New England

Burckel, William Garrett

William Bruckel, Supervisor at Remington Arms Company, talks about his adversity, tragedy, and faith, in particular how the tragic loss of his daughter galvanized his faith in God.

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Connell, Arthur

Arthur Connell, National Commander of the American Legion, describes his belief that every human being has a purpose from God and the potential to do good, and that every circumstance happens for a reason, even the death of his only daughter.

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Davis, Jerome, 1891-

Author and educator Jerome Davis speaks about the rewards of a life helping others.

Fisher, Annie, 1883-1968

Educator Annie Fisher talks about her experiences growing up in a Jewish family and her belief in equality and the importance of goodness regardless of one’s faith.

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Hillyer, Robert, 1895-1961

Poet and college professor Robert Hillyer describes his belief that a poet’s job is to strip away dead or negative emotions in order to allow room for light, and states his belief in finding satisfaction from each day as it arrives.

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Holloway, Alice G.

Author and business professional Alice Holloway describes the influence her grandmother and father have had on her beliefs and her certainty that kindness and service to others in need is the kindness that comes from a deeply spiritual and selfless place in people.

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Keller, Helen, 1880-1968

With the help of her companion Polly Thomson, author and lecturer Helen Keller describes her faith in God, in immortality, and in her fellow human beings, as well as her confidence that social conditions are improving, despite the present sufferings of humanity.

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Kristoffersen, Magnus K.

Librarian Magnus Kristoffersen describes how reading has shaped his life, and describes the lessons he has derived from stories: from Sutton Vane’s Outward Bound, he has learned that he must give a final account of his actions, and from Selma Lagerlof’s Jerusalem, he has learned that trying to save one’s life at the expense of others merely backfires in the end.

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La Forge, Frank, 1879-1953

Pianist and composer Frank La Forge describes his work and achievements in his career as a musician and pianist and believes in the necessity of acting to the best of one’s ability and faith in God’s support of one’s efforts.

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Phillips, Roger S.

Publisher Roger Phillips describes the faith and values he inherited from his family and explains the value and influence of a mate and examines the many elements that make up a person’s heritage.

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Richter, Mischa, 1910-2001

Russian-born cartoonist Mischa Richter describes his youth and early career as an artist and the importance of generosity and humor.

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Vanderbilt, Amy

Author Amy Vanderbilt explains her awareness and appreciation of people, equality and friendship and describes how her son exemplified this in his disregard for race when meeting a lady on the bus.

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Bixler, Julius Seelye, 1894-

Julius Bixler, President of Colby College, explores the tension between faith and reason and explains why skepticism falls short in comparison to faith and experiences like love, friendship, family, and the goodness of people.

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Williams, Roger C.

Newspaper publisher Roger Williams describes his belief that the modern age needs to balance its achievements in science and technology with wisdom and the foresight to anticipate the impact that innovations will have upon daily living.

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Almy, Doris E.

Doris Almy, Public Relations Director of the Massachusetts Teachers Federation, explains how her trust in the omnipotence of God and the re-establishment of her faith allowed her to overcome her fears and anxiety, and discusses her belief in kindness and education as a relief from anxiety in the lives of others.

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Baxter, James Phinney, 1893-1975

Historian James Baxter, President of Williams College, describes his belief that the source of a country’s freedom is its religion.

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Blake, Harry J.

Businessman Harry Blake describes a conversation with his sons in which they discuss the need for faith, hope, and charity to attain a successful and happy life.

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Broeg, Heloise Parker, 1901-1970

Newspaper editor and radio broadcaster Heloise Parker Broeg describes her belief in the importance of human relationships, love, work, and knowledge.

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Burchard, John E. (John Ely), 1898-1975

Educator at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and architect John Burchard admits his fear, and describes his belief that life cannot be lived in fear, and that the solution in the face of the current threats to “Western Civilization” is to embrace the diversity that America was founded upon, and to strive for union between world nations, despite such a union’s newness and unfamiliarity.

