Norman and Margaret (Peg) Eddy Papers, 1900-2013

1 UTS1: Norman and Margaret Eddy Papers, 1930-2013 The Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary, Columbia University in the City of New York Union Theological Seminary Archives 1 Finding Aid for Norman and Margaret (Peg) Eddy Papers, 1900-2013 Norman and Margaret Eddy [undated]. UTS1: Norman and Margaret Eddy Papers, 1900-2013, Series 5, Box 5. The Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary, Columbia University in the City of New York Finding Aid prepared by: Bo Reynolds and Rebecca Nieto, 2017-2018 With financial support from the family of Norman and Margaret Eddy and the Henry Luce Foundation Summary Information Creator: Norman Eddy, 1920-2013; Margaret (Peg) Eddy, 1926-1990 Title: Norman and Margaret (Peg) Eddy Papers, 1900-2013 Inclusive dates: 1933-2013 Bulk dates: [1950-2000] Abstract: UCC ministers, UTS alumni; original members, EastHarlem Protestant Parish; community organizers formative in interfaith ministry in Manhattan’s East Harlem neighborhood. Collection consists of the personal papers of both Norman and Margaret; journals, published and unpublished works, photographs, graphic materials, realia, medals, and memorabilia. Size: 119 boxes; 73 linear feet Storage: Series 1 offsite; Series 2-7 onsite storage Repository: The Burke Library Union Theological Seminary 3041 Broadway New York, NY 10027 Email: [email protected] Rebecca Nieto 6/15/18 2 UTS1: Norman and Margaret Eddy Papers, 1930-2013 Administrative Information Provenance: The Eddy papers were donated by Martha and Rebecca Eddy, daughters of Norman and Margaret, in 2014. These papers are part of the Union Theological Seminary Archives, which comprises institutional and administrative records of the Seminary, combined with the papers of many organizations, scholars, pastors, laypersons, and others connected with the school. They were organized with the financial support of the Eddy family, the Henry Luce Foundation, and the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation Access: Archival papers are available to registered readers for consultation by appointment only. Please contact archives staff by email to [email protected], or by postal mail to The Burke Library address on page 1, as far in advance as possible Burke Library staff is available for inquiries or to request a consultation on archival or special collections research. Access Restrictions: The collection is unrestricted to readers. Certain materials, however, are in a fragile condition, and this may necessitate restriction in handling and copying. Note: Series 2, 5, 6, and 7 are processed at “Level 2”, meaning they are not yet fully processed, but may be available for consult pending approval by archival staff. Please inquire for further information. Please note that boxes held in Offsite storage will require 48 hours' notice in response to a weekday request for retrieval. Preferred Citation: Item description, UTS1: Norman and Peg Eddy Papers, series #, box #, and folder #, The Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary, Columbia University in the City of New York. Biography Norman (“Norm”) and Margaret (“Peg”) Ruth Eddy were community organizers whose efforts were centralized in the East Harlem neighborhood in New York City. They were both graduates of Union Theological Seminary, where they met (having studied during different times) in the fall of 1948 and marrying shortly before their graduation in 1951. Margaret Ruth was born in Cincinnati, Ohio on October 31, 1926. She attended Smith College in Massachusetts from 1944- 1948, entering Union Theological Seminary almost immediately after as part of her pursuit of the ordination process in the Congregationalist Cincinnati Conference. Norman (“Norm”) Eddy was born to Stanley and Alice (Hart) Eddy on February 9, 1920. His father, Stanley Eddy, co-owned a stock brokerage firm with his brother, Welles, and raised the family in New Britain, Connecticut. His upbringing in New Britain (punctuated by summers on Martha’s Vineyard) comprised what he would later refer to in his memoirs as being formative to his identity as a “Connecticut mystic”, inured early in life to devote his career to serving socioeconomically disadvantaged communities, as well as espousing a forward-looking yet “pessimistic” relationship to the vagaries of foreign and domestic policy. Norm was attracted to writing and publication early in life, and together with his cousin Pete Hart wrote and circulated Rebecca Nieto 6/15/18 3 UTS1: Norman and Margaret Eddy Papers, 1930-2013 the Current Events of the Week, a weekly newsletter that earned the pair enough money to travel to Bermuda together when Norm was only twelve years old. Norm, along with his brother Howard, were educated at the Shuttle Meadow (now Moreland Hill) School (a school cofounded by Alice Eddy and that met in a space adjoining the Eddy’s New Britain home), and later the Pomfret School. Norman attended Yale University from 1938 until 1942, spending 1939 studying abroad at the Stowe School in Buckingham, England, where Norm first learned about Nazi Germany’s involvement in World War II. According to a