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Charles R. Joy Papers

An inventory of his papers at Syracuse University


Finding aid created by: MRC
Date: 1 Oct 2008

Biographical History

Charles Rhind Joy (1885-1978) was an American Unitarian minister, author, educator, and international relief worker.

Born in Boston, Joy studied English at Harvard University and then received degrees from both Harvard Divinity School and Andover Theological Seminary, graduating in 1911. His first ministerial posting was at the First Parish of Portland, Maine where he was ordained in 1913. A committed pacifist, he served overseas with the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) during World War I. He was eventually appointed Regional Director of YMCA in France north of Paris and in Western Belgium, with headquarters at Le Havre. After the war he served as minister of a church in Pittsfield, Massachusetts (1919-1922) and then First Church in Dedham (1922-1927).

In January 1927, Joy was appointed minister of All Souls Church in Lowell, Massachusetts. In 1930, he became an officer of the American Unitarian Association, a position he held until 1937. In 1938 he joined the Unitarian Service Committee and from 1940 to 1954 he was involved in international relief work. During this time, positions included executive director of the Unitarian Service Committee, European director and associate director of the Save the Children Federation, international representative, chief of the Korean Mission, and executive consultant for African affairs for CARE (Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere).

Joy was a prolific writer and translator, particularly of the works of Albert Schweitzer. His publications include Albert Schweitzer: An Anthology (1947), Music in the World of Albert Schweitzer (1951), Africa: A Handbook for Travelers (1958), Topical Concordance of the Bible (1961), and Race between food and people: The challenge of a hungry world (1961). His translations include A Psychiatric Study of Jesus (Schweitzer) and Goethe: Four Studies (Schweitzer). He wrote numerous introductory books on a wide range of countries and peoples, such as Getting to Know the Sahara and Getting to Know Israel.

Reflecting on his life and work, Joy wrote:

I have found all the years to be a rather exciting pilgrimage and never more so than now. I have wandered about the world in more than a hundred different countries and everywhere I have found friendly people with whom it has been good to associate...Traveling, speaking, writing, these are the three foci around which my life now turns. I could not ask for any activities more interesting, more rewarding. I am not much concerned with the past, though I know the future has its roots there. I am eager to see the burgeoning and the fruitage of the years that are to be.
[Charles R. Joy, from "Notable American Unitarians," http://www.harvardsquarelibrary.org/unitarians/joy.html]

Joy was married to Lucy Alice Wanzer and together they had four children. He passed away in Albany, New York at the age of 93.

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Charles R. Joy Papers contains academic work, correspondence, printed materials, and writings.

Academic work contains notes and essays from Joy’s college years, covering courses in English, Philosophy, History, and Theology.

Correspondence contains letters that Joy exchanged with family members while travelling to collect material for books.

Printed materials contains a flyer about Joy from Save the Children Federation and a newspaper clipping about a church where he had served as pastor.

Writings contains articles, books, translations, and miscellaneous materials written by Joy. Articles primarily consists of articles written for Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere (CARE), about travelling, and about Albert Schweitzer. Many of his books are about the lives of children in different countries, Albert Schweitzer, and bible concordances. Translations consists of works by Albert Schweitzer. Miscellaneous consists of poems written for various holidays and occasions, short stories, sermons, meditations, and manuscripts.

Arrangement of the Collection

Academic work is in alphabetical order by class title. Correspondence is in chronological order. Printed materials and writings are in alphabetical order by title, type, or topic.

Restrictions

Access Restrictions:

The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.

Use Restrictions:

Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

Related Material

Special Collections Research Center has made a concerted effort over the years to ensure that its manuscript and rare books holdings complement each other. As a result, many of our manuscript collections are supported by books, pamphlets, serials and other items which are cataloged in the Rare Books Collection. Please be sure to search Libraries Search for these related materials.

Subject Headings

Persons

Joy, Charles R. (Charles Rhind), 1885-1978.
Schweitzer, Albert, 1875-1965.

Corporate Bodies

CARE, Inc.
Save the Children International Union.

Subjects

Humanitarian assistance -- Africa.
International relief.
Unitarianism -- United States.

Places

Africa -- Description and travel.

Genres and Forms

Articles.
Clippings (information artifacts)
Correspondence.
Drafts (documents).
Index cards.
Manuscripts for publication.
Research notes.
Sermons.
Short stories.
Translations.

Occupations

Authors.
Clergy.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Charles R. Joy Papers,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Gift of Charles R. Joy.

Table of Contents

Academic work

Correspondence

Printed materials

Writings

Inventory