Marion Hofman
Marion Hofman | |
|---|---|
 Hofman speaking at Dublin International Conference, 1982. | |
| Born | Marion Holley May 17, 1910 Visalia, California, USA |
| Died | December 5, 1995 (aged 85) London, United Kingdom |
| NSA member | British Isles 1946 - 1963 |
| ABM | Europe 1954 - 1963 |
| Spouse(s) | David Hofman m. 1945 |
| Children | Mark, May |
Marion Hofman (May 17, 1910 - December 5, 1995) was an American Bahá’í who assisted with the administrative development of the Bahá’í community of Great Britain serving as a National Spiritual Assembly and Auxiliary Board member, served as the manager of the Bahá’í publisher George Ronald, and served in the Holy Land for several years.
Biography[edit]
Hofman was born Marion Holley in Visalia, California, in 1910.[1] Her parents were Harry and Grace Holley and they both became Bahá’ís through Isabella D. Brittingham in her childhood and she became an active member of the Bahá’í community herself.[2]
Hofman enrolled in Stanford University in 1926 and studied social sciences and while she was an active Bahá’í she considered herself an agnostic while attending university. She was a member of the Northern California Athletic Club and in 1928 she was selected in the United States Olympics team as a high jumper and went to the Netherlands where she came ninth in high jump.[3]
Hofman was elected to the Local Spiritual Assembly of Visalia but despite serving on the Assembly she did not consider herself a Bahá’í until travel teachers Martha Root and Keith Ransom-Kehler visited her family and she formally declared as a Bahá’í in 1932 and represented the Faith at the World Council of Youth the same year. In 1934 she met May Maxwell, learning more about the Faith from her, and through Maxwell she met David Hofman who was a British Bahá’í.[2]
Hofman remained in correspondence with David and he eventually proposed to her inviting her to move to England and they were married in December 1945 and pioneered to Northampton, England.[4] She was elected to the National Spiritual Assembly of the British Isles and appointed to the National Teaching Committee after arriving in England serving on the Assembly until 1963 and the Committee until 1950. She was also appointed as an inaugural Auxiliary Board member for Europe when the Institution was established in 1954.[1]
In 1948 the Hofman's pioneered to Birmingham and they later pioneered to Oxford. During the Ten Year Crusade which took place between 1953 and 1963 they pioneered to Cardiff, Wales, and Watford, England, to establish Bahá’í communities.[4] In 1963 David was elected to the Universal House of Justice and they moved to the Holy Land so he could serve in the role. His responsibilities rendered him unable to continue to manage the publisher George Ronald and Hofman succeeded him as the publishers manager coordinating it from the Holy Land.[1]
In 1988 David retired from the Universal House of Justice and the Hofman's returned to England settling in Steeple Aston and they were both elected to the Local Spiritual Assembly. They later moved to Oxford.[4]
Hofman passed away in London in 1995. The Universal House of Justice conveyed the following message after her passing:
PROFOUNDLY LAMENT LOSS DEARLY LOVED, HIGHLY ADMIRED, STALWARTH AND MAIDEN BAHA’U’LLAH MARION HOFMAN NOW GATHERED GLORY ABHA KINGDOM. COMMUNITY MOST GREAT NAME ROBBED OF ONE ITS TIRELESS PROMOTERS WHOSE ACCOMPLISHMENTS WERE PRAISED BELOVED GUARDIAN. HER SERVICE NATIONAL TEACHING COMMITTEE UNITED STATES DURING FIRST SEVEN YEAR PLAN, NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY BRITISH ISLES, FIRST AUXILIARY BOARD EUROPE, AND AT WORLD CENTRE FAITH LOVINGLY REMEMBERED. HER PROMOTION TEACHING PIONEERING PLANS THROUGHOUT BRITISH COMMUNITY, HER NOTABLE CON- TRIBUTION ENRICHMENT BAHA’I LITERATURE, HER INDOMITABLE FAITH, UNSWERVING DEVOTION COVENANT, COUPLED WITH HER LOVING NATURE, UNFLAGGING ZEAL AND RADIANT SPIRIT, GREATLY AIDED ADV ANCEMENT CAUSE GOD. CONFIDENT HER DISTINGUISHED LABOURS EXTENDING OVER PERIOD SIX DECADES BRITISH ISLES, UNITED STATES WILL INSPIRE PRESENT FUTURE GENERATIONS BAHA’IS EMULATE SHINING EXAMPLE HER LIFE.[2]
Talks[edit]
- 1982 - Bahiyyih Khanum, The Greatest Holy Leaf Part 1
- 1982 - Bahiyyih Khanum, The Greatest Holy Leaf Part 2
- 1982 - The Seven Year Plan (1979 - 1986)
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1997). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 24 (1995-1996), Pg(s) 314. View as PDF.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 https://bahaichronicles.org/marion-holley-hofman/
- ↑ https://olympics.com/en/athletes/marion-holley
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 https://news.bahai.org/story/209/
