Coverage of North Carolina in Bulletins of Regional Teaching Committees

With thanks to the National Bahá'í Archives, some of the still-existing copies of the newsletter bulletins created by various formulations of the regional Bahá'í teaching committees of the 1940s are available to make into a review of their mention of events relevant to North Carolina. While the collection is incomplete, it certainly includes a variety of mentions of things from the 1940s. The first issue available is from September 1942 and the last in the series is from 1945 with significant gaps. A few Bahá'ís that were known were mentioned and a few still largely or completely otherwise unknown are mentioned. A special note is the activity of the Edmostone family espeically mother Mara and son Ron.

Regional Teaching Bulletin(RTB)

RTB #2, Sep 1, 1942

The contact for sending information into the Bulletin was Esther S Sego at Bransford Rd, Augusta, GA.

On page 1 there are a few mentions relevant to North Carolina. First is that Terah Cowart Smith was finishing a tour in SC. Later she would live in Greensboro. Another tidbit is that Winston Evans from Nashville TN was at Feast in Atlanta and is expecting Virginia Camelon next Feast. Both were known to visit NC - Camelon in the Spring.

On page 2 there are mentions of several Bahá'´ís of North Carolina with more or less known about them.

• Meetings were scheduled at home of Louise Sawyer, Greensboro AND at home of "Mrs. Ike Lefler", 1007 Main St, Kannapolis. There are mentions of Ike Lefler - an obituary of his says he was a car dealer “Lefler’s Auto Finance Co” published in Greensboro Nov 8, 1945. There she was more fully named Mary Ann Lefler. He was buried in New Bethel Lutheran cemetery, Ritchfield. Mary Ann Lefler also served on the regional committee in 1942. She was named later as the founding member and first president of the Kannapolis Credit Women’s Breakfast Club under the name Mary Ann Lefler McCanles."Honor bosses, past presidents, Credit Women observe 25th birthday". The Daily Independent. Kannapolis, NC. 2 Oct 1966. p. 21. Retrieved Aug 21, 2018.
• A "Vaughan Fletcher", “recently of Durham” contributed to published the Bulletin (i.e. sending out copies?)
• A Mrs Vernice Haight of Asheville is informed of pioneers Eva Lee Flack and Adrienne Ellis coming (but they instead went to Greensboro.) Haight worked in a beauty salan in town.

On page 3 is an echo from Baha'i News that Joy Earl had spoken to eighty teachers in Durham, and there was a highlight of a bibliography of race unity issues of August 1941 Baha’i News.

RTB #5, Dec 1, 1942

The contact for submissions to the newsletter was Esther S Sego at Bransford Rd, Augusta, GA.

On page 1 it summarizes a teaching conference held in Greenville SC Nov 14-15. It mentions the “first” inter-racial public meeting was held and that a similar public meeting was held in July in Greensboro by Ruth Moffett. 20 Baha’is and 16 non-Baha’is attended this Greenville conference from 7 states - GA, SC, NC, CA, IL, DC, TN. Stanwood Cobb was the keynote speaker “What lies ahead”. The Welcome was by Ruth Moffett. Eva Lee Flack and Adrienne Ellis sang.

On page 2 a few mentions are made:

• Certainty an assembly will be elected in Greensboro. “Ruth Moffett took the Greensboro group thru the entire course ‘Essentials for Baha’i membership’ and reports unusually fine response.”
• Pearl Dick marriage was announced - not sure who that is.
• Mary Ann Lefler flew to Augusta visiting her mother in Savannah and visited Ruth Moffett who was staying with Mrs Sego.
• Carlton Sample moved to Wilmington NC from North Augusta and married.

RTB #7, Feb 1, 1943

The contact for submissions was again Esther S Sego at Bransford Rd, Augusta, GA. This time the entire Bulletin was one page.

Helen Inderlined was mentioned arrived from Binghamton NY to Greensboro in January staying with Louise Sawyer and had several weekly meetings reported. Thursday evening studies were of “'New Era’ using Robinson Outline with Questions" and on Sunday evenings was highlights from the Dawn Breakers “in story form…in a spiritual sense rather than purely historic one, on order to correlate our present-day experience… with the great drama along these very lines….” No space for more activities being reported since it was one page.

RGB #9, Apr 1, 1943

contact Esther S Sego at Bransford Rd, Augusta, GA. - nothing in particular to NC

RGB #11, June 1, 1943

contact Esther S Sego at Bransford Rd, Augusta, GA. - nothing in particular to NC (maybe a regional conference)

RGB #12, Jul 1, 1943

contact Esther S Sego at Bransford Rd, Augusta, GA. - nothing in particular to NC (maybe a regional conference)

Regional Teaching Committee Baha’i Bulletin n31, Nov 1945

The contact was Birdie Cunningham of Atlanta, GA.

