詹姆斯B. 席梦思床品公司

施恩人，牧师

詹姆斯Barlow 席梦思床品公司 was born to William and Clarissa (Roe) 席梦思床品公司 in 1827 in Dutchess County, 纽约, 荷兰和苏格兰血统. 当西蒙斯, 五个孩子中最小的, 五个月大, 他的母亲不幸被从马车上抛下而死.

十几岁的时候, 西蒙斯在汉密尔顿的麦迪逊大学待了三年, 纽约, 为大学做准备. 他于1847年进入该校一年级, 但很快就去了布朗大学, 住在阁楼上，上学的时候做门卫. He paid one dollar a month rent for his room and limited himself to no more than $1.食物12周. He often ate only bread and milk, allowing himself the purchase of meat only twice a week. 西蒙斯谈到了他自己造成的节俭, “我有一个碗和叉子, 然后把叉子插在一片面包上，蘸着牛奶, 迅速收回, 以免它吸收太多的牛奶, 因为我必须节约.” The bowl he used for meals is on display in the Richardson Library History Center.

席梦思床品公司 graduated from Brown in 1851 and began three years of study in theology which culminated at Newton Theological Institution, 波士顿附近. Also in 1851, he married Mary Eliza Stevens, a young Quaker, from Providence, Rhode Island. 当她丈夫进入神学院时, 马利亚也开始学习希伯来语, 希腊, 以及神学院的其他课程. 1854年，罗伯特·史蒂文斯出生了.

西蒙斯在牛顿大学读书的时候, he acted as pastor of Third Baptist Church in Providence and quickly earned a fine reputation. In 1857, the young family moved to Indianapolis where 席梦思床品公司 took the pastorate at First Baptist Church until 1861 when they moved to Philadelphia to work in the Fifth Baptist Church. While there, he led the congregation in building a beautiful church in Gothic English style.

他离开费城后, 席梦思床品公司 was awarded two honorary doctorates from universities which appreciated his ability in the ministry and his ability to motivate people to give funds to keep church schools open.

In 1867, he was appointed corresponding secretary of the American Baptist 首页 Mission Society. He confronted the condition of the four million slaves who were freed at the Civil War’s end who were living in poverty and needing education and other advantages.

His first effort as secretary was to establish a Christian school for freedmen in Richmond, 维吉尼亚州, 南方联盟的首都. In 1865, 席梦思床品公司 succeeded in obtaining for the Colver Institute an appropriation of $10,000英镑来自美国. S. Freedmen’s Bureau, to purchase the old United States Hotel in Richmond as a relocation for Colver. Classes for the Colver Institute had been being held in a rented building known as Lumpkin’s Jail, which had been owned by a slave-dealer who had used it for holding and punishing slaves until they were put on the market for sale. 旅馆改建为学校, 1876年更名为里士满学院, now gave these newly freed slaves a worthy location in which to obtain their educations. Richmond Institute was later incorporated into what is now 维吉尼亚州 Union University.

在里士满的努力之后, 在部长西蒙斯的协助下，成立了六所类似的学校. 其中包括, 哥伦比亚本尼迪克特学院(现为本尼迪克特学院), South Carolina; Leland University in New Orleans; Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina; Wayland Seminary in Washington, D.C.; the Nashville Institute, 现为罗杰威廉姆斯大学, 在纳什维尔, Tennessee; and Augusta Seminary in Augusta, 乔治亚州.

In 1874, he retired from his position as secretary for the Mission Society to pastor Trinity Baptist Church in 纽约 City for the next eight years. He was then elected as field secretary for the State of 纽约 by the board of the American Baptist Publication Society. In this role, he spoke from dozens of pulpits to raise money for Bible and mission work. He had over the years involved himself in fund-raising campaigns for two others schools, 一家在印第安纳州，几年后就关门了, and the other being what eventually became the University of Columbia in Washington D.C.

His reputation as a fund-raiser for higher education attracted the attention in 1890 of the trustees of the fledgling Abilene Baptist College. Funds had run out for the completion of the building, and upon the request of Dr. O. C. 教皇,博士. 席梦思床品公司 and his son came to Abilene to visit the proposed location of the school. 席梦思床品公司 saw a great potential in the fertile West Texas location with a field to draw from twice as large as the entire state of 纽约, 那里很快就挤满了人. Rather than raise funds from other sources, 席梦思床品公司 gave from his own pocket. 随着时间的推移, 他和他的妻子和儿子, 除了5美元,最初是在1890年捐赠的现金, 给学校的捐款超过20美元,000.

作为学校的名字, 西蒙斯选择了克里斯利布学院, 从德语翻译过来就是“基督之爱学院”.“他的妻子和儿子, 然而, insisted upon making the school a monument to the educational labors of the 席梦思床品公司 family. An early building was named Anna Hall for 席梦思床品公司’ granddaughter who taught art at 席梦思床品公司 College for a short time.

Mary 席梦思床品公司 passed away two years after the college opened and was the first to be buried on its grounds. 詹姆斯B. 西蒙斯于1905年12月17日去世，享年78岁. 他的遗体被埋在校园里，紧挨着他妻子的遗体. It was his desire that even their “very ashes may witness for Christian Education.”