Helen Hornby
Helen Hornby | |
|---|---|
 Helen Bassett Hornby | |
| Born | Helen Louise Bassett September 24, 1917 Geiger, Alabama |
| Died | October 17, 1992 Ann Arbor, Michigan |
| Spouse(s) | 3, including Charles Hornby |
| Children | 1 |
| Parent(s) | Alfred Bassett and Leila Denton |
Helen Louise Hornby born Bassett (September 24, 1917 - October 17, 1992)[1] was an American Bahá’í who pioneered to Colombia and Ecuador, and was well known for compiling the reference book Lights of Guidance.
Biography[edit]
Hornby was born Helen Louise Bassett in Geiger, Alabama, and was raised in a period of segregation. Her parents were Alfred Bassett, a mason, and Leila Denton, a professional caterer.[2] . Helen eventually worked as a secretary for the Social Security Administration in Chicago.
She first read about the Bahá’í Faith in an article in the Chicago Tribune, and was later introduced to it in more detail by an insurance salesman named Leo Schultz and she attended Bahá’í meetings at the home of Ellsworth Blackwell for eight years before declaring. In 1960 she discovered a collection of letters written by and on behalf of Shoghi Effendi in the Louhelen Bahá’í School library, and she also began to consult Helen Eggleston's personal collection.
Bassett later pioneered to Cartagena, Colombia, leaving studies at Roosevelt University in Chicago, and found work as an English teacher at the Colombian-American Language Center. After the Center closed she moved to Barranquilla where she worked as an English teacher and lived with fellow pioneers Lou and Betty Toomes. She married Charles Hornby in Barranquilla in early 1963,[3] and they attended the London World Congress in 1963 together.
In 1964 the Hornby's began working at a private bilingual school in Bucaramanga which Charles was appointed director of. In 1966 their contracts ended and they pioneered to the island of San Andres at the request of the National Assembly of Colombia, and also taught on the island of Providencia. After three months they departed to attend the U.S. National Convention in Wilmette, and they then went on pilgrimage and visited Iran before returning to San Andres.
The Hornby's moved to Quito, Ecuador, in 1969 at the request of the Hand of the Cause Jalal Khazeh after Charles was appointed an Auxiliary Board member.[3] Mas’ud Khamsi encouraged Bassett to share her compilation of letters by and on behalf of the Guardian, and it was distributed and a manuscript was sent to the World Centre, which recommended revisions, and it was then published by the Bahá’í Publishing Trust of India as Lights of Guidance. She was then invited to the World Centre to work on an expanded edition. In 1992 she began working on revising the work again.
She passed away in Ann Arbor while en route to the Holy Land on October 17, 1992, after complications due to surgery after a medical examination.[1] The Universal House of Justice sent the following message after her passing:
"Our hearts are grieved by the news of the passing of Helen Hornby, steadfast, stalwart upholder of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh. Her well nigh three decades of teaching and pioneering have left indelible traces in the Americas; her success in preparing an extensive compilation on Bahá’í subjects was a crowning achievement. We pray in the Holy Shrines that her noble soul may be richly rewarded in the Abhá Kingdom. Kindly extend our sympathy to her dear family."
Publications[edit]
- 1978 - Against My Grain[4]
- 1983 - Lights of Guidance
- 1984 - Heroes of God: A History of the Faith in Ecuador[5]
Notes[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Michigan Death Index, 1971-1996", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VZ12-PC9 : 10 August 2022), Helen L B Hornby, 1992.
- ↑ "United States, Social Security Numerical Identification Files (NUMIDENT), 1936-2007", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6K3T-2TB6 : 10 February 2023), Helen Louise Nealy (aka Helen Louise Bassett, Helen L Jacobs, Helen Hornby)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 https://www.bahai.us/9/community/news/2013/march-april/charles-hornby-served-in-south-america-assisted-with-lights-of-guidance/
- ↑ https://www.amazon.com/Against-my-grain-Helen-Hornby/dp/B000731TQO
- ↑ https://bahai-library.com/hornby_heroes_god
References[edit]
- "In Memoriam; Helen Bassett Hornby 1917-1992". Bahá'í World In Memoriam 1992-1997. Bahá'í World Centre. 2010. pp. 20–23.
External Links[edit]
- Helen Louise Bassett Hornby on WikiTree - family tree