commemorative pamphlet found in the accession file to the Eddy Papers, Norman “was a pacifist and during the summer of 1940 went to live in Cuba for two months with the American Friends Service Committee and lived with fifty Jewish refugees, teaching them English and preparing them to apply for visas to the U.S. There he experienced the Quaker worship and the Friday night Jewish services”1. Following his graduation from Yale University, Norman served in the volunteer ambulance corps, the American Field Service, and was recruited in the British 8th Army, where he served Egypt, Libya, Italy, and Austria. A spiritual vision in the Syrian desert (Damascus) during his military service led him to eventually enroll at Union and seek ordination as a Congregationalist minister, following a life “led by the Holy Spirit and [which sought] to uncover Spirit within each and every person”. As Norm wrote in his extensive memoirs, “the Spirit has filled me with yearning to learn more about the truth causing war in general and in specific wars, past and present. The desire for peace is strongly alive in me.” At Union, Norman met Margaret (“Peg”) Lindsay Ruth, a burgeoning activist and spiritual leader whose rigor in many ways matched Norman’s. They married in 1950, and were ordained within the month after their graduation from Union. The Eddys and moved to 100th Street (between 1st and 2nd Avenue, a block long referred to as the city’s “worst block”) in Manhattan’s East Harlem neighborhood, where they became co-pastors of a small storefront church. The couple served as advisory and assisting clergy at the 100th Street Church through its transformation into the Church of the Resurrection. The Eddys lived the entirety of their lives in East Harlem, with their three children Martha, Rebecca, and Tim, all born and raised in East Harlem, and the family committed to the Metro North community organizing movement and participated in efforts on behalf of the marginally housed, the formation of a credit union, housing renewal efforts, and programs to advance and reform their local public schools, and pressure campaigns to preserve funding for their local public hospital. The Eddys were also involved in teaching courses at New York Theological Seminary (Peg’s methodology at NYTS was notably hinged on Biblical storytelling, which is reflected in materials gathered in this collection), where a program center has been named after the couple. In addition to their robust efforts beyond Union, Norm and Peg were formative in the early years of the East Harlem Protestant Parish. The East Harlem Protestant Parish (“EHPP”, whose records are also held at Burke) was founded in 1948, conceived initially as an interdenominational community parish comprising four storefront churches, whose broad mission was to support a multi-faith group ministry that was geographically, culturally and programatically accessible to the residents of ill-served communities in East Harlem. The EHPP was the brainchild of a number of Union graduates in 1 “A Celebration of the Life of Norman C. Eddy” [service pamphlet]. Church of the Resurrection, Saturday, June 29, 2013. Accessed by: Norman and Margaret “Peg” Eddy Accession File, the Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary, Columbia University in the City of New York. Rebecca Nieto 6/15/18 4 UTS1: Norman and Margaret Eddy Papers, 1930-2013 addition to the Eddys, including Donald Laverne Benedict, George Williams “Bill” Webber, and J. Archie Hargraves. Peg predeceased Norm in 1990, while Norman passed away on June 21, 2013, in New York City. The papers organized here reflect the rigor and comprehensiveness with which Norm and Peg led their careers and their spiritual missions, and the myriad communities and causes their respective callings supported and guided. Collection Scope and Content Note The Norm and Peg Eddy Papers is a large aggregate of materials that have maintained the original order imposed by their record creators, where possible, as well as arrangement schema imposed by archival staff where no original order could be identified. The papers consist of personal papers kept by Norman (also called Norm) and Margaret (nicknamed “Peg”) Eddy, as well as records reflecting the pair’s work in New York’s East Harlem neighborhood. The papers consist chiefly of textual materials, as well as scrapbooks, photo albums, loose photographs, artworks, medals, awards and other memorabilia. The collection is organized in seven series, all of which are subdivided into subseries as follows: ● Series 1: Subject Files, 1930-2011 (71 boxes, 34.5 lin. ft.) This series follows the original order that was established by Norman. The majority of the subject files follow the original headings given by Norman or Margaret, with further arrangement imposed where duplicates and overlapping materials were identified. Note that for some materials, files are ordered from the rear of the box going forward. They are subdivided into the following subseries: Subseries 1A: Subject Files -- Individuals [alphabetical] Files in this subseries are ordered from the rear of the box going forward.

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