J. Elmer Spyglass

James Elmer Spyglass (November 1, 1877 – February 16, 1957) was an American singer, who lived most of his lifetime in Europe and later worked for the Consulate General of the United States, Frankfurt.

Life and career He was born in Springfield, Ohio. In 1897 he became a founding member of St. John's Missionary Baptist Church in Springfield. After that, he dedicated his life to music and became a cabaret singer. He was a baritone vocalist and in 1905, he graduated from the Toledo Conservatory of Music. He also attended Western Pennsylvania University. There he performed at the Klein cabaret (formerly ) in Kaiserstr., the Intimes Theater and the Trocadero. He continued to live freely in Germany during the war, although he was an "enemy" as an American and as a person of color he was considered to be an "inferior race" by the Nazis. The German authorities had not caused him any problems. However, he had to appear at the police station every week. His house in Sachsenhausen was bombed in 1944, and he changed his residence to Schwalbach.

After World War II in Germany

After World War II, Spyglass became an interpreter and receptionist in the US consulate in Frankfurt. the mayor, councilors and many of Schwalbach’s citizens attended his memorial service. His ashes were returned to Yellow Springs, Ohio where his remnant was buried beside his parents.

Spyglass Prize On January 8, 1995, a student in Schwalbach was the first to receive the "James Elmer Spyglass Prize" for contributions to intercultural relations.