St. Louis is full of heavy hearts following the passing of spiritual and civic leader the Rev. Dr. William Gillespie, who passed on Friday of complications from Alzheimer’s disease at the age of 80.
“Dr. Gillespie in my estimation was iconic,” said James Buford, president and CEO of the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis. “When you do that much -save souls, build educational institutions and serve our youth – what more can you expect from any one man’s legacy?”
Dr. Henry Givens Jr., longtime president of Harris-Stowe University, benefitted from and relied on Rev. Gillespie’s spiritual and educational leadership.
“Rev. Gillespie provided counsel and spiritual guidance to me personally,” Givens said. “Much of the university’s outstanding accomplishments must be credited to Rev. Gillespie’s strong leadership.”
“He gave everything he had to Cote Brilliante Church and its members and the St. Louis community,” said Martin Mathews, cofounder of the Mathews-Dickey Boys & Girls Club. “He gave his life – and there is no greater love a man can show than that.”
When he approached the podium of Cote Brilliante Presbyterian Church for the first time as pastor in the fall of 1956, Rev. Gillespie faced a skeletal congregation and surrounding community that had been all but abandoned by middle-class flight.
He wouldn’t step down until 2009 – nearly 55 years later.
“He took what God gave him and multiplied it tenfold,” Buford said.
By the time Rev. Gillespie said goodbye to the house of faith and neighborhood he rebuilt, he had become one of the most distinct faces of black and St. Louis pride through his activism and civic leadership.
“Dr. Gillespie was at the forefront of every serious civil rights and human rights issue that occurred in St. Louis during his 50-year tenure,” said Virvus Jones, former comptroller and veteran political leader.
“If you want to come up with a prototype of the person devoted to ministry and the healing of people, in terms of what a minister is supposed to be, he was the guy.”
“Rev. Gillespie was one of St. Louis’ most respected, admired and impactful civic and religious leaders,” said Donald M. Suggs, publisher of The St. Louis American.
“His legacy of service and social concern will be enduring and continue to benefit many in our community and beyond for many years into the future.”
The St. Louis American Foundation awarded Rev. Gillespie its highest honor – Lifetime Achiever in Education – in 2000.
‘Rock and foundation’
Rev. Gillespie received the call to the ministry after graduating from Knoxville College in his native Knoxville, Tenn. He came to St. Louis to pursue his ministry, but he would help a neighbor of Cote Brilliante Presbyterian Church to build one of the community’s iconic youth organizations.
At the time, Mathews-Dickey Boys & Girls Club consisted of a group of youngsters meeting outside for recreation. Someone told club co-founder Martin Mathews, who lived on the same street as Cote Brilliante Presbyterian Church in the early 1960s, “Why don’t you go see Rev.?”
That first meeting would evolve into a working relationship that lasted five decades.
“We never would have been able to leave from under that shade tree if it weren’t for him,” Mathews said of Rev. Gillespie.
Rev. Gillespie used money he received from a grant to give Mathews-Dickey its first home.
“We were short $3,000 and the Lovejoy Foundation gave him money to spend in the community,” Mathews said. “He could have done anything with it, but he chose to invest in us. If it weren’t for him, we wouldn’t be where we are right now.”
Rev. Gillespie sat on the board of Mathews-Dickey from 1975 until last year.
“He was always a support system, and he always had the right answer,” Mathews said. “It might not have always been the answer you wanted to hear, but it was the right one.”
Rev. Gillespie’s board leadership at Harris-Stowe State College, later Harris-Stowe State University, was also critical to its immense growth.
“The Rev. Dr. William G. Gillespie was the rock and true foundation of Harris-Stowe State University for over 30 years,” said Dr. Henry Givens Jr., president emeritus of Harris-Stowe.
Rev. Gillespie was a member of its Board of Regents since Harris-Stowe entered the state system of public education in 1979. He was appointed and re-appointed by five governors. In fact, he was the board chairman and driving force behind Givens’ appointment as president 32 years ago.
Under their leadership, the school evolved from a small college with one building into a full-fledged Midtown university campus. That campus now includes on-campus housing named in Rev. Gillespie’s honor.
“We have lost a gentle giant blessed with extraordinary leadership abilities, wisdom and compassion and will be sorely missed by all who knew him,” said Thelma Cook, who sat beside Rev. Gillespie on the Board of Regents and currently serves as board chair.
“He shared his spiritual knowledge, his keen sense of community collaboration, his commitment to the citizens, and I think he helped to guide the leadership of this community toward progress and growth. He was a man who focused on serving and using his gifts and talents to make life better – especially for the youth and young people.”
Leader of the movement
Rev. Gillespie went further than building institutions. He also had the courage to struggle to save institutions that were threatened and to challenge the civic leadership when change was required.
“He was one of the leaders of the movement to stop the closure of Homer G. Phillips Hospital, and his church was the meeting place for all serious political activism,” Virvus Jones said.
Donald M. Suggs said of Rev. Gillespie, “Modest in demeanor, he was a man of intellect and determination who was willing to act based on his deep religious faith to advance the cause of less fortunate and suffering people despite the consequences.”
Rev. Gillespie’s leadership style left vivid memories with those who struggled beside him.
“He had this soft-spoken style. He never got upset. Because of that style he made cooler heads prevail,” Jones said.
“His tone was always perfect. He was the guy who’d be sitting there and, after everybody was done talking, he’d sum it up and say, ‘I know this is what you want to do, but this is what we have to do.'”
In his activism, he helped to build bridges between different faiths and communities in St. Louis.
“The world has lost a truly great man,” said Rabbi Susan Talve, president of the Central Reform Congregation and a veteran social justice activist. “He lived as he taught us – to seek justice, love mercy and walk humbly with his God.”
For years Cote Brilliante member Marilyn Smith walked beside Rev. Gillespie as his assistant and witnessed the power of his influence first-hand.
“He brought out the best in people. I have seen the transformations,” Smith said.
“I saw people sent straight from prison under his care, with no reason to live or care, but when he worked with them these people went out and made changes in their lives. And they came back and thanked him.”
Rev. Gillespie received his Doctorate of Ministry from Eden Theological Seminary. He was awarded Honorary Doctoral degrees by Tarkio College, Harris-Stowe State University and the University of Missouri-St. Louis. In 1982 he was awarded the Humanitarian Award by the St. Louis Globe Democrat. He served as moderator of both the Synod of Missouri and the Giddings-Lovejoy Presbytery.
Rev. Gillespie is survived by his wife Martha; a daughter, Vendetta Gillespie Dennis of St. Louis County; a son, Harry E. Gillespie of Pittsburgh; 13 grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren.
Visitation for Rev. Gillespie will be Friday, June 10 from 4-7 p.m. On Friday evening at 7 p.m. there will be a special service conducted by his fraternity Alpha Phi Alpha. His funeral will be held on Saturday, June 11 at 10 a.m. All services will be held at Cote Brilliante Presbyterian Church, 4673 Labadie Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63115.
