A CELEBRATION OF THE LIFE AND LEGACY 
OF 
 
BORN INTO TIME 
SEPTEMBER 25 , 1958 
 
BORN INTO ETERNITY 
MAY 19. 2013 
 
{For nu to Live u Chridt, and to die if gain." Phil.ippia!ld 1:21 
 
 SATURDAY, THE FIRST oF JuNE 
Two THOUSAND AND THIRTEEN 
ELEVEN o'CLOCK IN THE MORNING 
ELIZABETH BAPTIST CHURCH 
424 5 CASCADE RoAD, SouTHWEST ATLANTA, GEORGIA 30 33I 
 
 When toowrrow dtartd without nze, 
 
And I'm not there to dee/ 
 
If the dun dhoaLJ ride and find your eye~t, 
 
,, 
 
ALLfiL!e{) with teard for nu/ 
 
I wiJh Jo tnuch you wouLdn't cry, 
 
The way you did today, 
 
WhiLe tln'nking of the nuuzy thin.q,, 
 
lVe didn't get to ,tay. 
 
I know how nzuch you Lot~e nze, A~' nzuch a.l I Love you, And each tinze that you think llnze, !know you '!! nzi1,1 nze loo,o But when tonzorrow (1tarld without nze, PfeaJe try to under.Jtand That an an.qe! canze and caLLed nzy nanze, And look 1ne by the hand. 
 
And ll'hen I thou.qht of worLdLy thin.qJ, I m<qht nzit,l conze tonwrrow, I thought ofyou, ant) '"hen! did, Ll[y heart wa,1 filLed with Jorrow, 
But when I waLked through heaven J ga 
!feLt ,to nzuch at bonze. If7hen God Looked do ((In and rilniled at Fronz hit .qoLden throne. 
So when tonzorrow ,1tart~' without nze, Don 't think we are far apart, 
For every tinze you think (l nze, 
l'nz right here, in your heart. 
 
