Coverage of the Bahá’í Faith in Greensboro, NC, newspapers 1950 - 1969

This is a review of mentions of the Faith in Greensboro newspapers by primarily from Genealogybank.com. This is the second part of a series under Coverage of the Bahá’í Faith in Greensboro, NC, newspapers for different eras in time.

From 1950 the observance of World Religion Day, followed by UN Day, World Peace Day and Race Amity Day, would become staples of published activities of the Faith in the region. It was also the first published observance of the Martyrdom of the Báb. In 1951 national travelings teacher of the religion A. K. Kalantar came through and that summer is the first mention of Bill Tucker and then a regional conference including naming Louise Sawyer, Bill Tucker, and others attending. Another regional conference took place in 1952. In 1953 Hand of the Cause Shu'á'u'lláh `Alá'í visited, the first while serving as a Hand, but the articles were colored by concerns in America over the politics in Iran. 1954 opened with news of the death of Hand of the Cause Dorothy Beecher Baker - though it hadn't made the local news, Baker had actually spoke in Greensboro the year before Moffett. A rise in activity was noted in 1955 was noted following the first mention of the Declaration of the Báb in the newspapers with coverage of the 2nd Southeastern Bahá'í Conference at the Blue Ridge Assembly in the mountains, a prelude to the first Bahá'í seasonal schools.

Since Inderlied's early work there had not yet re-appeared weekly notices of the religion but under the assembly chairmanship of Pearl Easterbrook in 1955, she herself, but primarily Kathryn Potter, and with various traveling and a few other local speakers, held approximately weekly meetings most of the year. Potter continued this service into early 1956 and then the pace of meetings slowed while the diversity of people presenting increased though John M. Davis Jr lead the largest part of them. 1956 also saw profiles of Ludmila Van Sombeek and Terah Cowart-Smith published. But it was her sister that was the object the first public opposition to the Faith locally published in the newspapers - Elah Cowart was let go (not automatically re-hired as most teachers are most years) as a 4th grade teacher from Rankin school for 1957-8 for being a Bahá'í - the complaint was lodged by Jack (John) M. Davis Jr for the local assembly. It was observed that comments had been made that the “missionary activity” of Elah distributing materials for Bahá'í meetings on school grounds on her own time, and mimeographing these invitations on school equipment, “would have been ok if it was for Methodists or Baptists…". The article covering all this also noted the community was then 16 adults. From some points of view surely a small number, but from inside surely also a mark of progress, and the first obituary mentioning the Faith was in the passing of Naomi Simmons. Davis seems to have been the first community member to go on Bahá'í pilgrimage in November, 1958, at least to make the news doing so followed by Frank Kimball Kinney and Terah Cowart-Smith in 1959. Meanwhile the Center, held since the mid1940s, was no longer mentioned in the newspapers since the latter 1950s. Instead Kathryn Potter's home at Oak Ct was the host of many activities into the early 1960s. The Local Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Greensboro incorporated in 1958 with particular mention of John M. Davis Jr, Frances Pearce and Frank Kimball Kinney, probably officers of the Assembly that year. First appearing earlier, Frank Kimball Kinney and David Jurney lead various aspects of public mention of the Faith the coming decade. In fact Jurney officiated at Kinney's wedding and Jurney's own wedding came in 1961 after his promotion to partner at an architectural firm. Indeed it was Mrs. Vedad Mansoori Jurney who was noted several times in the newspaper. Perhaps more than any other local Bahá'í, her personal life was more visibly documented than any other - her pursuit of the nursing profession, citizenship, her Persian family most notably her mother who recalled seeing Bahá'u'lláh, her life before in Iran and since in America, the Jurney pilgrimage and slide shows, and introducing the Bahá'í New Year observance to the public in 1963 as one of her several talks mentioned in the newspaper. She was last visible in the newspaper in 1980.