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Case, Harold Claude, 1902-1972

Harold Case, President of Boston University, explains his belief in an ordered, beneficent Universe created by God and the importance of living a purposeful and thoughtful life.

Clay, Lucius D. (Lucius DuBignon), 1897-1978

Lucius D. Clay, Special Assistant to Director Charles Wilson in the Office of Defense Mobilization, describes being inspired by the German people’s desire for democracy following World War II and believes that all people want peace and liberty and also believes freedom is a privilege given by God, and one that must be carefully guarded by all citizens and he calls upon Americans to make this country one that provides equal opportunities for all.

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Crandon, Laura Bishop

Retired school teacher Laura Crandon states her belief that the world’s problems could be addressed if individuals viewed humanity as an interconnected society in which each individual has a part to play.

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Davison, Archibald T. (Archibald Thompson), 1883-1961

Archibald Davison, Professor of Music at Harvard University and Director of the Harvard Glee Club, recounts a childhood experience in which he shut the door on a man who had come to the house in search of work, and describes his belief in the importance of weighing his actions and words carefully and avoiding the unnecessary infliction of pain.

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Dodge, Dora Estelle

Dora Dodge, Executive Director of the Girls Club of Worcester, Massachusetts, talks about her work with the girls club and the importance of planning and faith.

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Dover, Edina Campbell, Mrs., 1893-

Edina Campbell Dover, Director of the Hockox Secretarial School, discusses her guiding philosophy to behave in the same manner as she imagines Jesus Christ would, and the outcomes of this philosophy in her life and work and also explains the need for prayer, and its importance, on a frequent and regular basis.

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Dowd, Thomas B., 1902-1976

Thomas Dowd, Traveling Secretary for the Boston Red Sox, proudly describes the difficulties endured by his mother and the enduring spirit, faith, and dignity she displayed throughout her life as well as his determination to emulate the character of his mother.

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Forbes, Alexander, 1882-1965

Dr. Alexander Forbes, Professor Emeritus of Physiology at Harvard University, explains why science and religion are compatible; how science cannot understand everything in the universe; and the need for people and nations to begin cooperating rather than competing.

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Gopalakrishnan, R.

Indian-born Harvard Law student R.Gopalakrishnan describes his awareness, upon coming to America, that the beliefs and dreams of Americans are the same as those of the people of India and that the desire for peace, liberty, brotherhood and cooperation are not limited by national borders.

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Ham, Roswell Gray, 1891-1983

Roswell Ham, President of Mt. Holyoke College, describes being raised by a single mother and the impact she had on his beliefs in beauty.

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Hoagland, Hudson, 1899-1982

Hudson Hoagland, Executive Director of the Worcester Foundation for Experimental Biology, describes the importance of science and democracy and how they work together.

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Holmstrom, Andrew B.

Andrew Holmstrom, mayor of Worcester, Massachusetts, describes being raised by Swedish-born parents, recites a Swedish prayer and its English translation, and describes how he has passed that heritage of faith and traditions to his own children and grandchildren.

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Jefferson, Howard B. (Howard Bonar), 1901-

Howard Jefferson, President of Clark University, talks about working with college students and how these experiences have shown him the potential goodness of human nature.

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Levenson, Harry, 1905-1993

Conductor, violinist, and music teacher Harry Levenson relates his experience as a musician to the struggles of people in the world and explains his belief that doing one’s best and appreciating the individual as a person can guide us towards a peaceful future.

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Murray, Henry A. (Henry Alexander), 1893-1988

Henry Murray, psychologist and Professor of Social Relations at Harvard University, describes his belief that the world will not be able to progress and escape the threat of atomic war until a synthesized philosophy of eastern and western ideals can be adopted by thousands, and a world government achieved.

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O’Connell, Patrick A.

Businessman Patrick O’Connell talks about the uncertainty of always knowing right from wrong and the importance of the power of prayer.

