WS Chronicle

Lifetime Achievement Award Honoree

A song has always been in the heart of Walteria Mack Spaulding.

At age seven, under the tutelage of some of the city’s most acclaimed musicians, she began mastering the piano. By the time she was a teenager, Walteria was dynamic enough to accompany the choir at Emmanuel Baptist, a church her father led for many decades.

Her reputation as one of the best in the city developed rapidly. That reputation is ever-growing as she serves as minister of fine arts and music at Union Baptist, the popular church shepherded by her brother, Dr. Sir Walter Mack Jr.

Under her watch, the ministry has flourished to include an array of offerings for men, women and children and has set itself apart through innovation and ingenuity. Her efforts have helped to make Union a venue for A-listers like BeBe and CeCe Winans, Vanessa Bell Armstrong, Tramaine Hawkins and Shirley Caesar. Never selfish with her talent, Walteria has assembled an array of singers to form a number of community choirs, including the highly-regarded multiracial, nondenominational Citywide Unity Prayer Gathering Choir. One who rarely says no, she often volunteers her time to perform at funerals, weddings and community engagements.

Spaulding is marking a musical milestone. She has spent 50 years in music ministry, the last 20 of them at Union Baptist. She has achieved much over that span and earned the respect of legions, yet she remains God’s humble vessel.

For using her abundant musical talents to enrich the lives of so many, The Chronicle and the community are proud to present Walteria Mack Spaulding with a Lifetime Achievement Award.