Fred Schechter
Fred Schechter | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1927 |
| Died | January 27, 2017 California, U.S.A. |
| NSA member | Uruguay ???? - ???? |
| ABM | Americas 1974 - 1980 |
| Counsellor | Americas 1980 - 1993 |
| ITC member | 1993 - 1998 |
Fred Schechter (1927 - January 27, 2017) was a prominent Bahá'í who served the Faith as a pioneer, for which he was named a Knight of Bahá’u’lláh for French Somaliland, as a Counsellor for the Americas, and as a member of the International Teaching Center.
Background[edit]
Fred first heard of the Faith at the 1939 New York World's Fair where he received a pamphlet, although he did not take note of it until after becoming a Bahá'í. He was properly introduced to the religion through a comparative religion course in 1944, and in 1949 he attended a Bahá'í meeting after seeing an advertisement due to remembering the course. Lowell Johnson hosted the first meeting and gave him a copy of Gleanings. He attended Bahá'í meetings for nine months and became a Bahá'í. His family was Jewish but his mother was supportive of the decision and his father was indifferent.[1] In 1951 he completed an American Studies Degree and in 1952 he completed a Masters in Library Science.[2]
Fred pioneered to Africa at the opening of the Ten Year Crusade in 1953. He assisted with consolidation work in Nairobi, Kenya, from April 1953 until moving to Djibouti City, opening what was then French Somaliland to the Faith, on August 2, 1953.[3][4] His time there was brief as he could not obtain a visa extension,[5] and he pioneered to Ethiopia arriving on November 7, 1953.[6] In 1959 he pioneered from Africa to South America, and was in Uruguay by July that year.[7] In 1960 he married Julia Bulling, a pioneer from Chile, and they moved to Ecuador that year to support the establishment of the National Spiritual Assembly and their first child was born there. Later in the year they settled in Uruguay at the request of the Hands of the Cause and they served on the National Assembly.[8]
In 1965 economic circumstances resulted in the Schechter's returning to the United States.[9] In 1967 Fred delivered a talk at a World Peace Day observance in Ventura, California.[10] By 1974 he had been appointed an Auxiliary Board member, and that year he lectured at the Bosch Summer School.[11]
In 1980 he was appointed to the inaugural Continental Board for the Americas as a Counsellor by the Universal House of Justice for a five year term.[12] In January 1981 he attended a Tribute to the Hands of the Cause evening in Irvine, California.[13] In April 1982 he attended the Bahá'í National Convention of Mexico,[14] and in June 1983 he spoke at the Bahá'í International Youth Conference in Anchorage, Alaska.[15] In May 1984 he spoke at Louhelen Bahá'í School.[16] In July 1985 he took part in another Bahá'í International Youth Conference held at Ohio State University.[17] He was reappointed as Continental Counsellor in 1985.[18]
In August 1986 Schechter participated in the first Bahá'í International Peace Conference in San Francisco.[19] In 1988 he spoke at a Bahá'í International Youth Conference in Bloomington, Indiana.[20] In 1990 he was reappointed to a third term as Continental Counsellor.[21] In November 1990 he accompanied Hand of the Cause Dr. ‘Alí-Muhammad Varqá on a tour of southern California, introducing him to communities.[22]
In May 1993, two and a half years into his third term as Continental Counsellor, Schechter was appointed to the International Teaching Center for a five year term, moving to Haifa to serve in the position.[23] In 1996 he represented the Universal House of Justice at the Convention at which the National Spiritual Assembly of São Tomé and Príncipe was established.[24] He completed his five year term in 1998.[25]
Fred Schechter passed away in 2017 survived by his three children and predeceased by his wife Julia.
Talks[edit]
- 1985 - Parents and the Bahá’í Youth Movement, with Farzam Arbab and Hooper Dunbar.
- 1994 - Talk in Bulgaria
References[edit]
Notes[edit]
- ↑ Redman, E. The Knights of Bahá’u’lláh, George Ronald Press, London. pp 50
- ↑ Redman, E. The Knights of Bahá’u’lláh, George Ronald Press, London. pp 51
- ↑ Baha'i News (1953). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 271, Pg(s) 13. View as PDF.
- ↑ Baha'i News (1953). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 272, Pg(s) 2. View as PDF.
- ↑ Baha'i News (1954). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 281, Pg(s) 5. View as PDF.
- ↑ Baha'i News (1954). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 277, Pg(s) 5. View as PDF.
- ↑ Baha'i News (1959). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 344, Pg(s) 10. View as PDF.
- ↑ Redman, E. The Knights of Bahá’u’lláh, George Ronald Press, London. pp 57
- ↑ Redman, E. The Knights of Bahá’u’lláh, George Ronald Press, London. pp 57
- ↑ Baha'i News (1967). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 440, Pg(s) 19. View as PDF.
- ↑ Baha'i News (1974). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 518, Pg(s) 10. View as PDF.
- ↑ Baha'i News (February 1981). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 599, Pg(s) 3. View as PDF.
- ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1986). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 18 (1979-1983), Pg(s) 497. View as PDF.
- ↑ Baha'i News (1982). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 620, Pg(s) 16. View as PDF.
- ↑ Baha'i News (1983). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 630, Pg(s) 5. View as PDF.
- ↑ Baha'i News (1984). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 641, Pg(s) 8. View as PDF.
- ↑ Baha'i News (1985). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 653, Pg(s) 1. View as PDF.
- ↑ Baha'i News (December 1985). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 657, Pg(s) 1. View as PDF.
- ↑ Baha'i News (1986). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 667, Pg(s) 4. View as PDF.
- ↑ Baha'i News (1988). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 689, Pg(s) 2. View as PDF.
- ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1998). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 20 (1986-1992), Pg(s) 686. View as PDF.
- ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1998). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 20 (1986-1992), Pg(s) 666. View as PDF.
- ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1994). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 22 (1993-1994), Pg(s) 44. View as PDF.
- ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1998). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 25 (1996-1997), Pg(s) 45. View as PDF.
- ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (2000). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 27 (1998-1999), Pg(s) 52. View as PDF.