1950s

Earlier 1950s

Baha'is African-American Roy Williams, from Greenville South Carolina, and Euro-American Henry Broadhurst spoke together the World Religion Day Bahá'í sponsored event held at the Bahá'í Center, mid-January, 1950. Early February Henry Broadhurst was announced as the state delegate to the national convention. Days later Roy Williams returned or had stayed on following the state convention to give a talk at the Center. In early March Margaret Randall Ford, up from Atlanta, and Rev. Charles Jones of Chapel Hill gave were a panel of speakers at the City Hall Annex about youth and religion. In April other Bahá'ís went to the national convention along with Broadhurst including Arthur and Mrs. Crane. Back from national convention, in late May Mrs. Arthur Crane started a series of talks on prophecy and the Faith at the Center which continued into early June. Mid-June there was a “What is a Baha’i” informational meeting at the Center. On July 9 was a notice of the Bahá'ís observing the Centenary of the Martyrdom of the Báb at the Center with a talk by Broadhurst.

The next mention was in early September when Mrs. J. J. Sawyer, Naomi Simmons, and Joseph Sawyer Jr, attended a regional meeting in Atlanta. In mid-November a notice mentioned Bahá'ís observing the Birth of Bahá’u’lláh with multiple “out of town groups” coming in and institute sessions on Devotions, the Covenant, and Administration.

The next mention, in February 1951, was a multi-paragraph article with A. K. Kalantar profiled and giving talks for Brotherhood Week in Greensboro, staying as a guest of Mrs. Sawyer. In March a meeting entitled, "The Divine Springtime" was held at the Center, followed by a June by Bill Tucker giving a talk at Center at for conference convened by Martha Fettig, Tucker, Fettig and Grace von der Heydt were hosted by Mrs. Sawyer. A review of books in the public library noted the Bahá'í World Faith volume. In October the assembly announced it was sponsoring a series of meetings via by Naomi Simmons, however no articles of these events have been found.

The next coverage came in March 1952 starting with mention out of New York for a UN interfaith Prayer for Peace that included Bahá'ís, followed were Terah Cowart-Smith gave a talk at the Center. In April a Bahá'í book for children noted in library, and Broadhurst was noted as an investor in a site for a new Sears store in High Point. In mid-June Edgar Olson came for a talk after a regional conference being held including a report on the national convention by H. R. Broadhurst - the whole thing being chaired by Bill Tucker. Olsen returned in early October as announced by Mrs. Joseph J. Sawyer and noting a series of international conferences of the Faith. It is also noted that the local community was about 12 people near the commemoration of the Birth of the Báb, when it was announced the Bahá'ís would a Holy Year. The next article on the Faith occurs in early November when the Birth of Bahá’u’lláh was held at the Center with a talk by Natalie Anderson from Boston. John C. Inglis from Birmingham lead a regional conference a couple days later. The state convention is then noted in early December at the Center. They elected Naomi Simmons at the convention that elected Bill Tucker as chair.

The following January Bahá'ís held the World Religion Day observance with a talk by Ben Weeden who had worked some years at the Bahá'í World Center. In June Hand of the Cause Shoaollah Alai (Shu'á'u'lláh `Alá'í ) talked at meeting at the Center accompanied by T. Samandari and N. M Firoozi who used to work in Greensboro. Unfortunately the coverage noted that the retired general would not speak of Persian politics asked by reporters though it did mention his spiritual themes. A month later Louise Sawyer donated a copy of Prescription for Living to the public Library in memory of her husband. However this year the next mention of the Faith doesn’t occur until December for the state convention.

1954 opens with news of the death of Hand of the Cause Dorothy Beecher Baker in a plane crash. A few days later the Bahá'ís are noted holding the fifth World Religion Day with a talk by Betty Koyl at the Center. In mid-September when Annie Romer wrote a letter to editor on the Faith. A few days later it is announced Pearle Easterbrook would talk at the local headquarters of the American Friends Service Committee - the first in some time not held at the Bahá'í Center. Broadhurst served in a jury pool in High Point.Mrs. C. R. Simmons was noted the vice-chair of the community and it held a Birth of Bahá’u’lláh observance in November.