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Perry, Ralph Barton, 1876-1957

Harvard University Professor Emeritus Ralph Perry describes his belief in believing – the quality that transforms idle thinking into action and his belief that humans can distinguish between right and wrong.

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Potter, Richard C.

Richard Potter, curator of the Museum of Natural History in Worcester, Massachusetts, discusses his closeness with nature as a child and his belief that there is much to be gained from living close to nature and more children must be raised with an awareness of nature.

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Sherman, Edward Allen, b. 1895

Armed forces officer Edward Sherman emphasizes the need for responsibility and sacrifice for the sake of the country and to preserve its leadership in the world, and lists his personal commandments, a “Decalogue of Civic Responsibility.”

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Sokolsky, George E. (George Ephraim), 1893-1962

Columnist George Sokolsky talks about his experience abroad and how the experience affected his philosophy of life, politics, and religion.

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Sullivan, Katharine

Social worker Katharine Sullivan talks about her work with inmates and the power of faith and prayer in her work and her life

Weinreb, Joseph

Austrian-born psychiatrist Joseph Weinreb reflects on ethics and morality and resolves that nothing is created bad or evil but becomes so through misdirection; and love, compassion, and hard work are means by which we can achieve a harmonious world.

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Whitehurst, Bert W.

Engineer Bert Whitehurst describes how waiting for a spinal fusion surgery brought him to a belief in prayer and released him from the fear of death.

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Mowrer, Paul Scott, 1887-1971

Journalist and poet Paul Mowrer describes the importance of faith and hope to his beliefs, which include first hand experiences of both the good and bad that people can do.

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Sagendorph, Robb Hansell

Robb Sagendorph, publisher of The Old Farmers Almanac, describes how his beliefs have deepened since he was young, and states his beliefs that humans are made significant because of their relationship to God, that life is everlasting, and that children have a closer understanding of life than adults.

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Stewart, George

Lt. Col. George Stewart describes how he developed a moral code based on friendliness, and explains how his faith in people developed because of his neighbors’ friendliness, and how Jesus demonstrated God’s friendliness during His time on earth.

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Toland, Edward Dale, 1886-1964

Teacher Edward Toland describes how his experiences with a French mobile field hospital in WWI changed his perspective and led him to become a teacher after the war, and he describes his belief that loving humanity by practicing the Golden Rule is the best way in which to love God.

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Burgess, Alex. M.

Physician Alex M. Burgess defines belief as something which is accepted as fact, and describes his belief that the future depends upon the qualities of courage, kindness, generosity and self-sacrifice that he observes in those whom he encounters in his hospital work.

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Orcutt, Reginald, 1894-

Businessman Reginald Orcutt explains how he developed his own belief in humanism and believes in always being open to truth and always sharing truth.

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Earle, Edwin, 1904-1989

Painter and insurance agent Edwin Earle recounts a lesson from a painting instructor at art school and the impact this lesson had on him later in life when coping with his blindness and other adversity.

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Fineman, Irving, b. 1893

Author and poet Irving Fineman reads his poem, “For a Child” and explains why he feels it is a parent’s duty to create a better world and why to do so one needs science and faith together.

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Page, Elizabeth, b. 1889

Author and social worker Elizabeth Page recounts her experience of God’s presence after the death of her sister, describes her belief in her responsibility to address problems in the world, and explains how her belief in black-and-white distinctions between good and evil came to change.

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Smith, Bradford, 1909-1964

Educator and author Bradford Smith describes his fascination with the universe and its creation and the importance of creativity in life, birth in general and in a person’s life, and that one must develop this creativity through social connections, democracy and love.

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Trapp, Maria Augusta

Austrian-born Maria Trapp describes how she and her husband attempted to understand the Gospels’ instructions to “become like little children” and, by observing their own children, came to the conclusion that children live whole-heartedly in the present without worrying about the past or future.

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