John Allen
John Allen | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | May 16, 1907 Auburn, California |
| Died | September 1, 1980 Stanford, California |
| NSA member | South & West Africa 1956 - 1967 Swaziland, Mozambique & Basutoland 1967 - 1976 Swaziland, Mozambique, & Angola 1976 - 1978 Swaziland 1978 - 1980 |
| ABM | Africa 1954 - 1964 |
| Spouse(s) | Valera Fisher |
| Children | Dwight, Dale, Kenton |
John William Allen (May 16, 1907 - September 1, 1980) was an American Bahá'í who was named a Knight of Bahá’u’lláh for pioneering to Swaziland. He served as an inaugural Auxiliary Board member for Africa, and served on the first National Spiritual Assembly of South and West Africa.
Biography[edit]
John was born in Auburn in 1907. He managed his families fruit orchard for some time as a teenager when his father was ill. He built an automobile from the frame up while in High School which he was able to sell, and he used the proceeds to attend the College of the Pacific, and he played for its football team.
John married Valera, a Bahá'í, in the 1930's, and when they moved to Sacramento he began engaging in Bahá'í teaching activities before officially declaring, as the local Bahá'ís assumed he already had. In 1945 he opened a car dealership. In 1947 he donated a Peirce Wire Recorder, which recorded audio, to the House of Worship.[1]
After WWII John assisted in registering the Bahá'í community as a charitable organization, allowing it access to government surplus, which was purchased to outfit Geyserville Bahá'í School, and he served on the Geyserville School Maintenance Committee from at least 1948.[2] As of 1952 he was Chairman of the National Teaching Committee,[3] and he also served on the National Youth Committee, and the Asian Teaching Committee while in America.
In 1954 John and his wife went on pilgrimage to the Holy Land, and he assisted Ugo Giachery in marking the location upon which the Arc was to be constructed while there. He and Valera pioneered to Africa in April 1954, and drove to Swaziland after arriving on the Continent, equipped with camping supplies that they fortunately did not have to use. He was named a Knight of Bahá’u’lláh for opening the country to the Faith, and appointed as an inaugural Auxiliary Board member for Africa the same year.[4]
John established the Faith in Swaziland converting many to the Faith, including members of the Swaziland Royal Family. In addition to teaching the Faith in the country John, with the help of two of his sons, established a Swazi Farmers' Pineapple Settlement Scheme, which facilitated Swazi farmers in purchasing and operating farms.
In 1956 a National Spiritual Assembly was established for South and West Africa, and John was elected to the body. In 1967 he was elected to the inaugural National Spiritual Assembly of Swaziland, Lesotho, and Mozambique.[5] In 1970 he spoke at the dedication of the Leroy Ioas Teaching Training Institute in Swaziland.[6] In 1971 he spoke at the Convention at which the National Spiritual Assembly of Lesotho was established.[7] In 1978 he was elected to the first independent National Spiritual Assembly of Swaziland and he served on the body until his passing.[8]
John passed away on a visit to the United States to celebrate his 50th Wedding Anniversary in 1980. The Universal House of Justice cabled the following after his passing:
HEARTS GRIEVED PASSING KNIGHT BAHAULLAH DISTINGUISHED PIONEER PROMOTER FAITH JOHN ALLEN. HIS RADIANCE PERSEVERANCE AUDACITY IN DEVOTED SERVICES FAITH IN NORTH AMERICA AND PARTICULARLY SOUTHERN AFRICA OVER SEVERAL DECADES SET SHINING EXAMPLE SERVANTS CAUSE GOD. ADVISE HOLD MEMORIAL GATHERINGS THROUGHOUT SWAZILAND BEFITTING HIS STATION. PRAYING SHRINES PROGRESS HIS NOBLE SOUL ABHA KINDOM.[9]
References[edit]
- ↑ Baha'i News (1947). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada. No 196, Pg(s) 8. View as PDF.
- ↑ Baha'i News (1948). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada. No 210, Pg(s) 6. View as PDF.
- ↑ Baha'i News (1952). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 256, Pg(s) 4. View as PDF.
- ↑ Baha'i News (1954). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 281, Pg(s) 1. View as PDF.
- ↑ Baha'i News (1981). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 598, Pg(s) 14. View as PDF.
- ↑ Baha'i News (1971). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 483, Pg(s) 11. View as PDF.
- ↑ Baha'i News (1971). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 486, Pg(s) 13. View as PDF.
- ↑ Baha'i News (1981). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 598, Pg(s) 14. View as PDF.
- ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1986). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 18 (1979-1983), Pg(s) 727. View as PDF.
Bibliography[edit]
- Obituary published in The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1986). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 18 (1979-1983), Pg(s) 725-727. View as PDF.
