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Spalding
Colonel

Colonel Edward Wyman Spalding, a descendant of the historic sporting goods family and a life member of the UCLA Alumni Association, died at age 86 on Dec. 3, 2004 after a serious illness.

Spalding’s friends and family will remember not only his deep, loving, resonating voice that was featured in the many Shakespearean plays that he appeared in, but also his warm heart, said his daughter, Wilda Spalding.

“When one comes from an old family, one could choose to live a life of luxury and privilege, but if you know what that privilege really means, it means responsibility,” Wilda said about her father’s commitment to the community and others.

Spalding was the grandson of J. Walter Spalding, co-founder of A.G. Spalding & Bros.

Spalding received his Bachelor of Arts from UCLA in 1948 and was a member of the Board of UCLA Theater Arts in 1947 and 1948. He continued at UCLA to receive his credentials in education in 1949.

Over a span of 60 years, Spalding contributed much to theater, dance, and radio. He was an acclaimed Shakespearean actor, performing at one point in an effort to aid in the Finnish and British War Relief, as well as a director and producer.

In a press release, Wilda detailed her father’s contributions to others.

He was a man of “immense generosity of heart and multiple talents,” she wrote.

Spalding served in World War II after attending Yale University, where he was a flight commander and trained other pilots.

In 1945, he was awarded the special Commendation for Bravery from the newly-established United Nations after having fulfilled a mission to protect the San Francisco meeting that created the United Nations.

Spalding also was a pioneer in the community public radio movement, producing and performing in programs with KPFA Radio in Berkeley in the early 1950s.

He was also a co-founder of the Theater-for-Children in the late 1940s, which helped introduce children to theater.

Furthermore, Spalding taught school in California for 21 years until his retirement from the San Francisco Unified School District in 1984.

He was “committed to quality education for all and deeply dedicated to developing educated, responsible world citizens,” Wilda wrote.

In a letter to Spalding’s family, Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass, addressed Spalding’s great generosity.

“As a teacher and actor he brought others learning through entertainment and also creativity in the classroom. He was an innovator and organizer. He reached out to students and helped them reach the threshold of their own minds and their potential,” wrote Kennedy.

In his later years, Spalding continued to contribute to his community by driving and delivering for the “Meals on Wheels” program, being a presenter for Ventura County’s “The SEASONS Group” (Senior Experts and Speakers on Numerous Subjects), as well as participating as a choir member and lector.

As a historian and military collector, he also made appearances at 4th of July celebrations in Villa Grande in full Minuteman attire and even fired a cannon from his own private collection.