Lloyd Douglas’s daughters were not the only ones who donated items to the Bentley Library’s “Lloyd C. Douglas Papers.” Private contributors also donated files. One valuable donation was a collection of sermons that Douglas preached at the First Congregational Church of Ann Arbor during the 1919-1920 school year. He always typed his sermons in advance and made copies available upon request. In the upper left corner of the first two sermons is the name of the donor, who must have collected them at the time and saved them. Her name was Frieda Diekhoff.
I assume this is Mrs. Frieda Sophie Diekhoff Attwood, who was “a lifelong resident of Ann Arbor.” She was awarded a bachelors degree from the University of Michigan in 1924 and a masters in 1927, although her obituary does not say what field she studied. Also in 1927, she married Stephen S. Attwood, who “later became Dean of the College of Engineering at the University of Michigan.” (I’m quoting from her obituary on the “Find A Grave” website.)
When Douglas’s daughters established the “Lloyd C. Douglas Papers” at the university’s Bentley Historical Library in the 1950s, I am sure this was announced in university press releases. As the wife of a dean, Mrs. Attwood probably heard about the archive and realized her sermon collection would be a valuable addition to the set.
What makes this file so valuable is that it allows us to see Douglas at work, week after week, for almost an entire school year. I have found it particularly useful in understanding the evolution of his thought during a pivotal moment in his life, for 1920 was the year in which he became a frequent contributor to the Christian Century and had his first book published (Wanted: A Congregation).
The Fall 1919 part of the collection is filed as “Sermons [4],” and the Winter/Spring 1920 part is called, “Sermons [5].” They are found in Box 3, Lloyd C. Douglas Papers, Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan.
Here is a list of the sermons in this collection:
*The Religion of a Collegian (Oct 12, 1919)
*The Conservation of Moral Leadership (Oct 19, 1919)
*The Pearl-Trader (Oct 26, 1919)
*Human Engineering (Nov 2, 1919)
*Buried Treasure (Nov 9, 1919)
*Understudies (Nov 16, 1919)
*The Grounds of Our Gratitude (Nov 23, 1919)
*Walled Towns (Nov 30, 1919)
*What Do You Want for Christmas? (Dec 14, 1919)
*Sermon (Jan 4, 1920)
*Personality: First Phase (Jan 18, 1920)
*Personality: Second Phase (Jan 25, 1920)
*Personality: Third Phase (Feb 1, 1920)
*The Wilderness (Feb 15, 1920)
*The Father of Our Country (Feb 22, 1920)
*Art Thou a King, Then? (Palm Sunday, Mar 28, 1920)
Over the next several weeks, I will summarize and quote from these sermons, in the order in which they were preached. Along the way, I will offer my own interpretations, especially in light of his overall development as a thinker and writer. I am excited to work with such a great resource. It is somewhat like a time capsule, giving us glimpses of Douglas’s preaching and thinking over a sustained period. I am grateful that young Ms. Diekhoff saved these pages, and that, years later, she was willing to give them to the university for the benefit of future generations.
The Lloyd C Douglas Page 