{"id":40,"date":"2016-08-09T20:43:50","date_gmt":"2016-08-09T20:43:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/library.brown.edu\/create\/sharpswar\/?page_id=40"},"modified":"2026-03-24T20:19:39","modified_gmt":"2026-03-24T20:19:39","slug":"usc","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/library.brown.edu\/create\/sharpswar\/usc\/","title":{"rendered":"USC"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As head of the Department of Social and International Relations for the American Unitarian Association (AUA), Rev. Dr. Robert Cloutman Dexter (1887-1955)<\/strong> visited Prague in 1937 and 1938 \u2014 at that time home of the world\u2019s largest Unitarian congregation. He was stricken by the plight of Jews living in the annexed Sudetenland. Dexter and the AUA launched a humanitarian mission to aid refugees from this German-occupied territory. After a long search for candidates, the AUA recruited Martha and Waitstill Sharp for a six-month mission. Dexter\u2019s institutional groundwork and reports from the Sharps\u2019 work in Czechoslovakia helped establish the Unitarian Service Committee (USC)<\/strong> in May 1940, which continues to support humanitarian missions today as the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Exhibited Items:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNew Unitarian Social Secretary\u201d<\/strong>
\nBoston Evening Transcript<\/span><\/i>, 2 July 1927<\/span>
\nArticle on the appointment of Robert Cloutman Dexter (1887-1955)<\/span>
\nBrown University Archives<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Robert Cloutman Dexter to Clarence E. Pickett (American Friends Service Committee)<\/strong>
\nTelegram, 5 December 1938<\/span>
\nMessage regarding a meeting to establish a program that would send representatives to Czechoslovakia.<\/span>
\nRobert Cloutman and Elisabeth Anthony Dexter Papers<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clarence E. Pickett (American Friends Service Committee) to Robert Cloutman Dexter<\/strong> <\/span>
\nTelegram, 5 December 1938<\/span>
\nRobert Cloutman and Elisabeth Anthony Dexter Papers<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMain Arenas of War\u2014The World Background\u201d<\/strong>
\nThe New York Times<\/i>, 3 March, 1940
\nMaps depicting Germany\u2019s territorial spread
\nRobert Cloutman and Elisabeth Anthony Dexter Papers<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow the Commission was Planned,\u201d by Robert C. Dexter<\/strong>
\nHow Americans Helped a Nation in Crisis<\/i>, Commission for Service in Czechoslovakia, 1939
\nRobert Cloutman and Elisabeth Anthony Dexter Papers<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAn Appeal for Service to Czecho-slovakia\u201d<\/strong>
\nAmerican Unitarian Association and American Friends Service Committee, January 1939<\/span>
\nFundraising appeal pamphlet<\/span>
\nRobert Cloutman and Elisabeth Anthony Dexter Papers<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLaying the Groundwork,\u201d by Waitstill H. Sharp<\/strong>
\nJourney to Freedom : The First Chapter of Unitarian Service<\/i>, Unitarian Service Committee, circa 1941
\nRobert Cloutman and Elisabeth Anthony Dexter Papers<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe can HELP the homeless millions of Europe \u2026 NOW\u201d<\/strong>
\nUnitarian Service Committee, circa 1940<\/span>
\nFundraising appeal pamphlet<\/span>
\nRobert Cloutman and Elisabeth Anthony Dexter Papers<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHelping the Victims of War : Through Personal Service and Personal Giving\u201d<\/strong>
\nUnitarian Service Committee, circa 1941
\nRobert Cloutman and Elisabeth Anthony Dexter Papers<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd Now\u2014The Second Mile : November 1940 to May 1941\u201d<\/strong>
\nUnitarian Service Committee, 1941
\nRobert Cloutman and Elisabeth Anthony Dexter Papers<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur Present Program\u201d<\/strong>
\nStanding By: Monthly Bulletin of the Unitarian Service Committee<\/span><\/i>, no. 15, July 1943<\/span>
\nRobert Cloutman and Elisabeth Anthony Dexter Papers<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA Voice for the Refugee\u201d<\/strong>
\nStanding By: Monthly Bulletin of the Unitarian Service Committee<\/span><\/i>, no. 11, March 1943<\/span>
\nRobert Cloutman and Elisabeth Anthony Dexter Papers<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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As head of the Department of Social and International Relations for the American Unitarian Association (AUA), Rev. Dr. Robert Cloutman Dexter (1887-1955) visited Prague in 1937 and 1938 \u2014 at that time home of the world\u2019s largest Unitarian congregation. He was stricken by the plight of Jews living in the annexed Sudetenland. Dexter and the … USC<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":63,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"template-full-width.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-40","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/library.brown.edu\/create\/sharpswar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/40","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/library.brown.edu\/create\/sharpswar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/library.brown.edu\/create\/sharpswar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/library.brown.edu\/create\/sharpswar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/63"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/library.brown.edu\/create\/sharpswar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40"}],"version-history":[{"count":33,"href":"https:\/\/library.brown.edu\/create\/sharpswar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/40\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":704,"href":"https:\/\/library.brown.edu\/create\/sharpswar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/40\/revisions\/704"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/library.brown.edu\/create\/sharpswar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}