William J. Hadden
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William James Hadden Jr. (June 2, 1921 – June 14, 1995) was a Protestant minister of the
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination in the United States and Canada. The denomination started with the Restoration Movement during the Second Great Awakening, first existing during the 19th ...
and a priest of the
Episcopal Church (United States) The Episcopal Church, based in the United States with additional dioceses elsewhere, is a member church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. It is a mainline Protestant denomination and is divided into nine provinces. The presiding bishop ...
He was also at different times both a military chaplain (both in the US Navy and the US Army), and a university Chaplain. He also served as a politician and community leader in
Pitt County, North Carolina Pitt County is a county located in the inner banks (northeastern part) of the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 170,243, making it the fourteenth-most populous county in North Carolina. Its county seat is ...
, and worked for the
desegregation Desegregation is the process of ending the separation of two groups, usually referring to races. Desegregation is typically measured by the index of dissimilarity, allowing researchers to determine whether desegregation efforts are having impact o ...
of Greenville, North Carolina.


Early life

William "Bill" Hadden was born on June 2, 1921 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but shortly afterwards his family moved to
Maple Shade, New Jersey Maple Shade Township is a Township (New Jersey), township in Burlington County, New Jersey, Burlington County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 19,131. What is now Maple Shade was originally fo ...
. His parents were William James Hadden, Sr., and Elizabeth Derr Hadden. "After my birth, my family lived for a short time in Philadelphia. I was approximately 2 and one half years old when the family moved to the suburban New Jersey town of Maple Shade. The family lived there until the late forties... a suburban town of 2,500-3,000 people, it was a bedroom community for city employees of Philadelphia. We moved into a two story, three bedroom house located on Terrace Avenue. It was semi-rural with many acres of open ground around it. There was a small creek about a quarter of a mile from home which was a fascinating place for me and the boys in our neighborhood to play Cowboys and Indians and to hike its banks." As a young man, he was very active in the
Boy Scouts of America The Boy Scouts of America (BSA, colloquially the Boy Scouts) is one of the largest scouting organizations and one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with about 1.2 million youth participants. The BSA was founded ...
and was a
Sea Scout Sea Scouts are a part of the Scout movement, with a particular emphasis on boating and other water-based activities on the sea, rivers or lakes (canoeing, rafting, scuba, sailboarding). Sea Scouts can provide a chance to sail, cruise on boats, ...
. He married Margaret Shumate (daughter of Whitney Shumate and Jessamine Shumate) on August 28, 1944, and they had four children: Elizabeth Hadden Lunney; William James Hadden, III; Whitney W. Hadden (also known as Whit Haydn) and Robert Lee Hadden.


Education

William Hadden received his
Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...
degree in Philosophy at
Lynchburg College The University of Lynchburg, formerly Lynchburg College, is a private university associated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and located in Lynchburg, Virginia. It has approximately 2,800 undergraduate and graduate students. ...
in Lynchburg, Virginia in 1944. He was a member of both the
Kappa Delta Phi Kappa Delta Phi (), also known as KDPhi, is a social fraternity that was founded on April 14, 1900, at the Bridgewater State Normal School, now known as Bridgewater State University. The fraternity currently boasts 14 active chapters. A sorori ...
, Eta Rho Chapter, and the Alpha Phi Omega fraternities. He received his Master of Divinity degree from the Graduate School of Education at
Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...
in
Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...
, as part of the
V-12 Navy College Training Program The V-12 Navy College Training Program was designed to supplement the force of commissioned officers in the United States Navy during World War II. Between July 1, 1943, and June 30, 1946, more than 125,000 participants were enrolled in 131 colleg ...
, in 1946. He was awarded a second Master's degree from Austin Peay State University in 1957. A firm believer in continuing education, he also completed special studies at the
University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...
, the Graduate School of Theology at the
University of the South The University of the South, familiarly known as Sewanee (), is a private Episcopal liberal arts college in Sewanee, Tennessee. It is owned by 28 southern dioceses of the Episcopal Church, and its School of Theology is an official seminary of ...
, and participated in the Religious Education Program at
New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, th ...
and other studies at Peabody College and East Carolina University.


