Province of Manitoba » Culture Heritage, Tourism and Sport » Historic Resources » People, Places and Events » Manitobans Who Made a Difference » Difference Makers » Rev. Joseph Walter Sparling

Manitobans Who Made a Difference

(Courtesy of the Archives of Manitoba)

Cleric and educator Joseph Walter Sparling was an instrumental individual in the growth and expansion of Wesley College (after 1967, the University of Winnipeg) in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Sparling, son of John Sparling and Mary Williams, was born in Blanshard Township, Perth County, Canada West (after 1867, Ontario). He was a descendant of Irish Methodists, who had a strong religious faith and sense of kinship and community. Sparling attended St. Mary's High School in Canada West. In 1871, he graduated from Victoria College, Cobourg, with a Bachelor of Arts. The same year, he was married to Susan Weir Kerr of Toronto, with whom he had four children, three of whom survived infancy. In 1871, Sparling also received a divinity degree from the Garrett Biblical Institute, affiliated with Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, and was ordained in Belleville, Ontario, by the Reverend William Morley Punshon. Sparling returned to Victoria College, and in 1874 received a Masters degree. Serving in several pastorates of the Methodist Church, through his postings in Montreal, Aylmer, Ottawa, Quebec City, and Kingston, Sparling earned the reputation as a strong leader. From 1874-83 he was the financial secretary of the General Conference of the Methodist Church, and in 1888-89, was president of the Montreal Conference of the Church. He was awarded a Doctor of Divinity degree by Northwestern in 1889.

In August, 1888, Sparling was selected by the Church Board of Governors as the first principal of Wesley College in Winnipeg. The theological and liberal arts college held classes in 1888 in Grace Church. Sparling, however, had commitments which prevented him from assuming a full-time position with the college until 1889. Once he arrived in Winnipeg, the college became his main focus. Sparling taught all week and travelled the country on weekends preaching to congregations about the college. His abilities to raise money and to administer it became legendary, and in January, 1896, the college moved into a new building at its present location on Portage Avenue. Sparling was also known for his ability to select high quality faculty members, such as Robert Rutherford Cochrane, George John Blewett, and Salem Goldworth Bland. When Sparling died, he left the school free of debt and with an endowment of close to $250,000. Under his administration, the college grew from a few students to an enrollment of 400.

Outside of Wesley College, Sparling continued to do the work of the church. He was a member of the board of education and the general board of missions of the Methodist Church in Canada, the chair of the social work committee of Winnipeg Methodism, and in 1898 president of the Manitoba and North-West Conference. Sparling also played a significant role in establishing Alberta College in Edmonton, and founding several churches, a city mission, and a fresh air camp in Gimli. He was a strong supporter of the movement toward church union. Sparling suffered a stroke while attending the Manitoba Conference, and died three days later. He was buried in Elmwood Cemetery, Winnipeg.