In 1934 Reverend Fred Shorter was a pastor at Pilgrim Congregational Church in Seattle. His services were finally terminated that year over a series of controversial murals that Shorter had commissioned to be painted in the interior of the Pilgrim church sanctuary. Following this public controversy, Fred and his wife - Awilda “Billie” Shorter - founded the Church of the People. Based on the Shorters’ own ideals of fighting for social justice, upholding civil rights, Marxism, pacifism, and international and interracial brotherhood, the Church of the People was a non-sectarian institution that welcomed not only all Christians but anyone who ascribed to their principles. Besides worship services and church fellowship, the Church of the People was also involved in community programs, such as the People’s Forum, and supported various activist campaigns. In 1949 the Church founded the All People’s Student Center. This was an institution built both as lodging for international exchange students and also as a youth activity center where American and international students would have the opportunity to meet and socialize. Fred Shorter retired from the Church in 1956 after a series of illnesses. After the Shorters’ move to California, the Church suffered a crisis in leadership, being unable to hire a new permanent pastor. Lay services continued sporadically through the year, but after that year the Church fell into inactivity In 1957 Fred and Awilda Shorter founded the Shorter Trust Fund. This fund was created to provide for the Shorters’ retirement and also to manage the distribution of the estate after their death. The fund operated until 1980.
The total size of this accession is 1.68 cubic feet. The dates of the materials range from 1925 to 1980. The bulk of the material is from the years 1934 to 1956, the period of the Church’s activity. All materials from 1957 onward are documents of the Shorter Trust Fund.
A sizeable amount of the collection consists of newsletters. The records contain an almost complete collection of all 20 volumes of the Church of the People’s newsletter, The New Religious Frontier.
Because of the Church’s involvement in social issues, the accession contains much material on various activist campaigns in the 1930s, 40s and 50s. These include: anti-war, anti-bomb, anti-draft and pacifist campaigns; materials on Marxism, socialism, communism, and Russia (though this material tapers off after the 1930’s); pro-union and pro-labor struggles, the work of civil rights campaigns, including some of the work of the American Civil Liberties Union; and various charity causes.
The writings and sermons of Fred Shorter form a significant part of the accession, both in the form of published pamphlets as well as typewritten drafts and handwritten notes for many of his speeches. Also, because of Fred Shorter’s interest in internationalism and interfaith unity, his writings include a great deal of material on other religions – particularly Asian (i.e. Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism).
The collection also contains Shorter’s notes and writings on his 1937 trip to the U.S.S.R. These writings record his observations and impressions of many aspects of life and culture in Soviet Russia. The collection also contains two items related to the 1919 Armistice Day tragedy in Centralia, Washington. These are a report published jointly by a number of national religious councils and a 1939 clipping regarding the release of one of the men charged and imprisoned for involvement in the 1919 shootings.
Most of the records on the All-Peoples Student Center are financial in nature and date from the first years of operation, 1949 and 1950.
Open to all users.
Creator's literary rights not transferred to the University of Washington Libraries.
Donated by Mrs. Fred W. Shorter, 3/6/1964