later 1950s

1955 opens with the World Religion Day event - for the first time Bahá'ís are noted on page 1 if not in a stand alone story. William DeForge was noted giving the talk for the event and Jack Davis was quoted for the first time. Davis will go on to appear many times at Bahá'í event the rest of the 1950s before he went pioneering after pilgrimage. Zoe Meyer gave a talk at the Brotherhood Week meeting and Jack Davis was quoted again. From that talk mid-February through the rest of the year talks were held at 617 W. Market St., the Bahá'í Center, most weeks with a slow down mostly in the summer months. Most of the talks were by Pearl/Pearle Easterbrook or Kathryn Potter but among them were about 10 speakers in the year. While the pattern of regular public meetings were held there were other events that received separate or more coverage either because of advertising or larger coverage. The first was back in mid-March with advertising for a color film showing of the Holy Land including the Bahá'í World Center as it was then. This showing was through Archie Tichenor, chair of the national Bahá'í audio-visual committee, who was also listed separately in the regular cycle of meetings. A couple weeks later students of local high schools and colleges attend a World Youth Day event with panel. The next event of larger coverage was the announcement that Bill Tucker was the delegate to the national convention at the end of April. Elah Cowart, soon to be more visible in the community, was mentioned among school staff reception in May. The Baha'is were noted among the diversity of religions with UN work. And Louise Sawyer of Durham came back for a kin wedding.

Leaping the summer we come to September with notice that Elah Cowart among school staff announced, and a mention of local Bahá'ís going to Second Blue Ridge Bahá'í Conference - specifically naming Naomi Simmons, F. Kimball Kinney, and Elah Cowart - the first time Kimball Kinney is mentioned and the group being specific multi-racial. The same month came coverage of persecution of Bahá'ís in Iran. In November came a brief supplemental mention perhaps to fill space, but mentioning the religion briefly in one sentence. Closing the year there is mention of Ludmila Van Sombeek, Mrs. Tucker, Mrs. Edmonstone attending the state convention. All together it is a great jump in activity - the first semi-weekly pattern of activity sustained the whole year though still with peaks and lows of specific activity.

1956 opens with the regular semi-weekly meetings continuing starting with Ludmila Van Sombeek and continuing through November. This year John ('Jack') Davis did largest share of presentations followed by Kathryn Potter while there were 7 people who contributed to the set of meetings, one was actually noted skipped and about four were listed without individuals specifically leading them. In September Van Sombeek was profiled. It noted she was born in Vienna, long lived in New York in social and religious interests, attended the 1953 International and Professional Women’s Congress in Stockholm, attended three international conferences that same year, and in 1955 got permission to travel behind the Iron Curtain and in particular the first International Esperanto Congress that was held in Poland. Then she and her husband moved to Durham.

In March Bahá'ís held World Youth Day with a Jack Davis talk at the Center. On Ridvan the Bahá'ís were holding a youth panel at the Center with presenters from diverse fields.

August opens with mention of Elah Cowart in school staff in the county. Later in the Fall Terah and sister Elah Cowart bought a lot (possibly a home and place of business) on South Elam Avenue. Terah herself was profiled in mid-December. She joined her sister Elah Cowart. Elah was a teacher and Terah worked in ocular work that emphasized “dynamic relaxation” for some eye problems. She also worked for the speakers research committee of the UN, and a college speakers bureau with a pet topic of “Women in the New Age”, Baha’i institutions, and fund raising for kids needs. She was born in Georgia near Augusta, went to a state teacher’s college, a New York teacher’s college, and studied psychology through her husband. She was active in the League of Women Voters and on YWCA health committees. Her son Robert Smith worked in clinical psychology at the University of Pennsylvania interning at a vet hospital. Daughter Ginny was a mother and married to a Cornell graduate working in labor relations in Pittsburgh. An advert for Terah’s Sight Improvement Studio appeared a few days later This coverage was followed shortly by Terah giving a talk, and presenting a viewing of a UN film "The Task Ahead”, which was supported and extended as the topic of the regular weekly Bahá'í meeting though the talk was given by John (Jack) Davis the following weekend.

The observance of the Birth of Bahá'u'lláh had alittle extra coverage with mention of a slideshow as part of a talk by Jack Davis in November, and then the Bahá'ís held their state convention with mention of Jack Davis, a panel discussion at the Center and an additional meeting held at the (HBCU) Bennett College.

