of Religious Education and Jo Gould was one of the few who qualified for the
DRE without additional study and training. She was honored for her new
professional status at May Memorial's annual meeting in June. A few months
later Jo resigned as DRE at May Memorial effective June 1968, after which she
took a position at the First Universalist Society where the Sunday school had
fewer children. Her resignation, plus another hospitalization for John Fuller
at Easter 1968, brought to a head the need for an assistant minister. After a
series of neighborhood group meetings to discuss the situation, the trustees
appointed a search committee that recommended a minister. from a new fellowship
in the midwest. He decided not to accept the call and
the church then called Ronald Clark
from Berkeley, California, who was appointed DRE in June 1968.
In
the fall John Fuller, back in the pulpit after a restful summer, reported to
the trustees that everything was going smoothly with the two ministers. The
treasurer reported the church was still running a deficit, but it was less than
expected. At Fuller's suggestion the trustees decided to make the call for financial
support less strident by eliminating the offering from the morning service and
attaching the collection plates to the sanctuary doors where the congregation
members could drop their offerings as they walked out after the service. This
experiment was continued for two years, although it cut nearly in half the
amount collected every Sunday. Early in 1970, in view of continuing deficits,
the congregation voted to reinstate passing the plate for an offering during
[page
48]
Mrs.
Josephine T. Gould, Directory of Religious Education,
1949-1965
the
Sunday service, for an estimated $900 increase in yearly income.
At
the annual meeting in June 1969 John Fuller described the congregation as
swinging. The Samuel J. May citation had been instituted in 1967 to honor
political and social action, and the first one had been presented to Eleanor Rosebrugh, a long-time member who was a social worker and
journalist as well as a strong supporter of social action within the
congregation. In 1969 the citation was given to Mr. and Mrs. W. D. Rumsey, a
This
was the era of the War on Poverty, the sexual revolution, burning ghettos,
student protests, and antiwar demonstrations. Under John
[page
49]
Fuller's
leadership many members of the congregation took an active part in the Civil Rights
struggle and the anti-Vietnam War effort. Like many other U-U ministers, John
Fuller counseled conscientious objectors and women seeking legal abortions
outside
The
UUA was involved in many of the controversial issues and the national board
voted to fund the Black Caucus, an organization of Unitarian blacks who wanted
to use denominational funds to help start businesses in black ghettos. As a
result the denomination lost a lot of members and support nationwide. In
desperation the UUA Board suggested mandatory assessments on congregations to
support the denomination's budget. In 1969 the May Memorial congregation voted
against mandatory assessments by the UUA, and the trustees broke the long and
continuing tradition of sending uninstructed delegates to General Assemblies by
instructing delegates to vote against the mandatory assessments. Money was so
tight in the denomination that the St. Lawrence District had to give up its
offices and for a while operated out of the Goulds'
house, where Jo acted as secretary.
Even
with its serious financial problems May Memorial was still considered one of
the healthiest congregations in the denomination because of its large and
enthusiastic membership. During the 1969-1970 church year the trustees met
weekly to try to solve the deficit problem, which was expected to reach $10,000
by June. The society raised money with a series of roast beef dinners, cooked
by John Fuller, that were open the public, and put on a large and successful
May Faire.
Successful
fund raising staved off disaster, and the trustees encouraged a wealth of
activities to try to alleviate divisive resentments and factionalism among
members. May Memorial was a bustling place where some members were deeply
involved in encounter and discussion groups. The trustees established the
Gallery Committee to mount museum quality shows by local artists in the social
hall. When Ron Clark resigned to accept a call to a pulpit in
[page
50]
pulpit
on Sundays. In May the trustees established the campus intern program in
cooperation with the First Universalist Society, to provide living expenses for
a U-U ministerial student who would work at Hendricks Chapel of Syracuse
University. At the annual meeting that June total pledges of $59,000 were
reported, and receipts exceeded expenses for the first half of the year. John
Fuller said the society was in the "... healthiest condition since he came
in 1961."