---- [Tnknown 
 
 TARONDA ELisE SPENCER wAs BORN oN SEPTEMBER 25, 1958 IN NEw ORLEANS, LoursiANA. 
SHE WAS THE THIRD CHILD, AND ONLY GIRL, OF THE FOUR CHILDREN BORN TO ALBERT SPENCER, 
]R. AND EMANUELLA jULIEN SPENCER. 
B EING THE ONLY GIRL, TARONDA WAS CHERISHED BY HER FATHER, AND HER MOTHER LOVINGLY AND PROUDLY ADORNED HER IN FRILLY CLOTHING AND HAIR ACCESSORIES. AMONG TARONDA's FONDEST CHILDHOOD MEMORIES WAS SWIMMING ALMOST EVERY DAY WITH HER BROTHERS R ODNEY, ROYZELL AND RusSELL. TARONDA ALSO TOOK DANCE LESSONS FROM THE TIME SHE WAS FIVE YEARS OLD, AND BEGAN CHEERLEADING AND WAS A MAJORETTE IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, AND CONTINUED THESE INTERESTS THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL. 
TARONDA's PARENTS SHARED THE IMPORTANCE OF EDUCATION WITH TARONDA AND HER BROTHERS. TARONDA WAS A SMART AND OBSERVANT CHILD, WHO WAS ALWAYS FASCINATED WITH BOOKS. SHE WOULD SIT WITH HER BROTHERS AS THEY READ AND, BECAL'SE OF THEIR EXAMPLE AND PATIENCE, TARONDA LEARNED TO READ BEFORE GOING TO KINDERGARTE . 
H AVING EXPERIENCED HER EARLY EDUCATION AT UWLESS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AND LAWLESS j UNIOR HIGH SCHOOL, TARONDA BECAME AN HONOR STUDENT. ALSO A NOTED YOUTH PUBLIC SPEAKER IN THE NEW ORLEANS COMMUNITY, SHE PARTICIPATED IN EXTEMPORANEOUS SPEAKING, PLAYS AND SPEECH TOURNAMENTS THROUGHOUT THE CITY AND NATIONALLY, INCLUDING PLACING IN THE TOP FIVE IN A NATIONAL ORATORICAL COMPETITION, AND CAPTURING FIRST PLACE IN A SPEECH TOURNAMENT ORGANIZED BY THE NEW ORLEANS TIMES-PICAYUNE. 
AT JoHN McDoNOGH #3 5 SENIOR HIGH ScHooL IN NEw ORLEANS, TARONDA WAS A 
DEDICATED STUDENT WHO WAS ALSO INVOLVED IN A HOST OF SCHOOL ACTIVITIES. SHE WAS ACTIVE WITH THE STUDENT COUNCIL, IN ADDITION TO HER BAND AND CHEERLEADING ACTIVITIES, AND SHE WAS A MEMBER OF THE SPEECH AND DRAMA CLUB. 
IT WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL THAT TARONDA BEGAN CONSTRUCTING HER VISION AND PATH 
TOWARD BECOMING AN ARCHIVIST. AFTER HER SCHOOL DAY, TARONDA WOULD GO TO THE AMISTAD RESEARCH CENTER WHERE HER MOTHER WAS AN ARCHIVIST, PROCESSING AND CATALOGING COLLECTIONS. HER MOTHER WOULD PUT HER TO WORK, ASSISTING WITH ALPHABETIZING DOCUMENTS, AND EXPOSING HER TO THE AMISTAD'S COLLECTION OF ART, MANUSCRIPTS AND PHOTOGRAPHS DOCUMENTING AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY. BEFORE 
LONG , HER INTENSE INTEREST IN ARCHIVAL WORK WAS BORN. DR. CLIFTON H. jOHNSON, FOUNDER AND EXECL'TIVE DIRECTOR OF AMISTAD FROM 1966-1992, TOOK PERSONAL INTEREST IN TARO'\JDA's ENTHUSIASM . HE ENCOURAGED HER IN THE STUDY AND PURSUIT 
OF A CAREER IN ARCHIVES, AND WOULD REFER TO HER AS " jUNIOR ARCHIVIST. " IT WAS OR. jOHNSON WHO INSISTED THAT NlrLLICENT DOBBS jORDAN, SPELMAN COLLEGE GRADUATE AND PROFESSOR, AND HER SISTERS WHO WERE ALSO SPELMAN GRADUATES, MEET TARONDA WHEN THEY VISITED THE AMISTAD REsEARCH CENTER. MILLICENT DoBBS JoRDAN WAS so IMPRESSED WITH TARONDA THAT SHE INSISTED THAT SHE ATTEND SPELMAN COLLEGE. TARONDA BECAME ENTHRALLED IN THIS NEW VISION FOR HER TO ATTEND SPELMAN COLLEGE, DESPITE HER PARENTS' DESIRE TO KEEP THEIR ONLY DAUGHTER IN NEW ORLEANS FOR COLLEGE. PRIOR TO MEETING PROFESSOR JORDAN AND HER SISTERS, TARONDA HAD BEEN STRONGLY CONSIDERING OBERLIN COLLEGE BECAUSE OF THE 
CAMPUS AND THEIR ARCHIVES. TARONDA WENT ON TO APPLY TO SPELMAN, WITH ENCOURAGEMENT AND ADVICE FROM PROFESSOR JoRDAN, AND WAS ACCEPTED AND OFFERED A FULL SCHOLARSHIP. 
IN THE FALL oF I 976, TARONDA ENTERED THE GATES OF SPELMAN CoLLEGE As A STUDENT. IN 
LINE WITH HER DESIRE TO BECOME AN ARCHIVIST, SHE MAJORED IN HISTORY, WITH A MINOR IN ENGLISH. SHE WAS ACTIVE IN VARIOUS CAMPUS ACTIVITIES, AND FORMED GENUINE AND LASTING FRIENDSHIPS WITH HER CLASSMATES. HER JUNIOR YEAR, SHE PARTICIPATED I THE DOMESTIC EXCHANGE PROGRAM, EMBARKING UPON A SEMESTER OF STUDY AT WELLESLEY CoLLEGE IN MAssAcHUSETTs, ALONG WITH HER CLASSMATES SYLVIA CoLLINS AND GALE PHILLIPS, WHO WAS ALSO HER ROOMMATE AT SPELMAN. DURING HER SENIOR YEAR, TARONDA SERVED AS A MEMBER OF THE SENIOR CLASS CABINET. 
 