In January 1957 H. R. Broadhurst was pictured donating to the March of Dimes. The next comment in the news occurs in early February in 1957. There Frances Pearce wrote a letter to the editor promoting “Negro History Week” and presents the Baha’is as a response from a request of the National Assembly and first draws attention to Alain Locke. Frances was noted as secretary of the community in March. It was announced a Bahá'í panel on Negro History Week would be held at the Guilford County Courthouse - the panel members would be professors Richard Bardolph, John Withers, and Terah Cowart-Smith, with Jack Davis chairing the panel. In later March it was announced that Elah Cowart was among school drive for Red Cross, and Terah Cowart-Smith was elected first VP of League of Women Voters. A general meeting was noted lead by John M. Davis Jr approaching mid-April. Kathryn Potter was the delegate to the national convention. Jack Davis gave a talk at then Center for Declaration of the Bab. The next event was in early July when the Martyrdom of the Bab was held at 400 Stewart St. very near the A&T campus, The address of Robert & Georgia R. Haith, close to A&T campus. The next mention in August came in the form of a controversy of if Elah (sister to Terah) Cowart was fired (not re-selected) as a 4th grade teacher from Rankin school for 1957-8 for being a Baha’i - the complaint was lodged by J. M. Davis Jr for the local assembly - it was observed that comments had been made that the “missionary activity” of Elah distributing materials for Bahá'í meetings on school grounds on her own time, and mimeographing these invitations on school equipment, “would have been ok if it was for Methodists or Baptists but not for Catholics.”. The article noted the community was 16 people and Davis had been a radio announcer for WPET. Zoe Meyer then of Greenville, SC, accompanied the delegation to the school board meeting. Elah acquired a job in Lison, MD. It was also news elsewhere in the state. Alittle more than a week later a Bahá'í advert for talks by Harvey Wiener and Margeret Quance at the Guilford County Courthouse. In October the Bahá'ís held Proclamation Day, the anniversary of the first mention Baha'u'llah in the US in 1893, with talks by Orpha Daughterty and Jack Davis, chaired by Naomi Simmons. Terah was still in Greensboro as the host of the 12th UN Day observance supported by Baha’is meeting at her home, and joined in a League of Women's Voters panel for UN Day with - Mrs Raymond Smith moderator and Terah Cowart-Smith, Gomer Lesch of WFMY-TV and former mayor Robert Frazier. The notice of the death of Shoghi Effendi followed a few weeks later. The last mentions of the Faith in 1957 were mention of the state convention and public meeting with a talk by F. Kimball Kinney, and an AP story of the past observance of the Birth of Bahá’u’lláh,

January 1958 a League of Women Voters meeting was conducted by Terah Cowart-Smith, and then she left for a panel as part of World Religion Day in Baltimore Md. while the Greensboro Bahá'ís held their own observance in Hodgin Hall of A&T College, with speaker Jack Davis. The Bahá'í held World Youth Day with a Peter McLaren talk in March, and the Bahá'í Assembly of Greensboro incorporated after it’s mid-April election in 1958. and some Bahá'ís were noted going to an international conference - Kathryn Potter, Terah Cowart-Smith, Jack Davis, and Kimball Kinney. In early May Terah Cowart-Smith led a world affairs talk about the UN that didn’t explicitly mention the Faith. In early June Race Amity Day was noted held at the Hayes-Taylor YMCA by Bahá'ís with Jack Davis as chair of the Assembly, Thelma Allison (back from pilgrimage) and W. T. Bidwell (back from a tour of the Caribbean) were the speakers and Terah Cowart-Smith presided. This was mentioned in another Greensboro newspaper, The Future Outlook, Speakers for the meeting were Hobart Jarrett and Terah Cowart-Smith. The observance of the Martyrdom of the Bab was next mentioned in the news. A month later a Bahá'í summer school held at the Blue Ridge Assembly with Greensboro attendees Daniel Morris, Betty Thompson, Frances Pearce, Jack David and Naomi Simmons. A month later there was a notice of “Proclamation Day” with a panel of Carlotta Thompson (Holmes?) Betty Thompson, Jack Davis, and Kimball Kinney held at the YMCA. The October Elah Cowart was noted among the local board of League of Women Voters, and was welcomed back into a birding club. The observance of the Bab’s Birth was held at 501 Banks St, at Naomi Simmon's address. Terah Cowart-Smith gave a talk to the David Jones School PTA as part of series on UN by various organizations, not explicitly mentioning the Faith. The Birth of Bahá’u’lláh observed in November at 1021 Lindsay St. with Daniel Morris, Kathryn Potter, and Jack Davis lead presentation. Late in November there is a major article on the Faith with a picture of the Shrine of the Bab. Jack (John) M Davis is noted going on pilgrimage. The article noted he had been on the waiting list for two years, had lived in Greensboro four years including two as an announcer on WPET. Previously in the Korean War he served as a radio reporter for the Navy in Japan and Korea. December closed out with coverage of the pending State Baha'i convention expecting 50 people at the O. Henry Hotel - Frances Pearce was secretary of the assembly, expected attendees included Ludmila Van Sombeek (Durham), Betty Koyl(Winston-Salem), Gerald and Mrs. Curwin(Charlotte), Glenford Mitchell (Raleigh) and Kimball Kinney (Greensboro.)

