Spike, Robert W. Papers

Series I, Personal, ranges in date from 1828 to 1977, but mostly falls between 1935 and 1966. This series is divided into two subseries arranged primarily in chronological order:

Subseries 1, Family History, contains genealogical materials collected by Robert Spike's grandmother Lucy Harrington Johnson, or Mrs. A. B. Johnson, who was a poet and composer. It also contains some material from Robert Spike's wife, Alice, and his sons. This subseries includes articles, notes, essays, family trees, poetry, and letters.

Subseries 2, Personal History, contains material pertinent to Spike's early life from his childhood and education - such as essays from his high school through his doctoral study - and to his death - such as memorials and obituaries. This series consists of scrapbooks, journals, appointment calendars, essays, biographies, obituaries, memorials, and newspaper clippings. Notably, it also contains an original program from the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.

Series II, Correspondence, contains material from 1936 to 2005, but mostly falls between 1950 and 1966. This series is divided into two subseries:

Subseries 1, Correspondence, contains the personal and professional correspondence of Robert Spike, arranged alphabetically and with folders ordered chronologically. Aside from the broad range of subjects under General Correspondence, which are work-related and personal, Folder 23 may be of particular interest as it contains letters Spike retained specifically under the label 'Personal' that range from family letters to employment, as well as a letter specifically referencing Spike's support for a clergyman accused of being a Communist. Folder 31 is also of particular interest, as it contains a letter from Robert Spike to Lee Rainwater regarding his article on the Moynihan controversy in which Spike addresses what he sees as a misunderstanding of the role of the churches in the civil rights movement.

Subseries 2, Condolence and Memorial Fund Correspondence, contains condolence telegrams and extensive condolence correspondence to Mrs. Alice Spike, Dean Jerald Brauer of the University of Chicago Divinity School, and Dr. Howard Moody of Judson Memorial Church after Robert Spike's murder. Telegrams, many with extended messages, include those from Martin Luther King, Jr., Vice-President Hubert Humphrey, A. Philip Randolph, Roy Wilkins, Whitney Young, Stokley Carmichael, Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach, and Victor Reuther. This subseries also contains telegrams from various groups in Mississippi, including the Child Development Group of Mississippi (CDGM), with whom he was very active up to his death.

Series III, Writings, ranges in date from 1941 to 1966; most of the material falls between 1955 and 1966. This series is divided into five subseries and then organized chronologically within each:

Subseries 1, Collected File Copies of Writings, contains copies of articles and speeches that had been collected in five binders. A file-card index of these writings is also included. It contains titles not represented in the subseries below.

Subseries 2, Articles and Essays, contains material related to the development of Spike's published and unpublished articles. This includes notes, manuscripts and typescripts, correspondence, publicity, and reviews. Of special interest in relation to Spike's assessment of the civil rights movement and its internal divisions is the article found in Folder 19, "Fissures in the Civil Rights Movement."

Subseries 3, Books, contains materials related to the published and unpublished books of Robert Spike and includes notes, research materials, drafts, and publisher correspondence.

Subseries 4, Sermons and Services, contains copies of sermons in holograph and typescript, notes for sermons, orders of service, prayers, and other ephemera, covering a range of subjects.

Subseries 5, Speeches, contains drafts of speeches and addresses, as well as notes that range in subjects from "The Tension between Social Action and Cultural Analysis in Protestantism" to "The Horrors and Glories of Secularism."

Series IV, Professional, ranges in date from 1946 to 1990; the bulk of the material falls between 1950 and 1966. This series is divided into nine subseries, organized roughly in chronological order, and then organized chronologically within each:

Subseries 1, Judson Memorial Church (New York City, New York), contains reports, newsletters, correspondence, and articles related to Robert Spike's time as minister there and the church's active role in the community, as well as with students and disadvantaged youth. Folder 7 contains essays about Judson and urban evangelism by Robert Spike, including a description of one of his "typical" days as an urban minister.

Subseries 2, The American Baptist Convention, contains pamphlets, articles, essays, and correspondence related primarily to Spike's work for an ecumenical Free Church and its theological basis.

Subseries 3, The Protestant Council of the City of New York, contains correspondence and reports on Christian social action and Youth House, where Robert Spike served as chaplain.

Subseries 4, Leadership in Political Organizations, contains correspondence, memos, and reports from political organizations in New York City.

Subseries 5, Board of Homeland Ministries of the United Church of Christ and the National Council of the Churches in Christ, contains material from a variety of boards and commissions from the most public time of Robert Spike's career, and is arranged chronologically. This subseries includes memos, reports, and publications from his time as General Secretary of The Board of Homeland Ministries of the United Church of Christ, as well as reports, memos, articles, and correspondence from his time as Chairman of the Committee for a Christian Ministry in the National Parks and on the related Commission on a Christian Ministry with People in Leisure-Recreation. Spike's most prominent role is represented by his time as the first Executive Director of the ecumenical Commission on Religion and Race, through which Spike organized Protestant participation in civil rights protests and marches across the country. In addition to a 1965 report from Robert Spike on the Commission, this subseries contains a scrapbook of the Commission's work on civil rights that was sent to Mrs. Alice Spike after Robert Spike's death. The National Council of Churches also formed the Delta Ministry of Mississippi; letters regarding some aspects of this controversial work in detail can be found in Series II: Correspondence, Subseries 1, Folder 35.

Subseries 6, World Council of Churches, contains agendas, minutes, papers, notes, and articles from Spike's role in the Department on Studies of Evangelism, both in the North American Working Group and in the broader sessions in Geneva. Folders 6 and 7 may be of special interest as they include working papers written by Robert Spike on the role of the church in the civil rights movement and the position of the World Council of Churches on segregation in both the United States and South Africa.

Subseries 7, The White House Conference "To Fulfill These Rights," contains correspondence, planning materials, proposals, and Robert Spike's partial assessment of this controversial 1966 conference on the implementation of civil rights legislation.

Subseries 8, Child Development Groups of Mississippi (CDGM), contains correspondence, management audits, and reports about the financial and operational status of CDGM, for which Robert Spike, and then his son Paul after his death, sought to retain federal funding.

Subseries 9, Teaching, contains syllabi, correspondence, and ephemera related to Robert Spike's teaching at Union Theological Seminary in New York City and his brief time as a professor and Director of the pioneering Doctor of Ministry program at the Divinity School of the University of Chicago before his murder.

This series contains publications, books, pamphlets, newsletters, reports, magazines, and brochures written by other authors from 1937 to 1966. They are listed in chronological order.

Series VI, Audio-Visual, contains photographs, photographic negatives, one film reel, one reel-to-reel audiotape, and a VHS tape. The film, audiotape, and VHS video-cassette are at the beginning of the series, and are followed by photographs, arranged chronologically. The photographs range from 1860 to 1966, with most of them falling between 1955 and 1966.

Series VII, Oversize, contains a broad range of materials from 1901 to 1966, though the bulk of the material falls between 1955 and 1966. Personal materials include sheet music composed by Robert Spike's grandmother, genealogical material, and a family photo album of Alice and Robert Spike. There are also articles and photographs from Robert Spike's professional career. This series also notably contains a series of commemorative prints for the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Box 24 contains newspaper articles about Robert Spike and the 1963 March on Washington.

Series VIII, Restricted, contains restricted student records and legal correspondence, which are respectively closed until 2043 and indefinitely.