Churches

William Hadden was ordained as a "Minister of the Gospel" by the Disciples of Christ Church on May 29, 1944, at the Euclid Avenue Christian Church (now Euclid Christian Church), Lynchburg, Virginia. * Minister, Cork Street Christian Church (Disciples of Christ),
Winchester, Virginia Winchester is the most north western independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Frederick County, although the two are separate jurisdictions. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Winchester wit ...
, from June 1946 until June 1949. * Minister, First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ),
Clarksville, Tennessee Clarksville is the county seat of Montgomery County, Tennessee, United States. It is the fifth-largest city in the state behind Nashville, Memphis, Tennessee, Memphis, Knoxville, and Chattanooga. The city had a population of 166,722 as of the 202 ...
, from June 1949 until January 1959. While he was there, the church raised enough funds to construct a new educational building for the church. * Minister, First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Greenville, North Carolina, from January 1959 until March 1969. "He was minister of Eighth Street Christian Church (1959–1969), when the congregation felt they needed to move to a larger church and grounds. He led the congregation in planning and building First Christian Church and loved the people in the congregation and was very proud of the church they built together." * For five years, he wrote and conducted a half hour weekly religious program at 8:00AM each Sunday morning on
WNCT-TV WNCT-TV (channel 9) is a television station licensed to Greenville, North Carolina, United States, serving Eastern North Carolina as an affiliate of CBS and The CW Plus. Owned by Nexstar Media Group, the station maintains studios on South ...
, called "Lessons for Living." The series included Bible stories, fables from other countries and stories that enhanced moral decisions. Some of the stories told included local stories, such as from the local North Carolina folklorist and good friend, Judge Charles H. Whedbee. William Hadden was ordained in the Episcopal Church by
Tom Wright (Bishop of East Carolina) Thomas Henry Wright (October 16, 1904 – April 26, 1997) was fourth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of East Carolina from 1945 till 1973. Early life and education Wright was born on October 16, 1904 in Wilmington, North Carolina, the son of John ...
and Bishop Hunley A. Elebash, at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Greenville, North Carolina, on August 24, 1968. * Episcopal Chaplain, East Carolina University from 1968–1984. * Associate rector, St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Greenville, North Carolina,
Episcopal Diocese of East Carolina The Episcopal Diocese of East Carolina is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States that covers most of eastern North Carolina. The diocese was formed from the existing Diocese of North Carolina on October 9, 1883, by action of the ...
, from 1969-1985. * Priest-in-Charge, Emmanuel Episcopal Church, Farmville Historic District (Farmville, North Carolina) from 1971–1990. "In 1977 Bishop Hunley Elebash asked Bill if he would become Priest in Charge of the small Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Farmville. This charge lasted for thirteen years, and it was a very happy time in our lives."


Military

"Mother spent most of her married life as a housewife. During World War II she worked for a while in the local uniform industry as a seamstress. At this time I was serving as a Chaplain Cadet for the Navy in Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee... I was assigned to the V-12 Officer's Training Corps at Vanderbilt University, where I was able to finish my seminary work in two years and two months instead of the usual three years. Then when I graduated, I thought I would go into the Navy as a chaplain. However, the war was over just before I graduated in June of 1945." William Hadden served as a stateside military chaplain in the US Navy as a
Lieutenant (junior grade) Lieutenant junior grade is a junior commissioned officer rank used in a number of navies. United States Lieutenant (junior grade), commonly abbreviated as LTJG or, historically, Lt. (j.g.) (as well as variants of both abbreviations), ...
during
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, from June 1944 until December 1949. Awarded the
American Campaign Medal The American Campaign Medal is a military award of the United States Armed Forces which was first created on November 6, 1942, by issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The medal was intended to recognize those military members who had perfo ...
and the
World War II Victory Medal (United States) The World War II Victory Medal is a service medal of the United States military which was established by an Act of Congress on 6 July 1945 (Public Law 135, 79th Congress) and promulgated by Section V, War Department Bulletin 12, 1945. The Wo ...
. He then transferred to the Tennessee National Guard and also served as a chaplain serving as a Captain in the
United States Army Reserve The United States Army Reserve (USAR) is a reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the Army element of the reserve components of the United States Armed Forces. Since July 2020 ...
during the
Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
, from December 1949 until July 1954.


