Horace Champney

Papers, 1906-1990 (bulk 1958-1979)

Document Group: DG 166

Provenance: Donated by Ken and Peggy Champney, 1993 Antiochiana, Antioch College, 1993

Size: 8.25 linear feet (2.51 meters)

Restrictions: Yes

Microfilm: None

Finding aids: Checklist prepared by Barbara Addison, October 1993

Historical Introduction

 

Horace Champney was born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1905, the son of Adeline Champney and Fred Schulder. His parents described themselves as "philosophical anarchists," and had chosen not to marry. Horace was the eldest of three children.

Champney entered Antioch College in 1922, and graduated in 1932, later receiving a Ph.D. in psychology from Ohio State University. He joined the Fels Research Institute staff in 1936 as a psychologist, He worked there for several years in the field of child development, especially the role of parent behavior and its efforts at molding the personality of children. During World War II, he counseled conscientious objectors as part of his radical pacifism. He ceased to work as a psychologist around 1949, when he joined the Antioch Press as a printer and editor.

Champney continued his many peace and justice activities after the war. He was a founder of The Peacemakers Movement, a group of people who came together in 1948 in Chicago to develop a movement of disciplined and revolutionary pacifist activity. The main points of their program included social and economic revolution; commitment to nonviolence; refusal to perform war work, pay taxes for war, or register for the draft; and the establishment of Peacemaker-type communities. He was also involved with the civil rights struggles of the 1960s, and was instrumental in helping desegregate restaurants and barbershops in Yellow Springs, Ohio.

One of Champney's means of expressing personal protest was through fasting. He participated in a Christmas Vigil and Fast for Peace in December 1950, a fast in conjunction with Lee Stern (a staff member of the Fellowship of Reconciliation) in 1965 to protest U.S. policy in Vietnam, and the Fast for Life movements in 1972 and 1983.

It was with the escalation of American involvement in Vietnam that Champney's most intense period of peace activism began. He is generally credited with originating the idea of sending a "boatload of Quakers" to take medical supplies to North Vietnam. His idea came to fruition in 1966, when A Quaker Action Group issued a call for volunteers to sail to North Vietnam with medical supplies. Many problems and uncertainties lay ahead: the voyage would be dangerous because of American bombing and mining of North Vietnamese harbors; U.S. officials would certainly not issue the appropriate documents, leaving the crew members in a precarious legal situation; and their reception by the North Vietnamese was by no means assured. Nevertheless, Champney volunteered. He was 61 years old at the time, had no sailing experience, and (in his own words) was not in very good physical shape. He was accepted as a crew member of the yacht Phoenix along with Betty Boardman, Phillip Drath, Bob Eaton, and Ivan Massar, under the leadership of captain Earle Reynolds.

They sailed in March 1967, visiting Hiroshima and Hong Kong before proceeding to North Vietnam. They were received by the North Vietnamese, first with caution, then with increased warmth. They presented the medical supplies they had brought, and viewed the havoc caused by American bombing. Their visit generated wide media coverage in the United States and Canada, Europe, and Japan.

After their return to the United States, Champney and other members of the crew embarked on speaking tours to report on what they had seen. They were well-received, especially on college campuses. Yet they were frustrated by the seeming insensitivity of the American public to the carnage in Vietnam. Champney's Phoenix ship-mate Betty Boardman and the Wisconsin Women for Peace had begun a vigil at the White House. Champney joined them on July 1, 1969, and then began a fast and vigil of his own.

During the summer and autumn of that year he tried to convey his message to passers-by at the gates of the White House; he composed many appeals to fellow members in the peace movement; and he wrote a letter each week to President Nixon, asking for an appointment (which was never granted.) Forced by family circumstances and uncertain health to return to Yellow Springs, Champney continued to encourage Quakers and other peacemakers to keep up pressure on the government by means of White House vigils. He also continued his support of draft resisters and conscientious objectors, especially those who were imprisoned for their beliefs.

War tax resistance and tax refusal were continuing concerns of Champney from about 1950 until his death. He and his fourth wife, Beulah, refused to pay part or all of their taxes for several years.

Champney had joined the Society of Friends in 1949, becoming an active member of the Yellow Springs (Ohio) Monthly Meeting. He continued his interest in A Quaker Action Group for many years after the Phoenix voyage. He was also involved with the American Friends Service Committee, the Committee for Nonviolent Action, and the Fellowship of Reconciliation. He continued to follow the affairs of Antioch College.