In
less than a decade, May Memorial had weathered the move to a new building with
the ensuing financial difficulties, and a tremendous turnover in membership. At
the annual meeting in 1972 John Fuller reported that there had been 800 new
members in ten years, with a net increase in membership of zero. Although he
described the current status of the society in the words of a popular
psychology book of the day, "I'm OK, You're OK," his health continued
to be a problem. Without his strong leadership attendance dwindled and deficits
built up. After a series of discussion meetings among the members about the
goals and needs of the society, Fuller resigned in the spring of 1973 and
accepted the call of a smaller congregation in
With
John Fuller's death Unitarian-Universalists lost "one of the very rare
men" known for strong leadership in the denomination, an assessment made
in 1964 by Dr. Duncan Howlett of the All Souls'
pulpit in Washington, D.C. Fuller had steered May Memorial during its own
relocation and the changes of the black revolution, women's movement, including
the demise of the local Women's Alliance, and the Vietnam war protests with
their peace marches and teach-ins. He had personally played a vital part in the
great movements of that time, leading local ministers into dialogue with City
Hall over discrimination, taking part in protest marches and teach-ins,
supporting activism within his congregation for housing, jobs, and peace. True
to his own words; he had fashioned at May Memorial a "sanctuary of every
seeking, questing soul
an open door to all truth and all men." Members of
the congregation traveled to
[page
51]
OPEN CHANNELS
The
fortunes of May Memorial Unitarian Society were at a low point that summer of
1973, but a nucleus of dedicated members hoped the congregation would grow
again and worked to make it happen. They called interim minister Rev. Robert Holmes
to the pulpit for the 1973-1974 church year and, with
the help of the UUA, organized a search committee to find a successor to John
Fuller. Late in April 1974 the committee recommended a man "very nearly
fitting the ideal candidate for our new minister." The Reverend Nicholas C. Cardell,
Jr. from the Albany Unitarian- Universalist Society visited
The
theme of Mr. Cardell's ministry appears in the first line of a hymn often sung
at his Sunday morning services. Written by Richard C. Trench in 1838 and set to
a seventeenth century hymn tune, the verse begins "Make channels for the
streams of love..." First priority for both Nick Cardell and his wife
Cathy was, and still is, to nurture a feeling of caring and community at May
Memorial. Taking on the job of church secretary, Cathy Cardell soon became a
welcoming, empathic presence in the office. On Sunday the opening words welcome
us to our temple, our church, our kiva, whatever place evokes feelings of
religious community and home. We welcome people from every heritage of faith
with the words, "Come as you are, with your doubts as well as your
convictions, with your hopes and your fears, with your failures and your
aspirations. Here may no one be a stranger..."
Nick
Cardell has provided many symbolic celebrations of community for the society.
The first Sunday service in September traditionally opens with a gathering in
the social hall where everyone joins hands to form a long, circling spiral that
leads into the sanctuary. On family Sundays we light a large community candle
that is molded from many candles burned at individual family celebrations. On
All Souls' Day following Halloween we hang brightly colored leaves on a memorial
tree, each one inscribed with the name of someone loved who has died.
Dedication of infants and young children is accompanied by recognition of our
oldest members.
When
he first came, Nick Cardell organized mini-fellowships, a series of
neighborhood meetings in homes with the minister. He started a monthly lunch
meeting among all the U-U ministers of the central
[page
52]
toward
meeting the needs of present members rather than concentrating on new ones.
There were fewer interest groups with greater depth in each activity. The canvass
was still bringing in less than $50,000 a year, but the congregation managed to
plan a balanced budget for 1975.
That
was the year the denomination celebrated the one hundred fiftieth anniversary
of the founding of the American Unitarian Association. A continental committee
for the anniversary celebration was chaired by Bob Zoerheide, then living in
The
growing sense of community began to work toward new solutions of old problems.
In September 1975 the board of trustees started the tradition of an annual
overnight retreat where the board members could get acquainted with each other
and with the most urgent items to come before them in the next few months. The
board adopted an organized committee structure with assigned liaison
responsibilities for each trustee. In the spring of 1976 the society made a
greater commitment to religious education by electing a religious education
council and hiring Pat Hoertdoerfer as part-time RE
coordinator. "The Growing Up Year" curriculum began to raise the
interest of young teen-agers leading to their presentation of a Sunday service
every June. A series of New-U discussion workshops was started and is offered
several times a year for new members and friends who want to learn about
Unitarian-Universalism and May Memorial.
