Finding Aid for the Aubrey G. Walton papers Methodist Studies Archive Bridwell Library Overview Creator: Title: Walton, Aubrey Grey Aubrey G. Walton papers Inclusive Dates: 1941-1977 Bulk Dates: 1960-1975 Abstract: The Aubrey G. Walton papers document Bishop Walton s work as the Methodist Bishop of the Louisiana Area from 1960 to 1972, his involvement with international missions, and his role in the 1971 merger of Louisiana Conferences A and B. Accession Number: BridArch 301.26 Extent: Language: 13 boxes; 8.5 linear feet Material is in English. Repository: Bridwell Library, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University
Aubrey G. Walton papers Page 2 Biographical Note United Methodist Church bishop Aubrey Grey Walton was born on June 20, 1901 in Clarksdale, Mississippi. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas in 1928. He then earned a Bachelor of Divinity degree from Duke University in 1931. Walton received honorary Doctor of Divinity degrees from Hendrix College (1946) and Duke University (1962). He also accepted honorary Doctor of Law degrees from Centenary College (1963) and Southern Methodist University (1965). Walton was admitted to the North Arkansas Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South in 1931. He was ordained Deacon in 1933 and Elder in 1935. For 16 years (1944-1960), he was pastor at First Methodist Church in Little Rock, Arkansas. He was consecrated Bishop of the Louisiana Area on June 26, 1960 and moved to New Orleans. Bishop Walton was actively engaged with the global Methodist community as a member of the World Methodist Council and through his fundraising for international Methodist missions. Walton represented the Council of Bishops as the Official Visitor to Latin America from 1960 to 1968. He served as president of the Television, Radio, and Film Commission of the United Methodist Church from 1964 until his retirement in 1972. Additionally, he oversaw the merger of the racially divided separate Methodist conferences in Louisiana, Conference A and Conference B, in 1971. Walton married Mildred Henry on September 17, 1930. The couple had two children, Mildred Ziegler and James M. Walton. Bishop Walton died in April 1978 in Little Rock, Arkansas. Mildred Henry Walton died on December 23, 1999 in Little Rock, Arkansas at the age of 95. Sources: Harmon, Nolan B., Ed. Encyclopedia of World Methodism. Nashville: United Methodist Publishing House, 1974. Walton, Aubrey Grey, by Nolan B. Harmon. Biographical sketches folder, Aubrey G. Walton papers, Bridwell Library, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University. Scope and Contents of the Collection Correspondence, reports, brochures, printed material, photographs, and scrapbooks comprise the Aubrey G. Walton papers. This collection is arranged in four series: General Episcopacy Files, Correspondence, International Methodism, and Scrapbooks. All legal size and oversize items have been stored separately, as indicated by their box and file location.
Page 3 Aubrey G. Walton papers Arrangement of the Collection The collection contains four of materials: Series 1: General Episcopacy Files, 1941-1977 Series 2: Correspondence, 1960-1975 Series 3: International Methodism, 1960-1968 Series 4: Scrapbooks, 1960-1972 Restrictions Access to Collection: The collection is open for research use. Publication Rights: Permission to publish materials must be obtained from the Director of the Bridwell Library. Copyright Statement: It is the responsibility of the user to obtain copyright authorization. Access Terms This collection is indexed under the following terms in the Southern Methodist University Libraries online catalog. Researchers desiring related materials may search the catalog using these terms: Walton, Aubrey Grey. United Methodist Church (U.S.) -- Clergy. United Methodist Church (U.S.) -- Bishops. United Methodist Church (U.S.) -- Louisiana. Scrapbooks. Administrative Information Preferred Citation: [Identification of item], Aubrey G. Walton papers, Bridwell Library, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University. Acquisition Information: Gift of James Walton-Myers, son of Aubrey Walton, in 1998.
Aubrey G. Walton papers Page 4 Processing Information: This collection was arranged and described in 2011 by Elizabeth Lanier. Encoded by Ada Negraru, 2011. Related Collections United Methodist Church Archives - GCAH, Madison, New Jersey Detailed Description of the Collection Series 1: General Episcopacy Files, 1941-1977 This series consists of correspondence, reports, publications, printed material, and photographs primarily related to Walton s work as bishop of the Louisiana area. 984B 1 Biographical sketches [1975] 2 Book of Acts 1960-1972 3 Church bulletins and pamphlets 1941-1960 4 The Commission to Study and Recommend Action Concerning the Jurisdictional System 1960 5 Conference Program of the 113th Session of the Louisiana Annual Conference of the Methodist Church 1958 6 The Council of Bishops 1971-1978 7 Dedication of the Pecan Island Methodist Church album 1964 8 The Episcopal Address of the Bishops of the Methodist Church to the General Conference 1960-1968 9 The Episcopal Address delivered by Bishop Aubrey G. Walton to the South Central Jurisdictional Conference 1972 10 The Episcopal Message / The Area Reports / The Council Report for the South Central Jurisdictional Conference 1968 11 General Conference 1972-1976 2022 14 Honorary Citizen of Jefferson Parish certificate (oversize) 1965 984B 12 Inauguration Speech for John Horton Allen as president of Centenary College 1970 13 Joint Radio Committee of the Methodist Church 1972
