Tuesday, January 28, 2025

WHO WAS HARVEY SPAULDING OF SAGINAW?

 

Mr. Harvey Spaulding whose name adorns the banner of Saginaw Toastmasters Club 781 was and still is a mystery to all of us in many respects.



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The late Bob Heft of Saginaw MI, authored a document which he handed to Paul F. Arnhold, DTM who in turn gave me a copy saying “do with it as see fit”.   This document bears the date of October 1, 2009 and is titled: Report on Harvey Spaulding.

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Before going any further I have to mention who was Bob Heft.

Bob Heft was a member of the Harvey Spaulding Toastmasters Club 781.   Bob Heft was – an American original – was the designer of the present U.S. Flag with the 50 States.  Hence – the 50 stars flags.  For this achievement Bob Heft was honored in the White House by President Dwight Eisenhower and all subsequent presidents up to George W. Bush. Bob Heft passed in 2010.

Bob Heft bequeathed the Club 781 an original US flag autographed by him.  However this is a separate story.

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Harvey D. Spaulding Jr., was born sometime in 1896. The Spaulding family settled in the south side of Saginaw County. Spaulding Township is named after these early settlers.

On August 1, 1915, Harvey D. Spaulding Sr., drowned in the Cass River near Bridgeport MI, while successfully rescuing Mrs. Joanna Hensler, who was a non-swimmer.  Harvey Jr. was at the time a student at the historical Arthur Hill High School and a member of the local Saginaw YMCA chapter.  In 1917 Harvey Spaulding entered the service of the U.S army until the end of WWI.

Upon his return to Saginaw he committed himself and his life work to the local YMCA Chapter.  He taught every non-swimmer the basic skills of swimming at the YMCA pool facility and Saginaw school system.  He became a physical education instructor.  He designed classes for all local schools to have swimming training. Harvey Spaulding Jr., was recognized in 1933 by the YMCA Society of Physical Education Program Directors.

His local efforts in physical education and swimming bore evidence when on September 26, 1946, Harvey Spaulding Jr., was recognized by the Joint Navy and War Departments for his life work.  The citation was signed by the Commanding General of the U.S. Fifth Army.

The immediate reason for the citation narrates that -

“On the Destroyer Escort vessel that was sunk by a Japanese diver bomber during action in the South pacific, thirty-four of the sixty survivors were from Saginaw.  Thirty-two of those survivors were taught the skills of swimming by Harvey D. Spaulding Jr.”

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In 1920 he became the head of physical education in the Y.  In 1941 he became the associate general secretary of the Y.

In February 1950, seventy-four years ago, Harvey Spaulding Jr. chartered the Toastmasters International Club 781 in the Saginaw YMCA.

On April 2, 1954, Toastmasters club 781 conferred on Harvey Spaulding a life membership. Harvey Spaulding passed at age seventy in October 6, 1966.

Shortly after his death the swimming pool in the Saginaw Y was named after him.

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This post was excerpted from a report by Bob Heft based on the book titled “A Century of Service” by Crittenden & Smith, pages 128-131.

All dating errors are likely made by author of this blog.

© Mandy Lender 2015, 2024, 2025

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