Energy
and enthusiasm grew in the congregation. Members put on holiday parties, served
gourmet dinners, and organized money-raising activities that produced fun as
well as funds. The Christmas tree sale organized by forestry professor Gerry
Lanier became a popular annual event that involves a majority of members and
still brings in several thousand dollars every December. Rummage and plant
sales, service auctions, and many smaller events helped meet expenses.
Gradually membership and pledging began to increase again. The canvass total
was close to $60,000 in 1978 and $64,000 in 1979. Average attendance on Sundays
was 145 in the fall of 1978, 171 in the fall of 1979.
Besides
the membership and money shortages, the board needed to deal with problems
concerning the building. In response to the energy crisis of the 1970s they
closed the building several nights a week during the winter and started a plan
to put clear insulating plastic inside the glass windows. Adjustments to the
drainage and plumbing, replacement of
[page
53]
the
deteriorated concrete wall along the front walk, addition of a ramp for
handicapped access, and extensive roof repairs were all accomplished by 1985,
with the help of a special fund drive. Enlargement of the parking lot, a new
driveway, and refinishing the outside walls were completed by the end of 1987.
The
long tradition of closing the church during July and August was modified about
1970 to allow a popular social event, the Friday night Pub, to continue
throughout the summer. During the mid-1970s members began to take
responsibility for access to the building so it could be open all year round on
a flexible, informal basis. Since 1977 a committee has been appointed every
spring to plan special summer Sunday services led by members or invited
speakers. Attendance ranges from 40 to 70. Through an active worship committee,
lay-led services have also become part of the regular church year, celebrating
events like the winter solstice and the Christmas Eve candlelight tradition. A
large and active choir presents two or more Sunday morning concerts every year.
A
new experience for the society began in 1979 when Nick Cardell formally
requested the grant of six months sabbatical leave. Study and discussion in
board and congregation led to a consensus, with some dissent, that a sabbatical
leave would be a challenging and renewing experience for both the minister and
the congregation and that it was within our financial means. The society voted
92 to 8 in favor of granting the minister a six-month sabbatical leave starting
in January 1980. The worship committee planned and scheduled Sunday services
with the help of Paula Murray who worked part-time to coordinate the
arrangements. The society functioned well during the sabbatical, and the
trustees noted that income for the period was greater than expected. Besides
giving the minister a needed rest, the sabbatical was an exercise in
self-confidence for the congregation. It was also a demonstration of Nick
Cardell's purpose as minister, which he defines as empowering people to
minister to each other in a climate of community.
In
the autumn of 1980 May Memorial cooperated with the UUA in a membership
experiment. Advertisements about the U-U religion were placed in the local
media in
At
about this time a new arrangement was made for the university
[page
54]
chaplain
program the two U-U Societies in
After
thirty years as a Unitarian parsonage, the old house at 913 Comstock had become
a drain on the manpower and resources of the society. A committee studied the question
of ministers' housing in 1974 and recommended the parsonage be sold and the
proceeds used to set up a housing fund for the minister. This was not done
until 1981 when another study committee developed a detailed plan for setting
up a housing fund. In the fall of 1981 Nick and Cathy Cardell bought a smaller
house for themselves and the parsonage was sold. The plan to use the proceeds
for a housing fund is working out well for both the society and the minister.
