Unity Church History
Custodial Life at Unity in the 1970s
Pauline Eichten, Archives Team
I talked with Phil Platt and Mark Foster recently about their experience as custodians at Unity during the 1970s and the origins of the Society of International Janitors that was featured in our September 2024 commUNITY newsletter article. Here is some of what I learned.
Phil was a Macalester graduate who had been working in alternative education. He heard about the job through Jimmy Ross, son of Hamilton and Sally Ross, longtime Unity members. Jimmy was working there for the summer and encouraged Phil to apply. He was hired and worked at Unity part-time from 1972-1978. He eventually became “head” custodian, even though only part-time, because he had been there the longest.
Mark had been working at Knox Lumber full-time, applying to law schools. He heard about a part-time job at Unity, working days and mornings and applied. Laurel Hallman, then the church administrator, hired him. He worked there while going to law school, about three years. Mark mentioned that he and Sally were married in 1972 by Rev. Roy Phillips. It might have been one of the first marriages Roy conducted at Unity. They also bought their house down the street from Unity because Mark saw the For Sale sign on his way home from work.
Among the people who worked at Unity as custodians, as Phil remembered, were Joe Kunkel, now professor emeritus at Mankato State; Bob Douglas, an accomplished musician and Phil’s college roommate; Pop Wagner, cowboy poet/musician; Mark Foster, longtime Unity member; Dave Mehl, retired UCC minister; Don Swain; and Tim Kane.
I was surprised to learn that the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra rehearsed in the Parish Hall during that time. Phil met and talked with Aaron Copeland at one of those rehearsals in 1973. Tim Kane and his brother were “roadies” for the SPCO and that’s how Tim ended up working as a custodian at Unity.
Pauline Eichten, Archives Team
I talked with Phil Platt and Mark Foster recently about their experience as custodians at Unity during the 1970s and the origins of the Society of International Janitors that was featured in our September 2024 commUNITY newsletter article. Here is some of what I learned.
Phil was a Macalester graduate who had been working in alternative education. He heard about the job through Jimmy Ross, son of Hamilton and Sally Ross, longtime Unity members. Jimmy was working there for the summer and encouraged Phil to apply. He was hired and worked at Unity part-time from 1972-1978. He eventually became “head” custodian, even though only part-time, because he had been there the longest.
Mark had been working at Knox Lumber full-time, applying to law schools. He heard about a part-time job at Unity, working days and mornings and applied. Laurel Hallman, then the church administrator, hired him. He worked there while going to law school, about three years. Mark mentioned that he and Sally were married in 1972 by Rev. Roy Phillips. It might have been one of the first marriages Roy conducted at Unity. They also bought their house down the street from Unity because Mark saw the For Sale sign on his way home from work.
Among the people who worked at Unity as custodians, as Phil remembered, were Joe Kunkel, now professor emeritus at Mankato State; Bob Douglas, an accomplished musician and Phil’s college roommate; Pop Wagner, cowboy poet/musician; Mark Foster, longtime Unity member; Dave Mehl, retired UCC minister; Don Swain; and Tim Kane.
I was surprised to learn that the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra rehearsed in the Parish Hall during that time. Phil met and talked with Aaron Copeland at one of those rehearsals in 1973. Tim Kane and his brother were “roadies” for the SPCO and that’s how Tim ended up working as a custodian at Unity.
Both Mark and Phil remembered Harriet Gooden, who was the housekeeper. They weren’t entirely sure what a housekeeper did, but thought it was dusting and cleaning the offices. She gave Phil her chili recipe, which was prominently mounted in the house where he lived. Harriet died of cancer and all the staff at Unity attended her funeral at Brooks Funeral Home. Phil also mentioned Mavis Karn, another Unity employee, and Mrs. Dunn, who was the librarian.