On page 1 was a notice of a January 12-3 regional conference in Atlanta as one of 11 such conferences across America.

On page 2 a number of updates from Greensboro are listed:

• Greensboro community acquired a Center downtown and the first meeting was Nov 3rd and included the Baha’i wedding ceremony of Rev David Roston and bride after civil ceremony in Spartanburg SC.
• Visitors to the community included:

Lt Richard McCurdy and Cpl Wac. Betty Ford Lynch of Camp Butner in Durham NC.

Charles McAllister recently discharged after months of service in Italy - Charles and Eva visiting parents in NY (and back to CA.)

Adrienne Ellis Reeves and recently discharged husband moved to NY

• A Tea was held at the Sawyer home a Sunday at which Lt Dick McCurdy spoke on the Faith and Margaret Sawyer, Mildred Danforth, Larry Berry, of UNC attended.
• Mention of Audrey Wark and children traveling to Jacksonville FL
• Mamie Simmons back from vacation to DC.
• News that Johnny Eichenauer met up with Bruce Davidson of Miami while in Frankfurt Germany and held a meeting with 250 attending.

Regional Teaching Committee Baha’i Bulletin Dec 1948

The contact for submissions, mentioned on page 4, was Mara V Edmonstone Fairview, NC.

A regional conference of the southeast held in Atlanta Nov 20-1 covers pages 1-2. North Carolina not listed as missing. About 35 of 40 made it. Among the attendees representing the institutions were Amelia Collins, John Inglis, and David Ruhe. There was also comments from Annie Romer and Annie Reinke of Texas. Mara Edmonstone is one from North Carolina that is also mentioned.

• There is a broad description of North and South Carolina - 6 assemblies with over 15 members, 18 with less than 15. At the time there was only the Assembly of Greensboro of North Carolina.
• Departures from Greensboro were listed: Kay Whitmore, Virginia and Mrs Morgon (all to Iowa). Recent declarants in Greensboro Docie Lee Woten (sic - actually "Dossie Lee Wootten") and Elsa Palmer moved away.
• Monthly meetings continued and a non-Baha’i speaker for a November meeting was set and others planned into December.
• A memorial for Joseph J Sawyer who was a member of the RTC. Louise was recovering with Mrs Palmer returned assisting her.

Regional Teaching Committee

Regional Baha’i Bulletin, n1, (Oct-)Dec 1949

Now reformulated as a Regional Teaching Committee for North and South Carolina, the contact was again Mara V Edmonton Fairview, NC, (as listed on page 3.) This issue was a "catch up" issue from October through December.

On page 1 a caution of austerity was published while the community was trying to finish Temple but offering to pay half the trip costs to attend state conventions if there were none others from a region that could attend.

On page 2 there was a summary information for the state convention.

• The NC convention committee was John Goodwin, Peale Kent, and Louise Sawyer. The convention would be held Jan 29 at 235 1/2 N Green St (Center) and to contact Pearl D Kent for details and (what would later be called) absentee ballots.

On page 2 was a summary of the RTC meeting in Greensboro in November of all members with guests Harry and Mrs Ford. There is discussion of a map of all located Baha’is and plans to visit all with a focus on assisting isolated believers. The Fords have been in SC and Greensboro and to the north east ( Durham? Virginia?) before going more south.

On page 3 there are number of points detailed briefly:

• A Youth Christmas time conference in Miami - contact Dawn Dayton, Miami. Ronald Edmonstone went.
• A Youth meeting at the Edmonstones in Fairview - three from Miami and two from NC came on Labor Day Weekend. Keith de Folo was here for the summer was a guest and Dawn Dayton was advisor for the group.
• There was a profile of Mildred Danforn, RTC member, who had attended UNC for play writing.
• The Fords had visited Greensboro Nov 20-2 including a public meeting with 9 Baha’is and 7 non-Baha’is. Mr Ford also met with instructors at NC A&T and attended a fireside at the home of Mrs Haith and Mrs Kent.
• The community was holding regular Feasts, Holy Days, and public meetings.
• There was a new sign for Center which is on second floor of building.
• The community was visited by Marie Rice and Bessie Barham of Arlington VA on way to Atlanta.
• Naomi Simmons and husband went to NY for vacation.
• John Goodwin was ill but better.
• David Roston was active in Chapel Hill along with Mildred Danforth and Mary Holmes “before her”.
• The RTC members from NC are: Louise Sawyer Chair, Mara Edmonstone recording Secretary, Naomi Simmons Corresponding Secretary