While
the society's financial difficulties during the 1970s and early 1980s resulted
in inadequate support of the UUA's Annual Fund, the congregation supported the
UUA in other ways. Nick Cardell spent two months in
Congregational
differences on social and political issues that had developed during the 1960s
were resolved during the 1970s, but the members did not stop taking sides on
controversial community activities. A group of volunteers kept on with the
traditional U-U support of Planned Parenthood in the face of increasingly
strident opposition from organized groups in the area. Several members of the
society, including Mr. Cardell, served as Chairpersons of the Planned
Parenthood board during the 1970s. In 1976 the state Division for Youth bought
a large old
[page
55]
house
at
Organized
social action in the congregation started again in 1980 with a Sunday morning
exercise in goals building. The whole congregation broke into small discussion
groups to articulate their hopes for the future. One of the strongly expressed
goals was to become more active in the social problems of the
The
year 1981 also marked the beginning of the society's interest in refugees from
A
Sunday morning forum in March 1981 on the causes of the refugee problem started
the long involvement of a group of members that eventually resulted in May
Memorial's commitment to the Sanctuary
[page
56]
movement.
Civil wars in
Ann
Tiffany and
[page
57]
status
as victims of political persecution. However, a strong minority opposed having
the congregation, as a whole, take a stand on a political issue -- an act that,
so far as anyone knows, would be only the second such instance in its history.
The minority's concerns were not theoretical ones. The Immigration and
Naturalization Service was threatening prosecution of people in the Sanctuary
movement. (In early 1986 the INS did successfully prosecute several members of
Sanctuary in the Southwest, although the convictions were appealed.) Some
members at May Memorial felt very strongly that they could not belong to a
society taking part in a "conspiracy" to shelter illegal aliens.
The
vote in December 1983 was a real test of the congregation's sense of community.
Could a small group of activists, supported by a large majority of
sympathizers, get the society to commit itself to controversial action without
alienating the minority who disagreed? The answer was both "yes" and
"no." The Sanctuary resolution passed by an 80.5% majority with 145
for, 29 against, 7 abstaining. The Sanctuary Committee was overjoyed that they
had strong support for practical measures to help suffering people. The
majority of members felt good supporting what they perceived to be an act of both
justice and humanity. The minority hoped it would not divide the congregation
and a few felt disappointed and betrayed by the society. Six members resigned.
One of them had grown up in the society, three had belonged for decades, and
all were active and valued members. They are still missed.
In
October 1984 a young couple who were refugees from El Salvador lived for two
weeks at May Memorial, sharing their experiences of war and political
persecution as well as their "overground
railroad" travels representing the Sanctuary movement. While in
In
the meantime other groups in
[page
58]
Rev.
Elizabeth M. Strong, Minister
of Religious
Education, 1988
New
Jewish Agenda, and individuals from other local congregations organized the
Covenant Sanctuary Committee of Syracuse. Together they prepared for the
shelter and support of a refugee family. A budget was planned and pledges were
solicited to cover a family's living expenses, and in May 1987 a family of
three adults and three children from EI Salvador moved into an apartment
prepared by the committee. Growing out of the nucleus at May Memorial, the
Syracuse Covenant Sanctuary is truly a community effort. Hoping that peace and
stability will come in
The
congregation seemed to grow stronger after the Sanctuary vote. In 1987 membership
was more than 400, with 170 children registered in the RE program under
part-time director Don MacKay. For two years in a row the canvass had surpassed
its goal, and the final 1987 budget was more than $150,000. After a year-long
study of religious education and adult programming, the congregation voted to
search for a second minister to work in those areas. In April 1988 the search
committee presented their chosen candidate, Elizabeth May Strong from
Rochester, New York. She was called by an enthusiastic congregational vote on
24 April and accepted immediately. The society looks forward to the ministry of
Liz Strong beginning in September.
As
this is being written in 1988, a committee is planning our one hundred fiftieth
anniversary celebration. On the schedule are recognition of lay leadership, a
sermon by Bill Schultz, president of the UUA, an exhibit at the
[page
59]
CONCLUSION
The
Unitarian heresy swept out of
This
religion teaches neither hope of heaven nor fear of hell; it motivates people
to give their personal strength and financial support for a society that meets
their needs here and now. Each generation of Unitarians in
Throughout
our history the symbiotic relationship between the professionals, ministers and
RE directors, and the congregation has been demonstrated again and again.