According to Phil, they painted every wall in the offices, which were plain concrete block, the basement classrooms and the sanctuary walls. The sanctuary ceiling was left to professionals. Mark remembered buffing the floors in the basement while listening to the Watergate hearings, which took place in 1973-1974. They would set up for events and meetings, including starting the 30-cup coffee percolators as needed. Roy asked that the coffee pots be started early to avoid the percolating noise, which he dubbed the “sounds of doom.”
The crew took turns working on Sundays, weddings and funerals. Among their tasks every Friday was to pick up the Sunday orders of service from a printing company on University Avenue. Phil said they had a charge account at Ace Hardware near Macalester. If they needed something, they would ask Laurel to borrow her car and head off to Ace to buy what was needed.
At some point, a resolution lauding the Society of International Janitors was created. Neither Phil nor Mark remembered who wrote it. Phil said he created the name, including "international" because several of the custodians were musicians who performed in Europe – him, Bob Douglas and Pop Wagner. It was posted in the janitor’s closet. Remnants of tape can still be seen at the top of the sheet of paper.
Phil noted that both Revs. Laurel Hallman and Roy Phillips would refer to “the SIJ” when requesting some custodial service. It’s clear that the Society of International Janitors was created in fun, and perhaps also to elevate the job of custodian.
If you have anything to add to this history, we’d love to hear it. Contact Pauline Eichten at [email protected] or Louise Merriam at [email protected].
According to Phil, they painted every wall in the offices, which were plain concrete block, the basement classrooms and the sanctuary walls. The sanctuary ceiling was left to professionals. Mark remembered buffing the floors in the basement while listening to the Watergate hearings, which took place in 1973-1974. They would set up for events and meetings, including starting the 30-cup coffee percolators as needed. Roy asked that the coffee pots be started early to avoid the percolating noise, which he dubbed the “sounds of doom.”
The crew took turns working on Sundays, weddings and funerals. Among their tasks every Friday was to pick up the Sunday orders of service from a printing company on University Avenue. Phil said they had a charge account at Ace Hardware near Macalester. If they needed something, they would ask Laurel to borrow her car and head off to Ace to buy what was needed.
At some point, a resolution lauding the Society of International Janitors was created. Neither Phil nor Mark remembered who wrote it. Phil said he created the name, including "international" because several of the custodians were musicians who performed in Europe – him, Bob Douglas and Pop Wagner. It was posted in the janitor’s closet. Remnants of tape can still be seen at the top of the sheet of paper.
Phil noted that both Revs. Laurel Hallman and Roy Phillips would refer to “the SIJ” when requesting some custodial service. It’s clear that the Society of International Janitors was created in fun, and perhaps also to elevate the job of custodian.
If you have anything to add to this history, we’d love to hear it. Contact Pauline Eichten at [email protected] or Louise Merriam at [email protected].
"You, the people, have been the real Unity Church, and are so still." -- Richard Wilson Boynton, Minister Unity Church, 1900-1907
The first record of Unitarianism in St. Paul bears the date of June 1852, when the Rev. George Woodward of Galena, Illinois, journeyed up the Mississippi River and held a service in the hall of the Sons of Temperance. There is no further mention of Unitarians until December, 1858, when Frederick R. Newell, formerly a Unitarian minister in Boston and now owner of a feed store in St. Paul, agreed to conduct services if he could use his old sermons. In 1859, lack of funds forced the group to disband. For the next several years, services were held only on the rare occasions when a minister was sent west by the Unitarian Association in an effort to keep fledgling groups going.
The year 1872 marks the first step in the successful organization of a Unitarian church in St. Paul. A subscription was taken to maintain a minister for one year. John R. Effinger came from Keokuk, Iowa, and preached his first sermon on February 11, l872. Two weeks later, on February 25, 1872, fifty members signed Articles of Association, and the next year saw the official incorporation of “Unity Church of St. Paul.” In 1875, the now fast-growing membership took a big step, moving into the vacant Universalist Church. They paid $1,000 yearly rent for the luxuries of a “pleasant church and softly cushioned pews.” Ill health forced Mr. Effinger, a highly respected minister, to resign in 1876, and Sunday services ceased.