1959 opens with the World Religion Day observance held a the O. Henry Hotel with multiple speakers. Peter McLaren represented the Baha’is. In late January it is announced that Elah Cowart, who had been let go during a controversy in 1957, attended a League of Women Voters workshop, and was now called retired and teaching classes for the Greensboro YWCA. In February Elah Cowart was among the signatories of ministerial statement on races. In early March there is a profile of Kimball Kinney going on pilgrimage. The article noted he was continuity director, and copy chief for the previous four years, at WFMY-TV and would see the recently completed Archives Building, while Jack Davis was leaving to pioneer to the South Pacific. It also noted he was a UNC graduate and was planning to visit with Baha’i communities in Rome, Paris, and London along the way. Near mid-March there was an article of a World Youth Day held at the YMCA with David Jurney giving the talk. In April Elah Cowart was named a director of the League of Women Voters, and early May Terah Cowart-Smith was noted as a member of the speakers research committee for the UN and recorder for a talk of the World Affairs Forum. Elah Cowart was then visible on birding club expedition to Wilmington. The next article mentioning the Faith was the next day when there was a short article on the return of Terah Cowart-Smith returned from pilgrimage and a tour of European capitals, and more in England, visiting Baha’i communities. Two weeks later there was the obiturary for Naomi Simmons service held at Providence Baptist Church, buried in Piedmont Memorial Park. Race Amity Day was held in the Bluford Library at A&T with Gail Curwin one of the speakers. In mid-September Kathryn Potter gave a talk on a peace plan and “America’s Destiny” at Proclamation Day. Elah Cowart listed among the committee for UN Day proclamation. The observance of Birth of Bahá’u’lláh was set in November in Potter's home. It was also noted on the front page of The Future Outloook. That year there was no notice of the state convention at all.

1960s

earlier 1960s

Terah Cowart-Smith was one of the teachers for an adult reading class, in early January, associated the a TV training program - hers held at the Glenwood Presbyterian Church. In earlier February Elah Cowart listed among the League of Women Voters at a conference in Chapel Hill. The first notice of 1960 to specifically mention the Faith came in late February with a small double mention - first that David Jurney was going to host a discussion group at 1006 Walker Ave, the Jurney’s own home. The second was that John Goodwin would hold a session on the Faith at 124 Oak Ct. Goodwin's series of weekly talks would continue into October. Meanwhile, in early March, it was noted Bahá'ís would meet at the Oak Ct location lead by Margaret Ellison. A week later a notice was posted of a combination meeting of Greensboro and Winston-Salem Bahá'ís at the Airport Restaurant. Mid-April there was an article on the marriage of Frank Kimball Kenney and Ingeborg Wirth (pictured, potentially the first Bahá'ís to personally appear in the Daily News) held at the home of Terah Cowart-Smith and Elah Cowart - the wedding was officiated by David Jurney. Between Goodwin's series at 124 Oak Ct, he gave one talk in later May at the Center. Opening June there was very brief mention that Vic Domone had joined the Bahá'í Faith. A profile and picture of David Jurney was published in early July as it was announced he was named a partner in an architectural firm. The article noted his academic and professional background but also that he was chair of the Assembly of Greensboro. Two months after the last scheduled meeting one was noted mid-July at 124 Oak Ct lead by John Goodwin. While Goodwin's meetings continued, in mid-September World Peace Day was observed with the film “The Answer is Now” from the UN and “A time for greatness” lead by Terah Cowart-Smith.

Advertising on the 4th page of The Future Outlook and the 8th of a page of the Daily News was bought by the Bahá'í National Assembly entitled “The Most Challenging Issue” in late September. Then Terah Cowart-Smith gave a talks on the UN for various groups and closed October with a letter to editor returning to the Most Challenging Issue. Where John Goodwin's series had come to an end in early October, F. Kimball Kinney picked up the service of weekly meetings that ran the rest of the year. Meanwhile Terah Cowart Smith next talked at meeting of a chapter of the Beta Sigma Phi sorority on the UN. There was one Bahá'í among the 2600 women students of Woman's College, (later the University of North Carolina at Guilford.) December came news that Kathryn Potter’s father had died.