 WHILE AT SPELMAN, TARONDA WORKED AS A STUDENT IN THE OFFICE OF ERNESTINE ERSKINE BRAZEAL, A 1928 GRADUATE OF SPELMAN, WHO HAD 
RECENTLY RETIRED AS ALUMNAE SECRETARY FROM I 94 3 TO I 976, ONLY TO 
RETURN TO THE COLLEGE TO LEAD THE EFFORTS AROUND THE UPCOMING CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION. TARONDA WAS RIGHT BY MRS. BRAZEAL's SIDE AS SHE GATHERED TREASURED INFORMATION AND MEMORABILIA ON SPELMAN's HISTORY AND TRADITIONS. TOGETHER, THEY AMASSED AND PRESERVED THE PUBLICATIO S, ARTIFACTS AND PHOTOGRAPHS THAT WOULD BECOME THE FOUNDATION OF THE COLLECTIONS OF THE SPELMAN CoLLEGE ARCHIVES. 
 
AFTER GRADUATING FROM SPELMAN COLLEGE T?\1 THE SPRING OF I 980 , TARONDA WENT ON TO OBTAIN A MASTER's DEGREE JN HISTORY AND ARCHIVES ADMINISTRATION FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW ORLEANS IN I 98). SHE ALSO ATTENDED THE ARCHIVAL LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN, MADISON IN jUNE OF 2008, AND WAS CERTIFIED BY THE ACADEMY OF CERTIFIED ARCHIVISTS FROM 1989 TO THE PRESENT. 
 
TARONDA BEGAN HER CAREER IN ARCHIVES AS A PROCESSING ARCHIVIST WITH THE HISTORIC NEw ORLEANS CoLLECTION, A MUSEUM, RESEARCH CENTER, AND PUBLISHER DEDICATED TO THE STUDY AND PRESERVATION OF THE HISTORY AND CULTURE OF NEW ORLEANS AND THE GuLF SoUTH REGION, WHERE SHE WORKED FROM I985 TO I99I. fROM I99I TO 1997> TARONDA WORKED AT WAYNE STATE 
UNIVERSITY, WHERE SHE WAS AN ARCHIVIST AT THE WALTER P. 
REUTHER ARCHIVES OF LABOR AND URBAN AFFAIRS AT WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY IN DETROIT, MICHIGAN, AND THEN ARCHIVIST FOR THE CooPERATIVE HBCU ARCHIVAL SuRVEY PROJECT, A BIBLIOGRAPHIC SURVEY OF THE ARCHIVES AND MANUSCRIPT COLLECTIONS HOUSED AT HISTORICALLY RLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES. 
 
IN 1997, TARONDA wAs HIRED BY THE SPELMAN CoLLEGE WoMEN's RESEARCH & REsouRCE CENTER AS THE CoLLEGE's FIRST FULL-TIME 
ARCHIVIST. IN .z.ooo, TARONDA wAs APPOINTED COLLEGE HISTORIAN BY PRESIDENT AuDREY FoRBES N1ANLEY, C' 55. As THE 
SPELMAN COLLEGE ARCHIVIST A'\;D HISTORIAN, TARO.'-.'DA WAS K OWN AMONG THE MEMBERS OF THE CAMPU<; COMMUNITY FOR HER LIVELY, PASSIONATE AND THOROUGH ORAL PRESENTATIONS ON SPELMAN's HISTORY AND TRADITIONS, MOST OFTEN DONE WITHOUT NOTES AS SHE RECITED AND SHARED HER EXTENSIVE KNOWLEDGE AND U DERSTANDING OF THE HOLDINGS OF THE SPELMA COLLEGE ARCHIVES, AND THE COLLEGE's HISTORY AND TRADITIONS. SHE ONCE PUT HER PERSONAL ACUMEN FOR HISTORY TO THE TEST AS A CONTESTANT ON THE TELEVISION GAME SHOW "THE WEAKEST LINK," MAKING IT TO THE SECOND ROUND. 
 
