Grover Lowell Hartman (1914-1988) papers

Grover Lowell Hartman was born near Battle Ground, Indiana, on August 3, 1914, the son of Benjamin Grover and Estella Bertha Clevinger Hartman. He married Annabel Jane Spangle on September 14, 1942. Dr. Hartman and his wife, Annabel, had four sons: Lowell, Worth, and twins Howard and Elden. He died November 13, 1988.

Grover Hartman was a 1935 graduate of DePauw University. He earned M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the American University School of Social Science and Public Affairs in Washington, D.C. and received honorary doctoral degrees from DePauw, Manchester College, Ball State University, and Christian Theological Seminary.

After four years as head of the Social Science Department of the Sidwell Friends School in Washington, Dr. Hartman served as director of the War Time Services Commission of the Washington Federation of Churches, in the Federal Council of Churches Department of International Affairs, as director of the Social Service Division of the Church Federation of Greater Indianapolis, as executive secretary of the Council of Churches of St. Joseph County at South Bend and, for twenty years until his retirement in September, 1979, as executive director of the Indiana Council of Churches.

Dr. Hartman was president of the Church Conference on Social Work, the Indiana Council of Family Relations, the Institute on Religion and Aging, and the Indiana Religious History Association. He served three years as chairman at the Governor's Youth Council in Indiana and was a consultant to the State Commission on the Aging and Aged for twenty-one years. He represented Indiana at the White House Conference on Aging three times and was a delegate to the Mid-Century White House Conference on Children and Youth.

Dr. Hartman served on the Governing Board of the National Council of Churches for 23 years. He was a member of the Board of Discipleship of the United Methodist Church from 1972-1976. He twice chaired the Local Arrangements Committee of the National Congress of United Methodist Men and was a certified lay speaker in his denomination.

In 1980, Dr. Hartman's A School for God's People - A History of the Sunday School Movement in Indiana was published. He also served as a field consultant to the Commission of Regional and Local Ecumenism of the National Council of Churches, program developer for the Midwest Ecumenical Center, Williams Bay, Wisconsin, was founding president of the Indiana Coalition for Human Services, chairman of the Indianapolis Area Committee for UNICEF, chairman of the Legislative Committee of the Indiana Aging Network, executive vice president of the H. C. Gemmer Family Christian Foundation, and chairman of the International Committee of the Metropolitan YMCA. One of Dr. Hartman's most significant services to the Indianapolis community was his contribution in establishing and chairing the Religious Conventions & Services Committee of the Indianapolis Convention and Visitors Bureau. In addition, Dr. Hartman served as co-chairman of Indiana Citizens Against Legalized Gambling for more than 20 years.