January, 1961, starts with the next of that weekly regular meetings, still lead by Kimball Kinney, that continue mostly on that weekly basis all the way through December. A few days later in January articles profiled the wedding of David Jurney and Vedad Mansoori along with a picture of the Bahá'í Temple. The articles' profiles notes David spent 1956-9 in California, was a former Methodist, had met Vedad the previous summer. A week and days later another profile, this time of Kathryn Potter’s sister, Edith, (Mrs. John McLaren), was published highlighting her service pioneering in Honduras for some 2.5 yrs and returned to the States for the funeral of their father, Joseph Potter. The article notes Edith had been a Bahá'í for 22 years.

In early April there was notice that Kimball and Mrs. Kinney were graduating from mother and baby care classes. There was another profile later in April - this time of married David Jurney and Vedad with a picture of them. The article notes that Vedad was sister to Mrs. Walter V. Arnold of Roanoke who had married an American colonel stationed in Iran during WWII, and Vedad and her widower mother visited America in the summer of 1956. Since marrying, Vedad had taken up training to be a nurse. In Iran she had worked as a secretary/interpreter/translator for Americans in Iran and the British Council. The article also mentions Vedad’s family had accompanied Bahá’u’lláh on the banishment to Haifa and she herself was born there and the family moved bak to Iran amidst the tensions between Jews and Palestinians in 1938. Vedad was visiting in Durham when she heard of and met David and since the wedding she had been seeking citizenship even as the couple was taking French lessons anticipating a trip to France. The couple joined the local UN Association. A meal recipe was outlined in the article as well. News that a documentary on ham radio written by F. Kimball Kinney was set to be produced at WFMY-TV came out at the end of April. and the spring closed with mention that Elah Cowart was hospitalized in car accident amid bad weather affecting many.

In the Fall the Bahá'ís held a World Peace Day panel with Samuel Brodie,(African American over from Raleigh,) Linda Head, Margaret Davis and Kimball Kinney in later September. The Greensboro Mayor designated UN Day festivities a week later and Terah Cowart-Smith and Elah Cowart were on the general committee, and in a few days Terah gave a talk on the UN for the Guilford Count Home Economics Club. This was the last mention of Elah Cowart until her death in 1978 (see below.) A brief article ends October with note of the dedication of the Australian Bahá'í Temple. The year closed out with WFMY holiday greetings that included Kimball Kinney.

January, 1962, opens with the obit of Hand of the Cause Amelia E. Collins. Weekly meetings lead by Kinney continue through January into the summer. World Religion Day was also held with a panel in mid-January. The Bahá'ís of Greensboro next sponsored a series - second of which was at the home of F. Kimball Kinney with talk by Terah Cowart-Smith. That April Joseph Sawyer Jr was visible electing the Durham (city) Bahá'í Assembly along with Ludmila Van Sombeek and Kathryn Potter. though this was not mentioned in Greensboro.

In the Fall Ruth Moffett returned for talk in August. World Peace Day by Bahá'ís was held mid-September, with the article on page 1. In the third week of September an advert of most of a column presented quotes of scripture and notice of several talks by Winston Evans, (first in September and carried on nearly daily into October.) Finally at the end of November was notice of the upcoming statewide convention; about 50 Bahá'ís were expected for electing two delegates.