A CONSUMMATE ARCHIVES PROFESSIONAL, TARONDA WAS A MEMBER OF THE SOCIETY OF 
 
AMERICAN ARCHIVISTS AND THE SociETY OF GEORGIA ARCHIVISTS. SHE wAs AN 
 
ARCHIVAL CONSULTANT FOR THE UNCF/MELLO"i ARCHIVAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE IN 
 
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, THE CHILDREN's DEFENSE FuND IN WASHI?-.lGTON, DC, AND 
 
BE NETT CoLLEGE FOR WoMEN IN GREENSBORO, NoRTH CAROLINA. 
 
SHE 
 
CONTRJBUTED TO A NUMBER OF PROFESSIONAL BOOKS AND PUBLICATIONS. 
 
fAITH AND CHURCH MEMBERSHIP WERE ALWAYS CENTRAL TO TARONDA's LIFE. GROWING UP, SHE WAS A MEMBER OF GREATER MT. CARMEL BAPTIST CHURCH AND PILGRIM PROGRESS BAPTIST CHURCH IN NEW ORLEANS, WHERE SHE SANG IN THE CHOIR SHE 
ALSO SA G WITH THE GosPEL Music WoRKSHOP OF AMERICA, UNDER THE DIRECTION 
OF THE LATE REVEREND _fAMES CLEVELAND. WHEN SHE MOVED TO ATLANTA, SHE REGULARLY ATTENDED WORSHIP SERVICES AT THE SISTERS CHAPEL AT SPELMAN COLLEGE BEFORE JOINING ELIZABETH BAPTIST CHURCH, WHERE SHE WAS A MEMBER OF THE SANCTUARY CHOIR 
 
 fAMILY MEANT EVERYTHING TO TARONDA. SHE WOULD TRAVEL NEAR AND FAR TO ATTEND FAMILY EVENTS, AND DELIGHTED I ' HOSTING MEMBERS OF HER FAMILY IN ATLANTA. lN 2004, I HER INSTINCTIVE WISDOM, TARONDA INSISTED THAT HER MOTHER MOVE TO ATLANTA. HER MOTHER DID SO, AND THE NEXT YEAR, HURRICANE MTRINA DESTROYED THE NEIGHBORHOOD SURROUNDING THE SPENCER FAMILY HOME. WITH HER MOTHER SAFELY IN ATLANTA, TARONDA AND SHE WERE INSEPARABLE. TARONDA SHOWERED HER MOTHER WITH TIME AND ATTENTION, DOING HER GROCERY SHOPPING A D OTHER ERRANDS, TENDING TO HER DURING ILLNESS AND HO'iPTTALIZATTON, ENJOYING THE LATEST MOVIES AND TRAVELLING TO SUCH PLACES AS NEW YORK, AND VISITING WITH HER BROTHERS AND FAMILY IN NEW ORLEANS, CALIFOR TA, TEXAS AND fLORIDA, AMONG OTHER DESTINATIONS. 
TARONDA WAS PRECEDED IN DEATH BY HER FATHER, ALBERT 
SPENCER, jR LIVING ON TO CELEBRATE HER LIFE AND LEGACY 
ARE HER MOTHER, EMANUELLA JuLIEN SPENCER; THREE 
BROTHERs , RoDNEY A. SPENCER (SAt' NDRA) , Los ANGELES, CA; 
RoYZELL D. SPENCER (IvELYN ' ), u~IVERSAL CITY, TX; AND RussELL J. SPENCER, TAMPA, FL. THREE AUNTS, BEsSIE 
BRADLEY, HAZLEHURST, 7v1S, ANGELE'.'A LEwrs, HousTON, TX AND LucY JuuEN, HousTON, TX; ONE UNCLE, WILSON JuLIEN (AuDREY), NEw ORLEANS, LA; ONE GODCHILD, MEGAN BRIGHT, NEw 0RLEA s, LA, AND A HOST OF NIECES, NEPHEWS, COUSINS, AND OTHER RELATIVES, AS WELL AS CLASSMATES, FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES. 
 