Page 5 Aubrey G. Walton papers 984B 14 Jurisdictional Conference South Central Jurisdiction 1960 15 The Law and Hierarchical Religious Societies, Current Status Current Issues 1977 16 Louisiana Area Reports 1963-1968 986A 3 Louisiana Area Reports (legal size) 1966 2022 15 The Louisiana Methodist (oversize) 1960-1971 986A 16 Merger of Louisiana Conferences A and B 1968-1969 17 Merger of Louisiana Conferences A and B 1969-1970 18 Merger of Louisiana Conferences A and B 1970-1971 19 Merger of Louisiana Conferences A and B 1971-1972 984B 17 Pamphlets and programs featuring Aubrey G. Walton 1962-1976 18 Personalized notepad [1960-1970] 19 Personnel of the Jurisdictional Council 1956 20 South Central Jurisdiction Conference 1976 2022 13 South Central Jurisdiction Conference (oversize) 1976 984B 21 South Central Jurisdiction College of Bishops 1959-1978 986A 1 A Statement to the Panel Conducting Hearings on the Jurisdictional System in the Methodist Church 1957 984B 22 Report to the Jurisdictional Council, South Central Jurisdiction 1960 23 Reports on the Council on World Service and Finance 1964-1968 24 Robert Collie integration correspondence and article 1964 986A 2 Newspaper clippings 1958-1967 986B 3 Lafayette District photo album 1961-1965 984A 13 Photographs [1960-1970] 14 Photographs [1960-1970] 15 Photographs [1960-1970] Series 2: Correspondence, 1960-1975 This series consists of both incoming and outgoing professional correspondence. 984A 1 1960-1964 1960-1964 2 1965 1965 3 1966 1966 4 1967 1967 5 1968 1968
Aubrey G. Walton papers Page 6 984A 6 1969-1975 1969-1975 7 Undated [1960-1975] 986A 4 Legal size 1963-1971 984A 8 Council on World Service and Finance of the United Methodist Church 1960-1975 9 Edward Patterson 1967-1968 10 Louisiana Annual Conference 1966 984A 11 Southern Methodist University (SMU) Commencement 1966 12 St. Francisville, Louisiana 1961-1962 Series 3: International Methodism, 1960-1968 This series primarily consists of correspondence, but also includes reports and printed material related to missionary work, overseas travel, and fundraising activities for the following locales. 985A 1 Africa 1962-1963 2 Africa 1963 3 Africa 1963-1966 4 Africa 1963-1965 986A 5 Africa (legal size) 1963-1965 985A 5 Argentina 1960-1962 6 Argentina 1961-1962 7 Argentina 1963-1968 8 Bolivia 1960-1961 9 Bolivia 1962-1968 986A 6 Bolivia (legal size) 1961-1962 985A 10 Brazil 1960-1966 986A 7 Brazil (legal size) 1960-1961 985A 11 Igreja de Metodista do Brasil IX Concilio Geral 1965 986A 8 Igreja de Metodista do Brasil IX Concilio Geral (legal size) 1965 985A 12 Igreja de Metodista do Brasil IX Concilio Geral photographs 1965 2022 16 Igreja de Metodista do Brasil IX Concilio Geral folder (oversize) 1965 985A 13 General Conference of the Methodist Church of Brazil 1964-1965 14 Chile 1961-1968 986A 9 Chile (legal size) 1965 985A 15 Costa Rica 1960-1965
Page 7 Aubrey G. Walton papers 985B 1 Far East 1966-1967 2 India 1966-1967 3 India 1966-1968 4 Ahmedabad, India 1967-1968 986A 10 Ahmedabad, India (legal size) 1967-1968 985B 5 Bidar, India 1966-1968 6 Bidar, India 1965-1967 7 Vikarabad, India Lay Workers Training Institute 1967-1968 986A 11 India, Leonard Theological College 1967-1968 985B 8 Korea 1965-1967 9 Latin America 1960-1962 986A 12 Latin America (legal size) [1960-1964] 985B 10 Latin America Central Conference 1964 986A 13 Latin America Central Conference (legal size) 1964 985B 11 Panama 1961-1962 986A 14 Panama (legal size) 1961 985B 12 Peru 1960-1968 13 Uruguay 1960-1964 14 Foreign travel and related material 1966-1967 986A 15 Foreign travel and related material (legal size) 1966-1967 985B 15 Foreign Missionaries of the Methodist Church 1961 16 The Episcopal Address to Central Conference of the Methodist Church Southern Asia 1960 Series 4: Scrapbooks, 1960-1972 This series is comprised of seven scrapbooks that contain newspaper clippings, church programs, pamphlets, brochures, and photographs documenting Walton s career as Bishop of the Louisiana Area. All loose material within the scrapbooks has been removed and stored separately in folders. Some material has been removed from envelopes inside scrapbooks and placed in folders. 987 1 Volume I, June 1960 June 1962 1960-1962 985B 17 Loose material removed from Volume I 1960-1962 987 2 Volume II, June 1962 June 1964 1962-1964 985B 18 Loose material removed from Volume II 1963-1964
Aubrey G. Walton papers Page 8 988A 1 Volume III, June 1964 December 1965 1964-1965 985B 19 Loose material removed from Volume III 1964 20 Hurricane Betsy envelope 1965 988B 1 Volume IV, January 1966 December 1967 1966-1967 985B 21 History of Felicity Church New Orleans envelope [1966-1967] 990A 1 Volume V, January 1968 June 1969 1968-1969 985B 22 Loose photograph removed from Volume V 1968 23 Service of Recognition envelope 1968 24 Black Manifesto envelope 1968-1969 985B 25 Fishing photos 1969 990B 1 Volume VI, July 1969 May 1971 1969-1971 985B 26 General Conference St. Louis, Missouri 1970 envelope 1970 27 Louisiana Conference A envelope 1970 985B 28 Reports on merger envelope 1970 991 1 Volume VII, May 1971 July 1972 1971-1972 986B 1 Loose material removed from Volume VII 1960-1967 986B 2 Merger of Louisiana Conferences A and B 1971