1963 opens with Bahá'ís holding a prayer service for Moroccan Bahá'ís, and noting Kinney was chair of assembly. A week later Matthew Bullock (pictured) gave a talk for World Religion Day in mid-January. The next mention approaches mid-March when Mrs. David (Vedad) Jurney talked at the YWCA for Bahá'í New Year. Another article noted it was during the year of the centenary of the Declaration of Bahá’u’lláh in the Garden of Ridván. The article notes the upcoming Bahá'í meeting in London (i.e. the first Bahá'í World Congress.) The article notes a possible kin of Kimball Kinney being editor of the Greensboro Daily Times giving a presentation at a Methodist church. F. Kimball Kinney was noted in a WFMY-TV report on a city planning "face-lift" of downtown Greensboro. Kimball Kinney was noted behind a script on downtown development that aired in March too. A profile with picture of several Bahá'ís about going to London for the "most great festival" followed in later April. The article names several Bahá'ís from Greensboro who were going - Mrs. Joseph J. Sawyer, David and Mrs. Jurney and 17 mth old son Nabil, Vedad’s brother and sister - Abe Mansoori and Mrs. Walter Arnold, Robert and Mrs. Berryhill, Terah Cowart-Smith, and Mrs. Robert Haith. The Jurney-Mansoori family expected to meet up with kin Badi and Mrs. Mansoor from Teheran and though they could not travel to Iran they were going take in some of Paris. In May Kimball Kinney was among a list of white men businessmen supporting integration in an advert. In May co-signers of anti-racism business included Kimball Kinney. The next event that made the newspaper was in late June when the Bahá'ís of Greensboro held a Race Amity Day as a regional gathering, with a Flonzo Camack talk, (and mentioning that Robert Berryhill was the treasurer.) Later in July there was notice of the betrothal and pending Bahá'í wedding for (pictured) Betty Thompson and Philip Renshaw Jr., The mid-August wedding took place at the home of Robert Berryhill, witnessed by Kimball Kinney and Frances Pearce. A picture of the wedding was printed as well.. Near two months later Terah Cowart-Smith gave a talk at UNCG for a meeting on UN Day of all the clubs involved with the previous year’s tours of the UN. Then the Birth of Bahá’u’lláh in November was observed. The shock of the shooting of Kennedy of course changes the climate.

The year closes with a few mentions. The Bahá'ís held state convention convened by Bill Tucker, (as chair.) Kimball Kinney was among those in news complaining of odors from a processing plant.

1964 is generally a low year of activity in terms of mention of the Faith in the newspapers. The next article mentioning the Faith comes in May, 1964, in a part of a story meeting the new nine-year plan sent out from the 55th national Bahá'í convention. Then it isn't until September for the next mention when The Future Outlook noted Bahá'ís holding World Peace Day with a talk by Thelma Allison at the YMCA. And then the penultimate mention occurs in December when there is an article noting the statewide convention with Bill Tucker, now hailing from Asheville, was the convener, followed a few days later by news that the Greensboro Baha’is and others would hold UN Day meeting showing the film “A Day in the Night of Jonathan Mole”. The movie is online at A Day in the Night of Jonathan Mole, by Donald Brittain, released in 1959. A movie from the same year out of South Africa is “Come Back, Africa”.

later 1960s

There is a modest rise in activity in 1965 start in January when Albert Porter and Bill Tucker gave a talk at the A&T campus meeting. A week later or so Al Radawy wrote letter to editor using “Baha’i” as a word for “friend” amidst nationalistic tensions. The Bahá'í observance in March for Naw Ruz followed with a talk by Fareydoun Jalali. Next came notice that the Bahá'ís were seeking to make their marriages legal standing. In particular Senator Ruffin Bailey of Wake County thought Bahá'ís were legitimate, supported by others, while Claude Hamrick “expressed fear the measure might establish a precedent by extending legal authority to splinter religious groups.” There is general (and sometimes misspelled) information on the Faith in the article. The law was passed and an AP article followed on May 1 of a broad profile of the religion in Haifa by Hal McClure. Bahá'í advert for Race Unity Day with contact Joseph H. Sawyer, Jr., followed in mid-June. The next notice was in mid-September that Bahá'í held World Peace Day with a talk by Terah Cowart-Smith at the YWCA. In November Kinney wrote a letter to editor about condition of racism and the South.

