Donald Barrett
Donald Barrett | |
|---|---|
 Barrett in 1987. | |
| Born | October 1, 1927 Oakland, California |
| Died | August 2, 2001 |
| ABM | Americas 1977 - 1979 |
Donald Morgan Barrett (October 1, 1927 - August 2, 2001)[1] was an American Baháʼí who pioneered to several countries in South America, and served as Secretary-General of the Bahá’í International Community for nine years.[2] In his career he was a lawyer.
Biography[edit]
Barrett was born in Oakland, California, October 1 1927. In December 1949 he married Barbara Jewkes (March 30, 1927 - July 14, 2017)[3] and they had two children together.[4]
Barrett began studying law at the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1950 and that year he suggested that students form the UCLA Law Association in response to an existing professional fraternity informing students that no black or female students were allowed to join. It was during his time as an undergraduate student that he was introduced to the Baháʼí Faith and began to attend firesides in Westwood Village,[5] and he declared in 1951.[6]
After completing his studies Barrett pioneered to South America with his family arriving in Puerto Rico in January 1954[7] and pioneering again to Bogota, Colombia, in January 1955.[8] He also traveled to assist in Local and National Spiritual Assembly establishment in Costa Rica and Venezuela throughout the 1950s.[9] By the late 1960's Barrett had returned to the United States and he served on the U.S. Baháʼí Committee for the United Nations up until 1967.[10] In the 1970's he served the Faith in Ecuador,[11] but by 1977 he had returned to the U.S. and that year he was appointed an Auxiliary Board member for Propagation.[12][13]
In 1979 Barrett relocated to Haifa to serve as the Secretary-General of the Bahá’í International Community. His wife Barbara, fluent in three languages, (English, Spanish, and French), served as editor of the Bahá’í International News Service during their time in the Holy Land. They started learning/teaching each other Hebrew while on board the ship they took to move to Israel. In 1983 he held a press conference at the Shrine of the Báb.[14] In 1987 he negotiated for the Bahá’í World Centre to receive official status from the government of Israel, an achievement for which the Universal House of Justice commended him by name in a 1987 message to the Bahá’í world.[15]
After completing his service in the Holy Land in 1988[16] Barrett returned to the United States settling in Oklahoma where he began teaching English to Iranian Bahá’í immigrants at the University of Oklahoma. He also served on the Local Spiritual Assembly of Edmund in later life.[17] He is buried in Grace Lawn Cemetery.[18]
References[edit]
- ↑ http://www.locateancestors.com/donald-barrett/
- ↑ https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/columbia-mo/barbara-barrett-7491762
- ↑ https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/181968847/barbara-barrett
- ↑ Baháʼí World, Vol. 30, p 302
- ↑ https://www.cschs.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Legal-Hist-v.-11-Reminiscences-Nelson.pdf
- ↑ Baháʼí World, Vol. 30, p 302
- ↑ https://bahai.works/Baha%27i_News/Issue_277/Text#pg5
- ↑ https://bahai.works/Baha%27i_News/Issue_291/Text#pg7
- ↑ Baha'i World, Vol. 30, p 302
- ↑ https://bahai.works/U.S._Supplement/Issue_109/Text
- ↑ Baháʼí World, Vol. 30, p 302
- ↑ https://bahai.works/index.php?title=File:National_Bahai_Review_103.pdf&page=8
- ↑ Baháʼí World, Vol. 30, p 302
- ↑ https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14774033/bahai-donald-barrett-press-conference/
- ↑ https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/the-universal-house-of-justice/messages/19870430_001/1#795471540
- ↑ Redman, E. The Knights of Bahá’u’lláh, George Ronald Press, London. pp 68-69., p 334.
- ↑ Bahá’í World, Vol. 30, p 303
- ↑ https://billiongraves.com/grave/Donald-Morgan-Barrett/14768184?lang=af