William Channing Gannett, an ardent abolitionist and strong woman suffragist, arrived from Boston in 1877 on a three-month trial. By this time the congregation numbered about 150 and there were 70 children in the church school. In 1879, after two years as minister, Mr. Gannett requested to be ordained. On that occasion he read a “bond of fellowship,” an agreement that he had written. It was signed by 84 members of the congregation present and is still recited when new members join the congregation.
The Unitarians felt secure enough to dream of building their own church. They chose a site in downtown St. Paul and Mr. Gannett worked with the architect to design a “church home.” In January, 1882, they moved into the building, finishing things as money became available. The official opening service in the two-story Queen Anne cottage-style building was held on April 15, 1883. The following summer, Mr. Gannett resigned to do “some other things that have long been waiting” and because he thought it was time for Unity Church to have a new minister.
Mr. Gannett was replaced by Mr. Clay MacCauley, who served from 1884–1886. There were some in the church who were unhappy with his emphasis on a public ministry instead of ministering primarily to church members. Mr. MacCauley resigned to avoid causing division in the congregation. He later went on to head the Unitarian Mission in Japan.
In 1886, the trustees invited Mr. Samuel McChord Crothers from Brattleboro, Vermont, to be their minister, a post he held for over seven years. He was a noted and much-respected minister and well known as the author of gentle, humorous essays, often appearing in the Atlantic Monthly. Under Mr. Crothers the St. Paul Unitarians began taking a wider interest in their Minnesota Unitarian neighbors. The Minnesota Unitarian Conference was organized and held its first meetings in 1888 with delegates from St. Paul, Minneapolis, Duluth, Winona, St. Cloud, Luverne, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and Alma, Wisconsin. In 1894, Mr. Crothers resigned to take up the ministry of First Parish Church in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
After several months of inviting ministers to preach, William Rogers Lord of Boston was installed in Feb. 1895. His ministry at Unity Church was short-lived and perhaps a bad fit. In his letter of resignation, dated Oct. 3, 1897, Mr. Lord writes that “St. Paul has but one liberal church, and that church should be strong. … It is clear to me that I am not the man to bring about these results.” Lord is best known for his interest in ornithology, sparked during his ministry at First Unitarian church in Portland, Oregon, from 1899–1901. He became a well-known author and lecturer on the birds of the Northwest. A year later, in October, 1898, Clarence Leslie Diven of Connecticut was invited to take the pulpit. There were high hopes for the ministry of this highly educated man, but he became ill in late 1899 and died in January, 1900.
The year 1872 marks the first step in the successful organization of a Unitarian church in St. Paul. A subscription was taken to maintain a minister for one year. John R. Effinger came from Keokuk, Iowa, and preached his first sermon on February 11, l872. Two weeks later, on February 25, 1872, fifty members signed Articles of Association, and the next year saw the official incorporation of “Unity Church of St. Paul.” In 1875, the now fast-growing membership took a big step, moving into the vacant Universalist Church. They paid $1,000 yearly rent for the luxuries of a “pleasant church and softly cushioned pews.” Ill health forced Mr. Effinger, a highly respected minister, to resign in 1876, and Sunday services ceased.
William Channing Gannett, an ardent abolitionist and strong woman suffragist, arrived from Boston in 1877 on a three-month trial. By this time the congregation numbered about 150 and there were 70 children in the church school. In 1879, after two years as minister, Mr. Gannett requested to be ordained. On that occasion he read a “bond of fellowship,” an agreement that he had written. It was signed by 84 members of the congregation present and is still recited when new members join the congregation.
The Unitarians felt secure enough to dream of building their own church. They chose a site in downtown St. Paul and Mr. Gannett worked with the architect to design a “church home.” In January, 1882, they moved into the building, finishing things as money became available. The official opening service in the two-story Queen Anne cottage-style building was held on April 15, 1883. The following summer, Mr. Gannett resigned to do “some other things that have long been waiting” and because he thought it was time for Unity Church to have a new minister.