Throughout his adult years, Champney believed in the efficacy of vitamins and a simple, healthy diet to improve and prolong life. He combined this with his efforts to reduce his standard of living as a protest against American materialism and need to "colonize" other nations to sustain this way of life.

Horace Champney died on August 31, 1990, in Yellow Springs, Ohio.

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Scope and Contents

The Horace Champney Papers consist of correspondence, diaries, journals, flyers, newspapers clippings, periodicals, and minutes of meetings; essays and newspaper and magazine articles by Champney; pamphlets, documents and memorabilia from the Phoenix mission to North Vietnam; personal correspondence and memoranda; and a book by Champney's brother Freeman titled Growing Up Rational, which includes information about their early life and some mention of Horace's adult years. One half-box of personal correspondence and memoranda is restricted.

The papers include documents about the Phoenix mission to Vietnam; the many vigils, protest actions and fasts which Champney led or in which he took part; tax refusal; and his involvement with many peace and justice groups, including A Quaker Action Group, the American Friends Service Committee, the Canadian Friends Service Committee, the Committee for Nonviolent Action, the Fellowship of Reconciliation, the Peacemakers Movement, and peace and social justice activities of the Society of Friends. There is material about individuals such as imprisoned anti-war activists Bruce Ashley, DeCourcy Squire, and Marjorie Swann; and about pacifist martyr Norman Morrison, who immolated himself in front of the Pentagon in 1965.

The collection contains approximately 586 photos. Their subjects include: the Champney families; marches and demonstrations by Witness for Peace, Committee for Nonviolent Action, and the American Friends Service Committee; events surrounding the integration of Gegner's Barbershop in Yellow Springs; the vessels Golden Rule and Phoenix ; the 1967 Phoenix mission in Japan, Hong Kong, and North Vietnam; Champney's post-Phoenix speaking tours; the Washington Vigil in 1969; and HC and others demonstrating in the 1980s. The great majority of the photos are black and white snapshots from the Phoenix voyage.

Major correspondents include: Le Thi Anh, Ruth Bates, Betty Boardman, Ernest Bromley, Marion Bromley, Beulah Champney, Ken Champney, Ross Flanagan, Barbara Reynolds, Earle Reynolds, Lee Stern, Christine Wise, and Carl Zietlow.

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Arrangement

The papers of Horace Champney were received in little discernable order. The correspondence was sorted and 64 separate correspondents (individuals and organizations) were identified. Material in these folders includes background material as well as correspondence. Miscellaneous correspondence follows, in chronological order. Correspondence was divided into general (Series B) and family (Series C). Most of the family correspondence is personal except for HC's correspondence with his son Ken Champney, who worked closely with him in many of his public activities.

About one-third of the material pertaining to A Quaker Action Group was removed, as it had no relation to HC or his activities, other than the fact that he was on AQAG's advisory council. These papers will be used to fill in the Peace Collection's holdings of the records of AQAG (DG 74).

Subject material, such as the Phoenix mission and the Washington White House vigil, is cross-indexed to major correspondence in the checklist.

Six items were removed to the oversize area. Approximately 586 photographs (dated from 1906-1990) were placed in the photograph collection. Box 1 is size 8 x 10; box 2 is size 5 x 7; boxes 3-14 are size 4 x 5.

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Checklist

 

SERIES A: BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION ABOUT HORACE CHAMPNEY

 

Box 1

Biographical information about Horace Champney (1966-1990)

 

SERIES B: CORRESPONDENCE AND GENERAL INFORMATION

 

Box 1 (cont.)

A Quaker Action Group (AQAG) (5 folders)

 

Box 2

American Friends Service Committee (1966-1970, n.d.)

Anh, Le Thi (1967-1970, n.d.)

Antioch College (1959, 1961, 1967-1968)

Ashley, Bruce (1972-1973)

Barnet, Margot (1972-1973, n.d.)

Bates, Ruth (1969-1970)

Boardman, Betty (1968-1969, 1972, 1977-1978, 1984, n.d.)

Bromley, Ernest and Marion (1959-[1960?], 1968-1969)

Canadian Friends Service Committee (1966-1968, n.d.)

Carter, Jimmy (1977)

Chase, Kay (1960)

Committee for Nonviolent Action (1958-1969, n.d.)

