Oct. 11, 2000 The Rev. Charles J. Speel II, professor of religious studies emeritus, died Tuesday, Oct. 10, at his home in Monmouth. He was 83. Born Nov. 22, 1916, in Albany, N.Y., Speel grew up in Cranston, R.I., the son of a Presbyterian minister. He attended Muskingum College before transferring to Brown University in Providence, R.I., where he graduated in 1939, having taken courses in mechanical engineering, history and political science. Speel worked the next four years as a mechanical engineer at Brown & Sharpe Manufacturing Co. in Providence, at that time the world's largest manufacturer of machinery and tools. He entered the Navy in 1943, where he taught aircraft engine maintenance. After the war, he entered Harvard University where earned a bachelor's, a master's and a doctoral degree in sacred theology. In 1949, Speel was appointed pastor of the First United Presbyterian Church in Cranston, R.I. It was at Cranston that Monmouth College president James Harper Grier found Speel and convinced him to teach at Monmouth. For the next 35 years, he taught Bible and religion at Monmouth College, retiring in 1986. During that time, he served as adviser to the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, as a representative to the Associated Colleges of the Midwest, and on a number of academic committees. He was active in a number of professional organizations, including the Presbyterian Historical Society, and wrote extensively on church history. He was the recipient of the Monmouth College Distinguished Service Award in 1997. Also in that year, he was honored with the publication of a "festschrift," a collection of articles by colleagues and former students celebrating his life and career. Speel is survived by his wife, Emma Janis, and two daughters, Clara Beth Van de Water of Alexandria, Va., and Janis Avery Niblett of Omemee, Ontario. A memorial service is planned for Sunday, Oct. 15, at 2 p.m. at Faith United Presbyterian Church in Monmouth. A reception will follow. A memorial fund has been established for Monmouth College. Cremation rites are being accorded.
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