Effective professionals attract an active, generous membership. Committed,
responsible members improve the property and provide constructive programs and
leadership. A feeling of warmth and personal acceptance among both professional
and lay members empowers them to reach out to the larger community. The pure
Christianity of our founders has evolved into liberal religion, but the essence
is still the same: loving concern for all people combined with freedom of
belief based on reason. In the historical records we see how members of our
society practiced those ideals. Choosing from 150 years of history is extremely
difficult. We did our best to include interesting and significant information.
We hope it will give readers a sense of what our society has stood for in the
past and where it stands today.
[page
60]
Applebee,
Rev. Dr. John Henry, fourth minister.
Born
Argow,
Rev. Dr. Wendelin
Waldemar Weiland, fifth
minister. Born
Calthrop,
Rev. Dr. Samuel Robert third
minister. Born Swineshead Abbey,
Canfield,
Rev. Glenn Owen, seventh minister.
Born
Cardell,
Rev. Dr. Nicholas C, Jr., tenth
minister. Born Smith's Falls,
[page 61]
Fuller,
Rev. John Channing, ninth minister.
Born
May,
Rev. Samuel Joseph, second minister.
Born
Romig,
Rev. Robert Eldon, sixth minister.
Born
Storer,
Rev. John Parker Boyd, first
minister. Born
Strong,
Rev. Elizabeth May, first minister of
religious education Born
Zoerheide,
Rev. Robert Lee, eighth minister.
Born
[page
62]
INDEX
[actual page numbers from the original hard copy are
shown at the top of each page, left justified]
Abbott.
George, 46; Stephen, 3
Abortion,
48, 49
Advertising,
34, 53
American
Unitarian Association, AUA, 29, 30, 34, 36, 52
Annual
award, 27
Anthony;
Susan B., 14
Anti-Slavery
Society, 7, 13; convention riot, 14
Applebee,
Architect,
5, 11, 39, 40, 46
Argow,
Rev. W. Waldemar W., 28-30
Army
Club, 26-27
Attendance,
Sunday services, 30, 52
Auchincloss,
Sarah, 30, 38
Bagg,
James L, 15, 45; Mary Redfield, 19
Ball
Joyce Deline, 27
Barnes,
George, 13; Mrs. James, 22
Bassett.
Parley, 4
Bates,
Belluschi,
Dean Pietro, 40, 46
Betts,
Rev. Frederick, 25
Bigelow,
Cornelia 1, 22
Black,
7, 17, 27, 33, 41; caucus, 49; integration, 15, 42
Board
Retreat, 52
Brown,
Rev. Antoinette, 14
Burdick,
Bob, 41
Burt,
Oliver T., 13
Bust,
May, 17; and Calthrop, 24, 40.
Calthrop,
Elizabeth Primrose, 18; Rev. Samuel R, 4, 16-25
Campus
Club, 28, 30, 33, 39
Canal
boys, 9
Canfield,
Rev. Glenn O., 31-34
Canvass,
see pledges
Cardell
Cathy, 51; Rev. Nick, 50-58
Carter,
Mrs. W.H, 27
Catholic,
9; Interracial Council, 42
Chamberlin.
John. 36, 39
Channing,
William Ellery, 7, 13, 40
Chapel,
3
Chase,
Anna Agan, 30
Cheney,
George, 27
Child
care, 40, 41; babyfold, 41
Choir,
21, 22, 26, 29, 39, 50, 53, 58; loft, 24, 44
Christian.