  TRIBUTES (3 MINUTES) 
BRENDA BANKS 
Spelman College, Class of1971 President, Banks Archives Consultants 
DR BEVERLY DANIEL TATUM 
President, Spelman College 
RESOLUTIONS ( I MINUTE) 
ELIZABETH BAPTIST CHURCH 
SociETY oF GEORGIA ARCHIVISTS 
SociETY OF AMERICAN ARCHIVISTS IARcHIVIsTs AND ARcHIVES oF CoLOR RouNDTABLE 
NATIONAL ALuMNAE AssociATION oF SPELMAN CoLLEGE (NAASC) 
REFLECTIONS 
VIDEO PRESENTATION AND OBITUARY (READ SILENTLY) 
SOLO 
SoNYA WILLIAMS 
Elizabeth Baptist Church 
EULOGY DR. CRAIG L. OLIVER, SR. 
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS WILLIE A. WATKINS FuNERAL HoME, INc. 
THE SPELMAN HYMN 
BENEDICTION REvEREND DR. NoRMAN L. RATES Dean Emeritus ofthe Sisters Chapel, Spelman College 
Ushers will direct the congregation in exiting the church for the releasing ofdoves. 
RECESSIONAL ((When the Saints Go Marching In" 
RELEASING OF THE DOVES 
REPAST 
PLEASE JOIN THE FAMILY FOR A REPAST AT BIG BETHEL VILLAGE, 500 RrcHARD ALLEN BouLEVARD, SouTHWEST, ATLANTA, GEORGIA 303 3I 
MEMORIAL SERVICE 
A MEMORIAL SERVICE WILL BE HELD AT SPELMAN CoLLEGE ON TuESDAY, JuNE 4, 2013 AT 6 P.M . IN HISTORIC SrsTERs CHAPEL, 350 SrELMA LANE , SouTHWEST, ATLANTA, GEoRGIA 30314 
 
 Spe!nzan, thy nanze we prai.Je Standard~' and honor rai.Je. 
We'LL everfait~/uf be Throughout eternity. A1ay peace with thee abide And Godforever guide Thy heighlJ ,Juprenu and Lrue. 
B!ed~lingd to you. 
 
Through yeard t?{ toil and pain /}fay tl.1y dear wa!!,J ren2ain Beacond of hetwenly light, 
Un()aunted hy the fight; And when L~fe J race 1~1 won, 
Thy noble work i.1 done, Oh God, forel'er f,L.Ild Our heart,, to thine. 
 
PALLBEARERS 
 
RoDNEY SPENCER RovzELL SPENCER RussELL SPENCER 
 
LLOYD SPENCER MICHAEL LEWIS KENNETH GREEN 
 
FLORALBEARERS SPELMAN CoLLEGE GRANDDAUGHTERS CLuB 
SPELMAN CoLLEGE FACULTY AND STAFF 
 
HONORARY FLORALBEARERS AND PALLBEARERS 
 
BIG BETHEL VILLAGE REsiDENTs THE RED HATTERS 
THE FRil:.NDSHIP SoCIAL CLUB ELIZABETH BAPTIST CHURCH SANCTUARY CHOIR 
joHN McDoNaGH# 3 5 SFNIOR HrGH ScHooL, CLAss oF 1976 
 
SociETY oF AMERICAN ARcHIVISTs SociETY oF GEORGIA ARcHIVISTs SPELMAN CoLLEGe. CLAss oF I98o SPELMAN CoLLEGE WoMEN's REsEARCH AND RE ouRcE CENTER SPELMAN CoLLEGE OFFICE OF ALuMNAE AFFAIRS 
 
SPECIAL THANKS BIG BETHEL VILLAGE 
ELIZABETH BAPTIST CHURCH SPELMAN COLLEGE 
 
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 
7he forni(y ofTaronda ELise Spencer wishes to thank extendedfomily andfriends for the sincere offerings oflove, :;upport and sympathy expressed through kmd gestures, prayers, caLLs, and gifts offood, cards, flowers, and monetary 
contributions. We are eternally grateful.