James Elmer Spyglass (November 1, 1877 – February 16, 1957) was a singer and worked for the US consulate in Frankfurt.

Life and career

He was born in Springfield, Ohio. In 1897 he became a founding member of St. John's Missionary Baptist Church in Springfield. After that, he dedicated his life to music and became a cabaret singer. He was chorus director at Bethel A. M. E. Church in Pittsburgh until 1901. He was a baritone vocalist and in 1905, he graduated from the Toledo Conservatory of Music. He also attended Western Pennsylvania University. At the Carnegie Music Hall in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

, he accompanied a 25 piece orchestra and a 200-member choir in singing

Strauss Strauss, Strauß or Straus is a common Germanic surname. Outside Germany and Austria ''Strauß'' is always spelled ''Strauss'' (the letter " ß" is not used in the German-speaking part of Switzerland). In classical music, "Strauss" usually re ...

's " An der schönen blauen Donau". In 1906, he went to Europe and established himself as an interpreter of "Negro Spirituals". For 20 years, he sang in the Netherlands to cheering audiences. In 1930, he retired to Sachsenhausen, a suburb of

Frankfurt am Main Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...

, Germany. His house in Sachsenhausen was bombed in 1944. and he moved to Schwalbach.Stone, Tom. Ohio Negro Made an Honorary Citizen of West German Town, The Daily Reporter (Dover, Ohio) December 2, 1954, page 7, accessed April 23, 2017 at https://www.newspapers.com/clip/10508742/ After World War II, Spyglass became an interpreter and receptionist in the US consulate in Frankfurt. His job was to greet visitors to the consulate—many of them intending to become emigrants to the US—and to direct them to the appropriate office. Spyglass was fluent in five European languages. In Sachsenhausen he opened up language classes and taught English to local townspeople for a number of years. In 1947, he had an interview with Will Lang Jr. of ''

Life Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for Cell growth, growth, reaction to Stimu ...

'' to discuss his life and his role as a receptionist. According to Lang, Spyglass's "pleasant coffee-colored face" greeted everyone who came "to do business with the US." Lang mentions that the consul general, Sidney B. Redecker, was one of the few people who addressed the "colored man" by his first name, Elmer. "To others he is known respectfully as 'Mr Spyglass.'" Will Lang's article appeared in ''Life'' on November 3, 1947. On November 9, 1954, Spyglass became an honorary citizen of Schwalbach, Germany. Spyglass died February 16, 1957. His ashes were returned to

Yellow Springs, Ohio Yellow Springs is a village in Greene County, Ohio, United States. The population was 3,697 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is home to Antioch College. History The area of the village had long b ...

where he was buried beside his parents.Famed Negro Dead at 79, The Indiana Gazette (Indiana, Pennsylvania) February 21, 1957, page 5, accessed April 24, 2017 at https://www.newspapers.com/clip/10508890/famed_negro_dead_at_79_the_indiana/

Spyglass Prize

On January 8, 1995, a student in Schwalbach was the first to receive the "James Elmer Spyglass Prize" for contributions to intercultural relations.

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Spyglass, J. Elmer 1877 births 1957 deaths American diplomats People from Springfield, Ohio American baritones 20th-century African-American male singers 20th-century American male singers 20th-century American singers