4, 29, 35
Christianity,
7, 9, 35, 59
Christian
Register, 3, 4, 5, 6, 38
Church
of the Messiah, 5, 8, 12, 14, 15; destroyed, 10; rededicated, 11; sold, 20
Church school, 6, 19, 21, 24, 25, 27, 41, 49;
renovate, 29, 30; overcrowded, 38, 39, 41, 46
Church-state,
36
City
Hall, 9, 11, 14, 15, 42, 50
Civil
War, 14
Civil
rights, 48
Clark,
Rev. Albert W., 23-24; Rev. Ronald, 47, 49
Clary,
Dr. Lyman, 13
Cogswell,
David, 5
Communion,
9, 25, 27
Congregational
church, 9, 10, 18; Plymouth, 57
Conscientious
objector, 49
Conservative,
30, 34
Cooper,
Mary, 45
Council
of Churches, 29, 33, 35-36, 42
Crandall,
Prudence, portrait, 16
Dedication,
Church of the Messiah, 6, 11; May Memorial Church, 21; 3800 East Genesee, 46
DeWitt,
Rev. Dale, 34
Divinity
School Address, 9, 19
Dunbar
Center, 27
Dupee,
James, 21
[page
63]
East
Genesee site, 39, 40
Education,
15-16; for retarded, 38
Eliot,
Frederick May, 29; Rev. Samuel A, 25
Evangelist,
Finney, 12; Sunday, 27; Graham, 35
Evolution,
19
Fair,
4, 41, 49; Department Store, 24
Forum,
42
Frank
C McCarthy School, 38
Friedman,
Rabbi Benjamin, 29
Fuller,
Betsy, 40, 50; Rev. John C, 40, 50
Gage,
Matilda Joslyn, 17
Gallery
committee, 49
Galpin,
W. Freeman, 3, 6
General
Assembly, 49
Gifford,
Isabella Graham, 17
God,
12, 17, 18, 21, 25, 46
Goodrich,
Mrs. L. L, 19
Gould,
Josephine T., 33, 38, 46, 47, 49
Grace
Episcopal Church, 42
Guttman,
Rabbi Adolph, 25
Hazard,
Mrs. F. R (Dora Sedgwick), 27
Hendricks
Chapel, 28, 39, 50, 54
Hiscock,
Judge Frank and Mrs., 29
Hoertdoerfer,
Pat, 52
Holtkamp,
Walter, 46
Homosexual,
55
Hospital,
St. Joseph's, 9
Housing,
35, 50; committee, 33, 42; minister's fund, 54
Hovey,
Alfred H, 13
Howe,
Rev. Marie Jenny, 22
Howlett,
Rev. Dr. Duncan, 50
Hoyt,
Dr. Hiram, 3, 13
Hyde,
Salem, 25
Interim
minister, 14, 26, 27, 51
Internship,
50
James
St. Church, see May Memorial
Jenney,
Maria Saul, 19; see Howe
Jerry
Rescue, 13-14
Jesus
Christ, 9, 13, 18, 21, 35, 36, 37
Johnson,
Verah, 46
Jordan,
Alice, 46
Judeo-Christian,
37
Judson,
Edward B., 19
Kapp,
Rev. Max, 37
Kelley,
Abbey, 7
Kharas,
Ralph, 37
Knapp,
Elder, 4; Sarah Hazard, 30
Kosoff
Construction Company, 41
Kuhlen, Mary
Margaret (Moc), 42
Lanier,
Gerry, 52
Laymen's
League, 28, 38
League
of Women Voters, 42
Liberal,
29, 30, 34, 35, 36, 41, 44, 49
Lee,
Rev. Luther, 12
Lewis,
Elizabeth, 27
Lexington,
Mass., 7, 8, 52
Loguen,
Rev. Jermain, 13
Malcolm
William 4
Manwell,
Dr. Elizabeth, 29-30, 31, 33, 35, 42, 43, 45; Dr. Reginald, 30
May,
Joseph, 7; Rev. Joseph, 21; Lucretia, 7, 8, 9, 13; Rev. Samuel J., 7-18, 44;
bust, 17; Citation, 48; medallion, 22; 100th anniversary, 22; school, 16;
Samuel, Jr., 21
May
Meetings, 36
May
Memorial Church, 17, 20-23, 32, 39; name, 20, 45; Unitarian Society, 45
McLennan, Bill, 46
Membership, 33, 34, 39, 46, 49, 50, 52, 58; newcomers,
19, 28, 51, 52; experiment, 53
Men's
Club, 25, 26, 28; see Laymen's League
Merger,
Unitarian-Universalist, 36-37
Mertens,
Henry, 40, 46
Methodist,
church, 4; Episcopal, 11; Wesleyan, 4, 12
Mills,
