Hartzell spence biography of william hamilton
Hartzell Spence, 93, a best selling author born in Clarion, recently of Essex, Connecticut, died May 9, , at his home. Spence wrote "One Foot in Heaven", a collection of more than short stories about a Methodist minister and his family as they moved from town to town. Spence based the book on his own experience as the son of a Methodist clergyman.
One Foot was named to the best seller list in , and eventually was adapted to the silver screen in a movie starring Frederic March.
Hartzell spence biography of william Few knew that the small town preacher that represented the best of America was born in Huron County. Local historian, Reg Thompson has uncovered the Spence story. He was the oldest of three children born to John and Susan Spence. Around , William was in his senior year studying medicine at the University of Toronto when he heard famed Methodist Bishop Joseph Crane Hartzell deliver a spellbinding sermon. Spence heard the Word and felt called to the ministry.Spence's father, William H. Spence, served the Methodist Church in Clarion from Parson, as he was called, thought of himself first as a minister and second as a family man. He ruled with an iron hand. Hartzell Spence was born February 15, , in Clarion. He graduated from the University of Iowa, Magna Cum Laude in He served as the Iowa bureau manager of the United Press Associate from In , Spence was named to the University of Iowa School of Journalism.
Before finding success with his book, Spence received dozens of rejection letters from publishers. Finally, a friend suggested, why don't you write something you know best about? The result was "One Foot in Heaven". One Foot chronicles Parson's predicaments and his ingenious means of getting out of them. The congregation in the book is split into warring factions and the choir is described as a cross between the devil's grandmother and a swarm of mountain wildcats.
Hartzell spence biography of william shakespeare
He is credited with coining the term " pinup ". Happily Ever After , his book about his farming adventures, was published in He wrote the memoir One Foot in Heaven , which was made into a film. He also wrote the sequel Get Thee Behind Me. He also wrote Vain Shadow , a romantic biography of the Spanish conquistador Francisco de Orellana.Spence's family moved from Clarion to Fort Dodge in , where Parson served the Methodist Church there until The church was located next to the fire station, which caused a problem if the fire alarm sounded during his sermon.
In , Parson acquired a Ford Model T and the family motored to Colorado for a vacation.
During World War II, Hartzell Spence founded Yank magazine for the enlisted men. As executive editor of Yank, Spence championed pin-up girls and the comic strip Sad Sac. Spence received the Legion of Merit in for his services.
Hartzell spence biography of william hurt Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little email? Spence wrote "One Foot in Heaven", a collection of more than short stories about a Methodist minister and his family as they moved from town to town. Spence based the book on his own experience as the son of a Methodist clergyman. One Foot was named to the best seller list in , and eventually was adapted to the silver screen in a movie starring Frederic March. Spence's father, William H.In , Spence wrote "Marcos of the Philippines" a biography of Ferdinand E. Marcos. During his lifetime, Spence authored more than articles for publications including the Saturday Evening Post, Look, and Reader's Digest. "One Foot in Heaven" is available at the Clarion and Belmond libraries by making arrangements through the Iowa State Traveling Library.