William Spencer

William Spencer June 1, 1922 - July 3, 2009 William Spencer, Ph.D, St. Augustine, Florida, died Friday, July 3, in Flagler Hospital, after a brief illness. Memorial services will be held on Saturday, July 11, at 11:00 a.m., at Memorial Presbyterian Church in St. Augustine. He is survived by his wife of forty years, Elizabeth Bouvier Spencer, a son, two daughters, a stepson, four grandchildren, three step grandchildren, a sister, a brother, two brothers-in-law, nieces and nephews. A native of Erie, Pennsylvania, Dr. Spencer earned degrees at Phillips Exeter Academy, Princeton University, and Duke University, culminating in a Ph.D. from The American University in International Relations and Middle East Area Studies. He left Princeton in 1943 to enlist in the U.S. Army, serving as a cryptanalyst in India with the Signal Intelligence Service during World War II. After completing his undergraduate and master's degrees, he spent the next 18 years of his career in international serviceas a case officer with the C.I.A; as a teacher of English in Ankara, Turkey; as assistant editor of Middle East Journal; as a program manager for the U.S. Office of Education; as director of educational publications for UNESCO in Paris and as field expert in Morocco, where he set up the African Centre for the Administration of Development. Dr. Spencer was appointed full, tenured Professor of History at Florida State University in 1968, where he served until retirement in 1980. In retirement he continued to teach in various colleges and universities, including the University of Florida and, most recently, Flagler College, where he was preparing for the upcoming academic year at the time of his death. He was the author of fifteen published works about the Middle East, Northern Africa, and Germany. Global Studies: The Middle East was his most popular work, published in its 12th edition by McGraw-Hill in 2008. During the Carter presidential administration, he was nominated for an ambassador post in the Middle East. His academic honors include memberships in Phi Kappa Phi and Phi Alpha Theta. Other honors include selection as Young Man of the Year by the Junior Chamber of Commerce and a Presidential Citation as Volunteer of the Year. In St. Augustine, Dr. Spencer was a faithful member of Memorial Presbyterian Church, where he was a deacon, and volunteered for numerous community organizations Memorial gifts may be made to Outreach Ministries, Memorial Presbyterian Church, 32 Sevilla St., St. Augustine, FL 32084, or to Scholarship Fund, Flagler College, 74 King St., St. Augustine, FL 32084. St. Johns Family Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.