Evelyn Huffman
Evelyn G. Huffman (January 3, 1911 – July 1, 1978)[1] was an Alaskan Baha’i who served as the first Secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of Alaska.
Life[edit]
Evelyn and her children, Jack and Mary Sue, moved to the small town of Talkeetna in Alaska in 1940 joining her husband Vernon, who was already living in Alaska and working for the Federal Aviation Administration. Evelyn became a radio operator during World War II so she could remain with Vern when the Government evacuated civilians from the area.
The Huffman’s moved to Anchorage after the war and Evelyn became a Baha’i there in February 1945. Vernon became a Baha’i in December and they were both elected to the Anchorage Recording District Local Spiritual Assembly when it was established in 1948. They served on the body until the 1960’s. Evelyn also served as an officer for the Anchorage Women’s Club from 1949 to 1950 and facilitated the enrolment of the group’s first black member.[2]
In 1957 Evelyn was elected as the Secretary of the first Alaskan National Convention, and was elected as the first Secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of Alaska which was established at the Convention. The Huffmans donated three acres of their homestead to the National Spiritual Assembly shortly after it was elected, and a Haziratu’l-Quds was built on the land. The rest of the property was donated to the Assembly when Evelyn passed away in 1978. A letter sent to the Alaskan Assembly by Ruhiyyih Khanum in 1957 expressed Shoghi Effendi’s appreciation of their donation:
“He deeply appreciates the gift Mrs. Huffman and her husband have made of the Temple site for Alaska. This fulfills one of Alaska’s important goals—only a few months after the birth of the new National Spiritual Assembly.”[3]
Evelyn first visited Haifa when she went on Pilgrimage in 1961.[4] She visited Rose Perkal in Locarno, Switzerland on the trip back to Alaska, and attended an event for the Baha'i community there.[5]
She returned Haifa to attend the election of the first Universal House of Justice in 1963 and cast a vote along with her fellow Alaskan Assembly Members. In 1964 the Universal House of Justice named Prince of Wales Island in Alaska as an area in need of pioneers and Evelyn and Vern decided to pioneer, arriving on the Island on September 18, 1965. They had to leave the island in 1967 due to Vernon’s failing health. A Local Spiritual Assembly for the area was established in 1970.[6]
Evelyn served at the World Centre in Israel from 1976 to 1977. She was a member of the Alaska Teaching Committee after returning.[7] She suffered a stroke and passed away in 1978 and was buried in Angelus Memorial Park in Anchorage.[8] The Universal House of Justice cabled the following after her passing:
GRIEVED LEARN PASSING DEVOTED SERVANT CAUSE EVELYN HUFFMAN STOP HER YEARS OF SERVICE AS MEMBER NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY ITS EARLIEST YEARS AND WITH HUSBAND AS PIONEER PRINCE OF WALES ISLAND AND DONOR KEY NATIONAL PROPERTIES WILL BE ALWAYS REMEMBERED AS MERITORIOUS CONTRIBUTIONS ANNALS FAITH ALASKA STOP CONVEY CONDOLENCES FAMILY ASSURANCE PRAYERS HOLY SHRINES PROGRESS HER SOUL ABHA KINGDOM STOP ADVISE HOLD MEMORIAL SERVICE.
References[edit]
- Baha’i World, Vol. 17, p 466-467
Notes[edit]
- ↑ http://www.locateancestors.com/evelyn-huffman/
- ↑ Baha’I News, No. 606, p 7
- ↑ High Endeavours, Messages to Alaska, p 40
- ↑ Baha’i News, No. 366, p 10
- ↑ Baha'i News (1961). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 366, Pg(s) 10. View as PDF.
- ↑ Baha’I News, No. 478, p 6
- ↑ Baha’I News, No. 560, p 13
- ↑ https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=29739771