Mr. Gannett was replaced by Mr. Clay MacCauley, who served from 1884–1886. There were some in the church who were unhappy with his emphasis on a public ministry instead of ministering primarily to church members. Mr. MacCauley resigned to avoid causing division in the congregation. He later went on to head the Unitarian Mission in Japan.
In 1886, the trustees invited Mr. Samuel McChord Crothers from Brattleboro, Vermont, to be their minister, a post he held for over seven years. He was a noted and much-respected minister and well known as the author of gentle, humorous essays, often appearing in the Atlantic Monthly. Under Mr. Crothers the St. Paul Unitarians began taking a wider interest in their Minnesota Unitarian neighbors. The Minnesota Unitarian Conference was organized and held its first meetings in 1888 with delegates from St. Paul, Minneapolis, Duluth, Winona, St. Cloud, Luverne, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and Alma, Wisconsin. In 1894, Mr. Crothers resigned to take up the ministry of First Parish Church in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
After several months of inviting ministers to preach, William Rogers Lord of Boston was installed in Feb. 1895. His ministry at Unity Church was short-lived and perhaps a bad fit. In his letter of resignation, dated Oct. 3, 1897, Mr. Lord writes that “St. Paul has but one liberal church, and that church should be strong. … It is clear to me that I am not the man to bring about these results.” Lord is best known for his interest in ornithology, sparked during his ministry at First Unitarian church in Portland, Oregon, from 1899–1901. He became a well-known author and lecturer on the birds of the Northwest. A year later, in October, 1898, Clarence Leslie Diven of Connecticut was invited to take the pulpit. There were high hopes for the ministry of this highly educated man, but he became ill in late 1899 and died in January, 1900.
Richard Wilson Boynton came to St. Paul from Roslindale, Massachusetts, in the fall of 1900. In 1902, the congregation felt a church in a new location was advisable. Although the Queen Anne building was still adequate, the neighborhood was becoming more commercial. As a result, many of the downtown residents were moving “up on the hill” and their churches were following them. Unity Church, at its present site at Portland and Grotto, was dedicated on December 10, 1905. Because of health problems, Mr. Boynton resigned in 1907 to try a milder climate. He had some Unitarian pastorates and became a professor of philosophy at the University of Buffalo, New York.
Mr. Boynton’s successor was John Dumont Reid, who came from Greenfield, Massachusetts, and stayed until 1917. Mr. Reid came from the tradition of the “prophet-philosopher” and found the demands of parish administration not to his liking. The result was a severe falling-off of the membership in the church and the attendance in church school. Mr. Reid resigned in early 1917 and subsequently served almost entirely in interim positions.
Frederick May Eliot preached his first sermon in St. Paul in January, 1917, and made a strong impression on the congregation. Mr. Eliot came from Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he had worked with Mr. Crothers. In August, 1918, he was mobilized as a chaplain to a hospital unit in France during World War I, and served until April, 1919. The church grew steadily during his 20-year ministry, and the Parish Hall and the Ames Chapel were added to the building. Mr. Eliot left Unity Church in 1937 to become president of the American Unitarian Association in Boston.
Mr. Boynton’s successor was John Dumont Reid, who came from Greenfield, Massachusetts, and stayed until 1917. Mr. Reid came from the tradition of the “prophet-philosopher” and found the demands of parish administration not to his liking. The result was a severe falling-off of the membership in the church and the attendance in church school. Mr. Reid resigned in early 1917 and subsequently served almost entirely in interim positions.
Frederick May Eliot preached his first sermon in St. Paul in January, 1917, and made a strong impression on the congregation. Mr. Eliot came from Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he had worked with Mr. Crothers. In August, 1918, he was mobilized as a chaplain to a hospital unit in France during World War I, and served until April, 1919. The church grew steadily during his 20-year ministry, and the Parish Hall and the Ames Chapel were added to the building. Mr. Eliot left Unity Church in 1937 to become president of the American Unitarian Association in Boston.