06/13/2026
Two of our SGMA Hall of Fame inductees were born on this day:
(1) Mary Tom Speer Reid. She was the youngest daughter of GT and Lena (Mom and Dad) Speer. Mary Tom spent many years performing with the Speer Family prior to her marriage to Robert Reid.
After her marriage, she left the Speer Family to raise her family of three children. She returned to the Speer Family on a limited basis for special concert appearances in the early 1980s and continued to appear with the Speers until the retirement of the group.
Mary Tom was a staff member of the Stamps School of Music, secretary for Ben Speer Music, and quite active in the Gaither Homecoming Series. Her lovely alto voice is heard on all of the early Speer Family recordings. She passed away on September 16, 2014, and was inducted in 2006;
(2) Jerry Kirsey. In March of 1960, at age 19, Jerry began his career in Southern Gospel Music, working in the Florida Boys Quartet office. He had been working in radio for two years when Les Beasley hired him to work with the Florida Boys in radio promotions.
In the years between 1964 and 1969, colossal growth in several areas of the J.G. Whitfield organization resulted in new opportunities for Jerry’s development. His first promotion was to manager of Jubilee Enterprises, a concert and product promotion company. Jubilee Enterprises was the forerunner of the Singing News. In 1969, Jerry was given the job of creating and running the Singing News, which began as a tabloid newspaper. The first issue was printed in May 1969. He served as Editor-in-Chief for 41 years.
In 1970, Jerry created the first national radio chart for Southern Gospel music. He created the Singing News Fan Awards in 1971. As editor of Singing News, he was involved in all areas of the industry. He served on the board of directors of the original Gospel Music Association, and served on the board of the original SGMA of Georgia. He was involved in organizing the Southern Gospel Music Guild and the Southern Gospel Music Association. He was actively involved in the building and development of the SGMA Hall of Fame and Museum in Dollywood, and he designed the SGMA Hall of Fame bronze plaques. He created the SGMA award and the James D. Vaughan Impact Award, as well as the James D. Vaughan Quartet Festival. Jerry’s full-time service in Southern Gospel Music spanned from March 1960 – June 2011.
He passed away January 25, 2023, and was inducted in 2011.
