Sydney Crouch Papers

Collection

Identifier: Mss-0118

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The material in the Crouch Papers covers Crouch's long association with Clemson College. Most of the papers concern the college's religious life and activities. There is information on the religious activities at Clemson college such as Religious Emphasis Week, the World War II memorial services for the dead, the Jewish religious observances, the Billy Graham meeting at the Clemson College Field House, prayers before football games, and the Wednesday Night "Church Night." A couple of speeches and an address by Crouch on religion at Clemson College can also be found in the collection. In addition, there are Crouch's chapel talks and sermons. Futhermore, there are plans and correspondence concerning the Student Chapel at Clemson College. Finally, there is correspondence and other papers concerning the Committee on Ethics and Religion.

There is information on the college's service flag and some of its clubs such as the Forum Club and the Fellowship Club. In addition, there are papers concerning the committee to recommend names for buildings and streets at the college. Finally, there is some material on musical groups at Clemson and about some of the special days observed by the college (Armistice Day, Mother's Day, V-E Day and V-J Day).

Dates

1903-1979

Creator

Crouch, Sydney James Leonhardt, 1889-1969 (other_unmapped, Person)

Biographical Note

Sydney James Leonhardt Crouch was born on August 20, 1889, in Perth, Western Australia to Scotch-English parents, Charles James and Mary Ann Naomi (Hall) Crouch. He graduated from Scotch College in Perth, Western Australia, in 1910. During the next three years, Crouch worked as a bank officer in Perth, Western Australia. In 1913 he came to the United States; in 1930 he became a naturalized citizen. From 1913 to 1915 Crouch attended the Biblical Seminary in New York. In 1922, he received the Bachelor of Divinity degree from the Hartford Theological Seminary (Hartford, Connecticut) and in 1937 the Ph. D. in religion from the Union Theological Seminary (Richmond, Virginia). In addition, Crouch was awarded the Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree by Clemson University in 1959.

During World War I, Crouch served as Secretary in the Foreign Department of the International Committee of the Y.M.C.A. in Cairo and Alexandria, Egypt, from 1915- 1918 for the areas of Egypt and Palestine. He built a Y.M.C.A. center in Alexandria -- the largest center on the Mediterranean -- which ministered to over 100,000 soldiers. Following the war, Crouch was in charge of the survey of Islamic North Africa for the Interchurch World Movement from 1919-1920. Crouch was ordained to the ministry of the Congregational Church on June 21, 1922. He served as a pastor to the Westminster Congregational Church in Vermont from 1922 -1925.

Crouch and his family moved to Clemson, South Carolina, in September, 1925, where he served as the fourth resident minister of the Fort Hill Presbyterian Church until his retirement in 1954. During his first year of ministry at the Fort Hill Presbyterian Church, Crouch began church services on Wednesday nights for the college students which became known as "Church Night." In addition, he helped to build a new Presbyterian church in 1931. Unfortunately, in 1932, it burned to the ground shortly after being completed. Another church was built in 1933. The size of the congregation was greatly increased during Crouch's ministry.

The church was not Crouch's only involvement in Clemson. The minister had a long association with Clemson College. In 1926, shortly after coming to Clemson, he was instrumental in starting "Mother's Day" exercises at Clemson College. In June 1929, when the Division of Religious Education was formed in the Arts and Sciences Department, Crouch became its first head, with the title of Professor, and he continued in this position until June, 1957. Furthermore, the minister taught a course on international relations in the Department of Government from 1937 to 1957. In addition, he was the organizer of and faculty adviser to the International Relations Club at Clemson College, and served on the South Carolina Executive Committee of the International Relations Club. Also, Crouch was the chairman of the Committee on Ethics and Religion, the treasurer of the Religious Emphasis Week Committee, and was on the committee to name the buildings and streets at Clemson College. He helped designed the student chapel at Clemson College. In 1938 Crouch organized the first State Presbyterian Student Association at Clemson College. Finally, he was one of the four founders of the Forum Club.

Besides his involvement with Clemson College and the Fort Hill Presbyterian Church, Crouch was a founder and charter member of the Clemson Fellowship Club, the community's first civic club. In addition, he served as Moderator for the Synod of the South Carolina Presbyterian Church in 1942. He was also member of the General Assembly's Advance Committee on Christian Education of the Presbyterian Church of the United States from 1936 -1969. Crouch wrote Factors in the Roman World Which Aided the Spread of the Gospel (Edwards Brothers, Inc., Ann Arbour, Michigan) in 1934. He was a book reviewer for Interpretation (Richmond, Virginia) for a number of years.

In 1957 Sydney Crouch was awarded the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award for outstanding services to the Clemson student body. He also held honorary memberships in the Clemson Chapter of Blue Key, Tiger Brotherhood and the Clemson Alumni Association.

On November 13,1916, Sydney Crouch married Katy Austin, a native of Cross Hill, South Carolina, in Alexandria, Egypt. They had two sons, Alexander Charles and Douglas Sydney. Sydney Crouch died on August 13,1969, and Katy Austin Crouch died on January 4, 1979.