Civil Life and Desegregation

William Hadden was the first chairman of Greenville's "
Good Neighbor Council The Good Neighbor Council was an effort in North Carolina proposed by Governor Terry Sanford to fight racial segregation and encourage the employment of Black people in the state. David S. Coltrane was the first chairman and director of the Good Nei ...
" formed of black and white citizens united to fight
Racial segregation Racial segregation is the systematic separation of people into race (human classification), racial or other Ethnicity, ethnic groups in daily life. Racial segregation can amount to the international crime of apartheid and a crimes against hum ...
. The
Good Neighbor Council The Good Neighbor Council was an effort in North Carolina proposed by Governor Terry Sanford to fight racial segregation and encourage the employment of Black people in the state. David S. Coltrane was the first chairman and director of the Good Nei ...
was formed by
Terry Sanford James Terry Sanford (August 20, 1917April 18, 1998) was an American lawyer and politician from North Carolina. A member of the Democratic Party, Sanford served as the 65th Governor of North Carolina from 1961 to 1965, was a two-time U.S. pr ...
, governor of North Carolina from 1961–1965, and this was the forerunner of the state's Human Relations Council, now the North Carolina Human Relations Commission. Terry Sanford encouraged local Good Neighbor Councils to consider, promote and adjudicate in questions of programs of racial nature. This eight person, biracial commission was the first group to promote the legislation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 in eastern North Carolina. The Greenville Good Neighbor Council was cited by the city, county and state officials as the most significant agency in assisting the community in weathering a most traumatic period. The Rev. William Hadden was its chairman for six years. One of the early shocks during this period was the effectiveness of the Black Christmas boycott of 1963, when black citizens boycotted white businesses over the Christmas season because of discrimination in employment downtown Greenville. Bill Hadden was elected six times to the
City Council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...
of Greenville, North Carolina, and served for twelve years, from 1975–1977 and again from 1979–1989. While a city council member, he also participated in the Greenville Transit Commission, the Greenville Housing Authority, and the Community Bicycle Safety Program. While on the Greenville Housing Authority, he worked to end the substandard housing for blacks along the Tar River waterfront in town, many of which did not have adequate water or sewage systems in their homes. He was also instrumental in the formation of "Evergreen" a downtown revitalization program for Greenville. He also served as
mayor pro tem ''Pro tempore'' (), abbreviated ''pro tem'' or ''p.t.'', is a Latin phrase which best translates to "for the time being" in English. This phrase is often used to describe a person who acts as a ''locum tenens'' (placeholder) in the absence of ...
of Greenville, North Carolina from 1985–1987. As even a temporary mayor, he was in charge of all the city departments, and was presented with an honorary police
Badge A badge is a device or accessory, often containing the insignia of an organization, which is presented or displayed to indicate some feat of service, a special accomplishment, a symbol of authority granted by taking an oath (e.g., police and ...
by the Greenville Police Department. In 1986 he was awarded the North Carolina chapter of the
United States Junior Chamber The United States Junior Chamber, also known as the Jaycees, JCs or JCI USA, is a leadership training, service organization and civic organization for people between the ages of 18 and 40. It is a branch of Junior Chamber International (JCI ...
of Commerce's "Outstanding Elected Official for the State." For a number of years he was active in different community groups. He was on the board of directors when the group was formed in 1978, and was elected president of the
Friends of Libraries Friends of Libraries (also Friends of the Library and may be shortened to Friends) are non-profit, charitable groups formed to support libraries in their communities. Support from the Friends groups may be financial, political and cultural. Group ...
group for East Carolina University in 1981. William Hadden was also the president of the Friends of the Sheppard Memorial Library. He also served on the board of directors for the Pitt County Mental Health Board and the United Fund.


Tour Guide

Bill Hadden traveled to Scotland and Israel during the 1950s on a study grant from the Disciples of Christ Church. He later found that a travel company in Nashville, Tennessee, would pay his way if he acted as a
Tour guide A tour guide (U.S.) or a tourist guide (European) is a person who provides assistance, information on cultural, historical and contemporary heritage to people on organized sightseeing and individual clients at educational establishments, religio ...
for ten or more people to Europe, and so he found twenty people and was also able to take his wife along for free. They were able to get tickets to the
Oberammergau Passion Play The Oberammergau Passion Play (german: Oberammergauer Passionsspiele) is a passion play that has been performed every 10 years from 1634 to 1674 and each decadal year since 1680 (with a few exceptions) by the inhabitants of the village of Obera ...
in 1960. He would also lead several other tours to Europe and the Holy Lands throughout the later 1960s, and later took another study tour of Anglican university chaplains in England for the Episcopal Church in 1983. "Taking tour groups to Europe is the hobby of the Rev. Bill Hadden, Episcopal Chaplain at East Carolina University and until five years ago an ordained minister in the Christian Church. Hadden has extensive experience in writing as he served as writer of Sunday School material for the Christian Board of Publication, contributed a weekly column for seven years in
The Tennessean ''The Tennessean'' (known until 1972 as ''The Nashville Tennessean'') is a daily newspaper in Nashville, Tennessee. Its circulation area covers 39 counties in Middle Tennessee and eight counties in southern Kentucky. It is owned by Gannett, ...
of Nashville, and has been published in The Christian and The Pulpit Digest." William Hadden acted as a Summer Tour Director fo
Brownell Travel
Company in Birmingham, Alabama, and led five tours to the Middle East and Europe.


Death

After a series of three strokes, he died on June 14, 1995 and is buried in Pinewood Memorial Cemetery, in Greenville, North Carolina."William J. Hadden, Jr.
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hadden, William J. American Episcopal priests Anglican chaplains Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) clergy North Carolina city council members American television hosts University of Lynchburg alumni Vanderbilt University alumni Austin Peay State University alumni People from Maple Shade Township, New Jersey People from Greenville, North Carolina 1921 births 1995 deaths 20th-century American politicians History of racism in North Carolina 20th-century American clergy