C. DeB., 15; Harriet May, 9, 24; Harriet Smith, 9
Mott,
Lucretia, 14
Murray,
Paula, 53
Music,
21, 22, 24, 26, 29, 39
NAACP,
33, 35
National
Conference of Unitarians, 15, 36; see May Meetings, General Assembly
Negro, see Black
[page 64]
Newsboys'
Evening Home, 22
Northrup,
11
O'Hara,
Father James, 9
One
Hundredth Anniversary, 29
Onondaga
Indians, 9
Organ,
21, 24, 41, 44, 46
Orphans,
8, 26
Pacificism,
10, 28, 31
Padgham,
Amos, 24; Rev. Elizabeth, 22, 29, 34, 38, 44
Parish
House, 30, 33
Parsonage,
30, 34, 54
Pew
auction, 5, 11, 19, 26
Planned
Parenthood, 30, 54
Pledges,
19, 26, 41, 43, 50, 52; Sanctuary, 58
Poister,
Arthur, 46
Presbyterian,
4, 11
Protestant,
35
Pub,
53
Public
affairs committee, 42
Putnam,
Hiram, 4, 13
Reading
room, 28
Reamon,
Rev. Ellsworth, 29, 36
Register
Book, 23, 51
Released
time, 36
Religious
education, 20, 52, 58; coordinator, 52; Council, 28, 38, 52; Director, 29, 38, 47,
54; Minister, 54, 58
Riester,
Dorothy, 44
Romig,
Rev. Robert E., 30-31
Rosebrugh,
Eleanor, 48
Rumsey,
W. D., 48
Saddington,
Helen, 29
St.
Lawrence District, 49
Sanctuary
movement, 55-58
Schmitz,
Henry, 43
Sedgwick,
Charles B., 13
Slagle,
May, 45
Social
concerns, 6, 8-9, 22, 24-25, 27, 28, 34, 35, 41, 55
Southwick,
Alice, 31
Stanton,
Elizabeth Cady, 15
Stone,
Lucy, 15
Storer,
Rev. John P. B., 3-7, 21
Strong,
Rev. Elizabeth M., 58
Summer
services, 53
Sunday
school, see church school
Syracuse
Botany Club, 19
Syracuse
Boys' Club, see Newsboys' Evening Home
Syracuse
Committee on Racial Equality, CORE, 42
Syracuse
House, 4, 5
Syracuse
Memorial Society, 43
Temperance,
13, 15
Temple,
Adath Yeshurun, 31;
Concord, 17, 25, 26, 29, 42
Townsend,
John, 4
Tracy,
James G., 29
Trustees,
first, 3; first women, 22
Unitarian
Universalist Association, UUA, 37, 43, 47, 49, 51, 52, 53, 54; Service
Committee, UUSC, 31, 52, 55
United
Nations Association, 31
Universalist,
3, 25, 26, 29, 36, 37, 49, 54; First Universalist Society, 47, 50
VanderSluis,
George, 52
Vietnam
War, 49
Wallace,
Elisha, 3; Lydia, 3, 8
Walsh,
Elizabeth, 29; Warren, 36, 43
Ware,
Rev. Henry, 3
Wertheimer,
Dorothy, 31, 36
White,
Dr. Andrew O., 16, 25; Horatio N, 5, 11, 20
Whitfield,
Charles, 27
Wilkinson,
Charlotte May, 16; John, 4
Willie,
Dr. Charles V., 42
Williston,
C. F., 4
Windows,
memorial, 21
Woman
suffrage, 15, 27
Women's
Alliance, 19, 22, 24, 25, 26, 28, 29, 31, 38, 41, 50; children's lunch project,
31
Women's
rights, 14
World
War, I, 26; II, 30-31
Worship
committee, 49
Yerington,
Prof William, 42
Youth,
19, 28, 31, 33, 39, 47; home, 55
Zoerheide, Jean, 38; Rev. Robert L, 34-39, 52
Each
reader of this document who is familiar with the current history of May Memorial
Unitarian Universalist Society is encouraged to help write the church history
during the past two decades. What would you like to see included as additional
information is added to May No One Be A
Stranger. Submit your ideas, stories, anecdotes, photos, etc. to Roger
Hiemstra. Use
email for any initial contacts. Lets make this a living history document.