Dorothy Spoerl

From Philosopedia.org

Dorothy Tilden Spoerl (29 March 1906 - 2 December 1999)

Spoerl was born in Brooklyn, New York, the daughter of Joseph M. and Gertrude Bennett Tilden.

She studied at Lombard College, a school founded by the Universalist Church in 1853 as the Illinois Liberal Institute, receiving her bachelor's degree in 1927, graduating magna cum laude. She received her master of arts degree in 1928 from Boston University.

In December 1929 she was ordained to the ministry at the Universalist Church in Bath, Maine, where her husband was then pastor.

She went on to receive a Ph.D. in psychology from Clark University.

From 1946 to 1957 she taught psychology at American International College in Springfield, Massachusetts. In 1957 she moved to Langdon, New Hampshire, and taught at Acworth Elementary School, serving as both teacher and principal. From 1960 to 1964 she was curriculum editor and was in charge of research in the education department of Universalist-Unitarian Association of Boston. In 1965 she moved to Berkeley, California, joined the faculty of Starr King Theological School, and was on the West Coast staff for adult religious education.

She returned to Boston in 1966 and from then until 1969 she was involved with religious education at the Universalist-Unitarian Association. From 1970 to 1972 she was minister of Hartland and Woodstock, Vermont, Universalist-Unitarian Churches.

In 1972, she retired to Springvale, Maine, in 1972.

Spoerl was the recipient of the Universalist-Unitarian Association Distinguished Service Award and the Angus MacLean Award in Religious Education.

In 1973 she received the degree of Doctor of Sacred Theology from Starr King School of Ministry and was presented with the Doctor of Divinity by the Meadville/Lombard Theological School.

Spoerl was the widow of Dr. Howard Davis Spoerl, who died in 1955. They had a son, Walter Spoerl of Charlestown, New Hampshire; and two grandchildren, Jennifer and Howard of Portsmouth and Boston.