Dodd, Ruth (1967-1970)

 

Box 3

Eaton, Robert (Bob) (1968)

Eisenhower, Dwight D. (1958)

English, Horace (1959-1961, n.d.)

Fellowship of Reconciliation (1949, 1953, 1960, 1965-1970, 1975-1978, n.d.)

Flanagan, Ross (1963, 1966-1969)

Flower City Conspiracy (1970)

Friends Committee on National Legislation (1967, n.d.)

Friends Peace Committee (1966-1968)

Gara, Larry (1967, 1972, 1978-1979, n.d.)

Jackson, John (1960)

Johnson, Lyndon B. (1965-1967)

Kennedy, John Fitzgerald (1961, 1962)

Lauser, Wayne (1969, n.d.)

Leininger, John (n.d.)

Massar, Ivan (1969)

Morrison, Norman (1965)

Muste, A.J. (1965)

Nixon, Richard (1958, 1969, 1971-1972)

Omaha Action (1959, n.d.)

Peacemakers Movement (1948, 1959-1961, 1970, [1979?], n.d.)

Reynolds, Barbara (1961, 1965-1971, 1974, 1982)

Reynolds, Earle (1951, 1967-1969, n.d.)

 

Box 4

Satyagraha, Inc. (1964, 1966)

Shivers, Lynne (1967, 1969)

Society of Friends (1951-1969, n.d.)

Society of Friends, Yellow Springs Meeting (1960, 1961, 1969, 1974, n.d.)

Squire, DeCourcey (1967-1968)

Stern, Lee (1965-1969)

Swann, Marjorie (1959-1960)

Truman, Harry (1949)

Urie, Caroline (1949, n.d.)

War Resisters League (1964, [1980s])

Williams, Suzi (1967, 1971)

Wise, Christine (1950, 1965-1969, 1981, n.d.)

Women Strike for Peace ([1966?], 1969)

Women's International League for Peace and Freedom ([1968?], 1969)

World Citizens (1950)

World Friendship Center, Hiroshima (1967, 1969, n.d.)

Zietlow, Carl (1969, 1970, n.d.)

 

Box 5

Miscellaneous correspondence (9 folders filed chronologically) (1942-1984, n.d.)

 

SERIES C: CHAMPNEY FAMILY CORRESPONDENCE

 

Box 6

Champney, Adeline (Mother of HC) (n.d.)

Champney, Ann Telfair Johnson (Third wife) (1959-1960, n.d.)

Champney, Beulah Leininger Thomas (Fourth wife) (1960, 1966-1970, n.d.) (2 folders)

Champney, Freeman (Brother) (1959-1961, 1967-1972, 1982)

Champney, Ken (Elder son) (1948, 1967, 1969, 1987)

Champney, Tim (Younger son) (1951, 1965-1970, n.d.)

Hilbert Family (1959, 1969, n.d.)

Miller, Frank (1959-1961, 1969, 1973)

Moyer, Nell (Sister) (1967, 1969)

Rohmann, Paul (1959, 1977-1978, n.d.)

Schulder, Fred (Father) (1960, 1961)

Thomas, Prentice (Pete) (Stepson) (1961, 1969)

Ward, Virginia (Jenny or Ginny) Champney (Second wife) ([1964?], 1966)

(cont'd) Miscellaneous family members (1959-1961, 1969)

 

Box 6a

Restricted correspondence (mainly family correspondence) (1949, 1951, 1959, 1960, 1967-1969, 1971,

n.d.)

 

SERIES D: WRITINGS OF HORACE CHAMPNEY AND FREEMAN CHAMPNEY

 

Box 7

The Blaze (periodical with contributions from and edited by HC while at Antioch College) (1925-1926, 1931)

Letters to the editor (1958-1977, n.d.)

Miscellaneous writings of HC (1936, 1950, 1959, 1965, 1970, 1981-1984, n.d.)

Growing Up Rational , autobiography by Freeman Champney (1979)

 

SERIES E: SOCIAL ACTIVISM OF HORACE CHAMPNEY

 

Box 8

Christmas Vigil for Peace (1950)

Draft resisters and conscientious objectors, support of (1940-1942, 1948, 1952, [1965?]-[1969?], 1977, n.d.)

