Guide to the W. Stanley Rycroft Papers

The W. Stanley Rycroft Papers, 1926-1993, consist of writings, correspondence, subject files, photographs and other materials that document the professional work of W. Stanley Rycroft. The collection is particularly rich in materials written by Rycroft, including many articles, book manuscripts, book reviews, pamphlets, addresses and editorials penned by this missionary and church administrator.

Rycroft's papers are arranged into five series: "Writings," "Correspondence," "Subject files and clippings," "Speaking engagements, conferences and professional affiliations" and "Photographs and postcards."

The "Writings" series, 1932-1993, includes articles in draft and published forms, manuscript drafts, book reviews, encyclopedia articles, addresses, pamphlets, translations and other works by Rycroft. Also, this series includes correspondence and other materials related to Rycroft's writings. In terms of both quantity and quality, "Writings" is the most substantial series within the collection. It provides insight into Rycroft's perennial subjects of interest: missions, Latin America, Catholicism, Protestantism, and the separation of church and state. Indices listing Rycroft's published articles, books and book reviews up to the 1980s are located in the front of this series. The rest of this series is arranged alphabetically by the type of writing (i.e., article, book, book review, etc.).

"Correspondence," 1926-1993, contains letters written by and to Rycroft. Some of the correspondents include Americans United for Separation of Church and State, the Free Church of Scotland, John A. Mackay, James I. McCord, John R. Mott and Margaret Rycroft. The most substantial relationship documented by this series is the one Rycroft had with John H. Sinclair; their correspondence, which spans the last two to three decades of Rycroft's life, primarily concerns Sinclair's biography of John A. Mackay published in 1991. This series is arranged alphabetically by correspondent's last name.

"Subject files and clippings," 1926-1993, includes correspondence, printed matter, clippings and other materials related to a variety of subjects of interest to Rycroft. Included in these subject files are materials on individuals (like fellow missionaries John A. Mackay and Charles T. Leber), groups (like the Interchurch Center and Common Cause) and trends (like the spread of Protestantism in Latin America). Much of the material in this series is related in one way or another to Latin America. This series is arranged alphabetically by subject.

"Speaking engagements, conferences and professional affiliations," 1931-1988, includes correspondence, memoranda, programs, flyers and other materials related to Rycroft's professional life. "Professional affiliations" refers to the organizations for whom or with whom Rycroft worked. (Many of the official records pertaining to Rycroft's work with the Board of Foreign Missions of the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. and its successor, the Commission on Ecumenical Mission and Relations (COEMAR) of the United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A., can be found in other collections at the Presbyterian Historical Society.) This series is arranged in the three sections indicated by the series title. The speaking engagements section is arranged chronologically; the conference section is arranged alphabetically by event name and begins with the file called, "First Latin American Evangelical Conference, report;" the professional affiliations section is arranged alphabetically by group name and begins with the file called, "Agricultural Missions, Inc. - photographs, correspondence, and printed matter."

The "Photographs and postcards" series, 1940-1988, contains photographs, photograph albums and postcards. This series is not particularly rich; most of the photographic prints are group portraits from conferences or traveling tours that fail to document the extent of those gatherings and trips. The photograph albums, which are humorously captioned, show some candid shots of Rycroft and his colleagues at professional gatherings.

Despite its small size, this collection is quite deep; its records provide insight into the professional work of Rycroft, a significant figure in the mainline Protestant missionary movement in Latin America. However, few of the materials in the collection illuminate Rycroft's early life (1899-1922) and family life. Nevertheless, researchers interested in Presbyterian missionary endeavors in Latin America, the early ecumenical movement in Latin America and mainline Protestant perspectives on the separation of church and state will find this collection particularly useful.