Edris Rice-Wray

Edris Rice-Wray
Born	January 21, 1904 Newark, New Jersey, USA
Died	February 19, 1990 Puebla, Mexico
NSA member	Central America 1958 - 1961 Mexico 1961 - 1967

Dr. Edris Rawshan Rice-Wray (January 21, 1904 - February 19, 1990) was an American Bahá’í who pioneered to Central and South America where she assisted with the establishment and consolidation of Bahá’í communities and served as a National Spiritual Assembly member. In her professional career she was a notable medical physician assisting with the development of public health in Puerto Rico and Mexico.

Biography

Rice-Wray was born in Newark, new Jersey, in 1904 to parents Theron Canfield and Mabel Rice-Wray. She had two younger brothers, Landon Carter who was born in 1905 but passed in 1906, and Colston who was born in 1906, later married Sheila Nelson, and passed in 1977. Her mother became a Bahá’í in the 1890's and while her father never joined the religion he had a high degree of respect for ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.

In 1909 the Rice-Wray family moved to Los Angeles, California, where Mabel befriended Kathryn Frankland who assisted her in beginning to host firesides and study classes in her home and in 1912 Mabel took Colston and Edris to meet ‘Abdu’l-Bahá when He visited Los Angeles. Both children sat on ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's knee and He later granted Edris the name Rawshan and Colston the name Ruhi. In 1914 the family moved to Detroit, Michigan, where Mabel, Edris, and Colston often spent time at the Green Acre Bahá’í School. In 1919 Rice-Wray's parents divorced and in October, 1920, her mother remarried to Howard Colby Ives.

Rice-Wray pursued higher education graduating from Vassar College and enrolling in Cornell University Medical College in 1927. She later transferred to Northwestern University Medical College and graduated with a medical degree in 1932. During her time studying she married Robert Carson, in March 1929, and they went on to have two daughters although they later divorced. She was also an active Bahá’í during her studies being appointed to the first National Youth Committee for the United States and Canada in 1931.

Rice-Wray settled in Wilmette, Illinois, where she completed a medical residency and became an intern, and also became an active member of the Bahá’í community often delivering talks at the Bahá’í House of Worship. She also hosted travelling Bahá’ís in her home, with Dorothy Baker often staying with her when visiting Wilmette for National Spiritual Assembly meetings in the late 1930's, and funded travel teaching trips made by her mother and step-father. She also encouraged Ives to record his memories of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá leading to him writing the book Portals to Freedom in 1937.

In 1948 Rice-Wray pioneered to Puerto Rico with her daughters and secured work with the Health Department of Puerto Rico eventually becoming its Director of Field Training. She returned to the United States after receiving a scholarship to study Public Health at the University of Michigan and completed a Master's Degree in 1950and collaborated with Dr. Gregory Pincus on field testing of Enovid, the first endocrine contraceptive agent for women, in 1956.

In 1957 Rice-Wray moved to Mexico City after accepting a position with the World Health Organization. She founded the first national Family Planning Association for Mexico, a Maternal Health Association, and a Foundation for Population Studies after establishing herself in Mexico and also published a scientific papers ultimately being awarded the Sesquicentennial Award for Knowledge, Wisdom and the Courage to Serve by the University of Michigan in 1967. In addition to her service to Mexico's health system Rice-Wray also served the Bahá’í community serving on the National Spiritual Assembly of Central America and then the National Spiritual Assembly of Mexico when it was established in 1961.

In 1973 Rice-Wray retired from the World Health Organization and became a professor of population studies at the University of the Americas in Puebla. She remained active in women's organizations attending and speaking at many conferences and events such as the First Asian Bahá’í Women’s Conference held in India in 1978. She passed away in Puebla in 1990 and the Universal House of Justice conveyed the following message after her passing :

SADDENED NEWS PASSING DEDICATED VETERAN PIONEER TIRELESS DISTINGUISHED PROMOTER CAUSE GOD DR. EDRIS RICE-WRAY. HER LONG RECORD UNFORGETTABLE SERVICES BOTH TEACHING AND ADMINISTRATIVE FIELDS ESPECIALLY MEXICO HOLDS PROMISE BOUNTIFUL REWARD. OUTSTANDING SCIENTIFIC SERVICES MANKIND ALSO RECALLED. FERVENTLY SUPPLICATING SACRED THRESHOLD PROGRESS HER RADIANT SOUL WORLDS BEYOND. KINDLY CONVEY HEARTFELT SYMPATHY HER RELATIVES AND FRIENDS.