Bahá'ís held the World Religion Day in mid-January, 1966, with an article quoting Kinney. The panelists would be Charles Bullock Jr, Evander Gilmer Jr, Adrienne Gordan, and Charles George, moderated by Terah Cowart-Smith, and the panel was sponsored by the Bahá'í A&T College Club. A followup article was a profile of the religion following the World Religion Day event which included a panel at which five spoke, a choir, and noted the proceedings were recorded but only 12 people were in the audience. Chair of the Assembly was Fereydoun Jalali and “the most articulate spokesman” was Terah Cowart-Smith. A followup letter to editor co-written by Bahá'ís Charles George and Terah Cowart-Smith appeared in mid-March. The letter explained it was a weekend of bad weather including the canceling of other meetings, that they were pleased 40 people attended and wanted to offer a few corrections: “not a new religion but religion renewed”, the oneness of religious founders and paraphrased quotes about this, a statement that “The world has never been ready for God’s new messenger.”, and the struggle for peace in a history of war and called on the example of the disciplines of Jesus as the basis of the expansion of the religion around the world. A couple weeks later an interfaith forum would include Bahá'ís during religious emphasis week at A&T. In July Evander Gilmer Jr talked at the home of Georgia Haith, which was part of a series of Bahá'í meetings there. Two weeks later it was Freydoun Jalali’s turn to speak, and a month later there was advertising for the national broadcast of an episode of the CBS show "Lamp unto my feet” called “And His Name Shall Be One”. In mid-September William Maxwell gave a talk at Guilford College, followed by news of a “peace grove” being planed by Charles George and Terah Cowart-Smith, respectively chair and vice chair of the Assembly. A few days later Charles George noted the Bahá'ís hosting World Peace Day as part of a profile of the religion. Terah Cowart-Smith wrote a letter to the editor about peace, power thinking, partisan politics and the upcoming Bahá'í state convention.

Bahá'ís held the January, 1967, World Religion Day at Guilford College. In March a multi-college gathering of Bahá'ís was sponsored by the Bahá'í Club at A&T and among the speakers were Jane McCants and William Maxwell. It wasn’t until July that the next article mentioned Bahá'ís - that the upcoming Bahá'í summer school could reach 300 and was held at Camp Dorothy Walls in mid-late July. Charmion Gordon, Joseph Sawyer, Van Gilmer, Avvie Gordon, and Terah Cowart-Smith attended the Bahá'í summer school. Van Gilmer would go on to serve at the Bahá'í House of Worship in Wilmette. Kimball Kinney wrote a letter to the editor on "Churchianity" and the world's problems. Mrs. Berry Hanzel went to a Canadian Bahá'í School in early August. Kinney wrote a letter to the editor on what he felt was the root cause of social problems in lacking spirit like in early days of religion. A month plus later Robert Allen Berryhill, chair of the Assembly, was interviewed for the community holding World Peace Day at the Bluford LIbrary at A&T with a talk by Jean Norris, (later Scales.) A week later, eight Greensboro Bahá'ís were noted going off to attend the Centenary of the proclamation of the Faith in Chicago: Adrienne Gordon, Mrs. Berryhill, Charles Bullock, Van Gilmer Jr, Kimball Kinney, Terah Cowart-Smith, Robert Berryhill, Georgia Haith. That year’s Bahá'í state convention held at City Hall Club expecting 100.

A few days later there was a Bahá'í advertisement with a phone number headlined with "Words for the world” carried on almost daily into November. This was followed by a subsequent sequence with two phone numbers through the end of the year and on into February, 1968. Amidst that there was the brief mention of the Shrine of the Báb on Mt. Carmel. In January 1968 an AP article by George Cornell did a profile and interview of Hand of the Cause Tarazu'llah Samandari. World Religion Day observance was noted in latter January held in the A&T auditorium. The obituraries of Nettie J. Asberry from Kansas and Tacoma, WA, but of national reputation were noted in The Future Outlook, and of Andrew Pinkney Perdue in all three local papers reviewed came in mid-October. Perdue had married Sallie Hemphill in 1950. A Bahá'í advertisement for Bahá'u'lláh came in early November, 1968. There was a Bahá'í wedding of Evander Melvin Gilmer Jr and Charlayna Crawford in later December.

The obit of John (one source typoed to James) Goodwin was published in early March, 1969. Later in September Bahá'ís held World Peace Day with speaker Reuben Bushy; the article notes F. Kimball Kimmel was the chair of the assembly. That’s it so far identified mentions of the Faith in 1969.

See also

• Coverage of the Bahá’í Faith in Greensboro, NC, newspapers up to 1949
• Coverage of the Bahá’í Faith in Greensboro, NC, newspapers 1970 - 1989
• North Carolina in the Baha'i News
• Coverage of the Bahá'í Faith in Charlotte, North Carolina
• Bahá'í Period of Historical mentions
• Historical mentions of the Bábí/Bahá'í Faiths
• Coverage of the Baha'i Faith in the Old Gold and Black, Wake Forest University
• Category:Bahá'ís from North Carolina