Draft resisters and conscientious objectors in prison, support of (1942, 1943, 1967-1969) see also correspondence: Bruce Ashley, DeCourcey Squire, Marjorie Swann

Fast in conjunction with Lee Stern (1965) see also correspondence: Lee Stern

Fast for Life (1972)

Fast for Life (1983)

Fort Detrick (Md.) Vigils (1959-1961, 1969, n.d.)

Gegner's Barbership integration project (1960, [1968])

Hiroshima memoriam vigils (1974)

Tax refusal (1949-1951, 1958, 1961-1986, 1989, n.d.) (2 folders)

Washington White House vigil of 1969-1970 (1969-1972, n.d.) see also correspondence: Ruth Bates, Beulah Champney, Richard Nixon

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base demonstrations (1971 1973) see also correspondence: Bruce Ashley, DeCourcey Squire, Marjorie Swann

 

SERIES F: PHOENIX MISSION TO NORTH VIETNAM : GENERAL

[See also correspondence: AQAG, American Friends Service Committee, Betty Boardman, Beulah Champney, Canadian Friends Service Committee, Fellowship of Reconciliation, Ross Flanagan, Barbara Reynolds, Earle Reynolds]

 

Box 9

HC applications to AQAG to go to North Vietnam (1966)

U.S. passport applications and revocations, Phoenix crew (1966-1968, n.d.)

Medical supplies for North Vietnam (1967)

Medical supplies for North Vietnam: contributions (1966 1967)

Medical supplies for North Vietnam: licenses (1966-1967)

Medical supplies for North Vietnam: Vitamin E burn therapy project (1949,1960,1963,1966-1967, n.d.)

Phoenix crew collective correspondence and statements ([1966?]-1967)

Phoenix mission, correspondence about (1967,1969, n.d.)

Chinese relations: transcript of exchange with gun-boat ([1967])

Japanese and Hong Kong relations: correspondence, documents, mementos, pamphlets (1964-1967, n.d.)

North Vietnamese relations: correspondence, documents, mementos, pamphlets (3 folders) (1966-1968,

n.d.)

Anti-Vietnam War materials, miscell., (3 folders) (1961 1972, n.d.)

 

Box 10

Business cards received by HC

Publicity, newspaper clippings about Phoenix mission (1966-1968, 1970)

Finances of HC: Phoenix mission and post-mission speaking tours (1967-1968)

Voyage of the Phoenix (Canadian Broadcasting Co. film), material about (1960, 1967)

Post-mission meeting of Carl Zietlow with U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee (1967)

Post-mission speaking tours of HC (4 folders) (1967-1972, n.d.)

 

SERIES G: PHOENIX MISSION TO NORTH VIETNAM: DIARIES, JOURNALS

 

Box 11

Betty Boardman: Diary of the Voyage of the Phoenix [transcribed] (1967)

HC journals [transcribed] (1967)

HC journal: Voyage to Hong Kong [transcribed] (1967)

HC journal [handwritten] [black binding] (1967)

HC journal, minutes of crew meetings, notes [handwritten] [red binding] (1967)

 

SERIES H: PHOENIX MISSION TO NORTH VIETNAM: ACCOUNTS OF THE VOYAGE; PUBLICATION OF MANUSCRIPTS

 

Box 12

A Quaker Action Group compilation of documents: The Project: How A Quaker Action Group Conceived of, Planned, Proceeded With, and Presented The Voyage of the Phoenix. (1967)

HC outline of his proposed book (1968, n.d.)

HC ms. for proposed book (never completed) (4 folders) (n.d.)

HC article: What Did We See in North Vietnam? [not published?]

HC articles, miscellaneous (1967, 1975, n.d.)

Teresa Crosbie paper: Voyages of the Phoenix` (1969)

Bob Eaton outline of his proposed book (n.d.)

Bob Eaton ms. chapter 1 [?] only (1967, n.d.)

Barbara Massar paper: The Voyage of the Phoenix: An Investigation (n.d.)

Earle Reynolds article: Phoenix Sails to Haiphong (1967)

Correspondence re: publication of various Phoenix manuscripts (1967-1970, 1974)

 

SERIES I: PHOTOGRAPHS [located in photograph collection]

 

Box 1

Size 8" x 10"

 

Box 2

Size 5" x 7"

 

Boxes 3-14

Size 4" x 5"

 

For more information, contact Wendy Chmielewski, Curator, at wchmiel@ swarthmore.edu or call 610-328-8557.