Trudy and the Baha’Is’ Spiritual Path in South Carolina

By Annette Reynolds

The 2010 Religion Census lists the Bahai faith as the second-largest religious tradition in South Carolina. So according to the census, South Carolina has a higher percentage of Baha'is than in any other state. (Christianity remains the largest religious tradition in every state.) To many, this will come as a surprise.

This true story gives a glimpse into South Carolina Bahai activities beginning in the mid-1960s. It is told by personal narratives, news stories, and archival research. This is the story of peaceful evolution toward building spiritual communities. Spiritual community building can happen in South Carolina, anywhere and everywhere in the world.

The story revolves around memories of Trudy, a selfless and devoted Bahai pioneer. Bahais in South Carolina and from around the world contributed stories of traveling with Trudy and sharing the Bahai Faith. Bahais from around the world were interested in and visited South Carolina throughout the storys time frame. The authors experiences as a native of South Carolina, as well as other South Carolinians, add local flavor.

What is the Bahai faith? Who are the Bahais? Who is Bahaullah? In her later years, Trudy suffered from Alzheimers. However, there were two things Trudy never forgot: her granddaughters green eyes and that Bahaullah is who he says he is.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Oct 7, 2015
• ISBN: 9781514413630

Annette Reynolds

Annette Reynolds is a South Carolinian by birth and by choice. She has visited forty states (so far), several countries, and finds there is no place like home. She is an educator by training and a writer by inclination after retiring from her thirty-year career. She declared her faith in 1971 and continues to work on being a Baha’i. While on a Baha’i pilgrimage in Haifa, Israel, in 1975, she sought guidance. One question she prayed about was, should she leave South Carolina and pioneer to an American Indian reservation? After speaking with international leaders of the Baha’i faith serving in the Holy Land, it was clear she would remain in South Carolina.

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Copyright © 2015 by Annette Reynolds.

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CONTENTS

Appreciations

Introduction

1 THE CAUSE

2 SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH (1924)

3 LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA (The ’50s and ’60s)

4 SOUTH CAROLINA, USA (The ’60s and ’70s)

19 Declarations in 36 Hours

The Dillon Project

Operation Gabriel

5 THE ’70s CONTINUED

Operation Outreach

Operation GRASSROOTS (1977)

6 THE ’80s

Project Tabarsi

7 THE ’90s

8 Y2K+

The Five Year Plan: 2001–2006

The Five Year Plan: 2006–2011

The Five Year Plan: 2006–2011

9 THE FUTURE

The Journey and Confirmations

Appendix 1

Appendix 2 Contributors

Appendix 3

Appendix 4 The Buffalo Soldiers

Appendix 5

Sources

To all the Baha’i pioneers and travel teachers who came to South Carolina, with a special thank-you to all who decided to make South Carolina their home. Deepest appreciation to the native South Carolinians, named and unnamed, who embraced and served the faith. Thank you one and all!

APPRECIATIONS

T RUDY TRANSITIONED TO God’s Kingdom on May 18, 2009. In August of that year, I became very ill and prayed for better days for several years. Used to a high-energy life despite managing diabetes and hypertension, I suddenly had little to no energy. About all I could do was read. And write. I decided to write about Trudy by collecting memories from others to combine with my own. Slowly a story emerged, and not just about Trudy. So I realized Trudy would have wanted the story to include everyone it possibly could—universal participation.

Special thanks to Trudy’s family members—Dorothy Ellis, ZaKiya Bell-Rogers, Fred and Phillip White—for all their help and encouragement; Lewis Walker of the U.S. National Baha’i Archives for answering many questions and confirming facts; Camille Collins for technical assistance, reading the first attempts, giving insights, encouragement, and reading it again when it had grown larger; Laurie C. J. Cohen for making a map of Trudy’s travels (front cover and Appendix 5), teaching me to work with photographs on my computer, and for the encouragement; Ernie Hilton for copying a cassette to CD, radio programming, and for general encouragement; Jonathan Graham for providing technical assistance for radio programs; to the Spiritual Assembly Baha’is of Charleston, Carey Murphy, Phillip White, Sandy Sigmon, Jean Scales, Shida Mali, Audrey Mike Parker, Nina Uccello and Jacqueline Yasin for photographs; Beatryce Shaw for suggesting publication release forms; Frances Worthington for information on writing and encouragement to collect pictures; Louis Venters for historical information; Nancy Thomas for technical assistance and encouragement; Ray Collins, Cynthia Sneed, Elise Hind, and Beverly Odom for reading the manuscript and offering suggestions and making the book much better; FloWriters group for critiquing the introduction; Anne Breneman for such enthusiastic support and encouragement; Geoff Wilson and Cindy Groetzinger of the Office of Legal Affairs for researching references copyrighted by the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States; and Xlibris Publishing.

Though family members did not help with the writing, their support was invaluable, especially my son Tyronne and my dear late husband, Dallas Charles II, who cared for me during my recovery from gallbladder, cataract, dental and lung surgeries. (These and less serious health challenges all happened between 2009 and 2012).

I felt Trudy’s presence with me every step of the way, and for that I am so very thankful. I read as often as possible: at home, in line at the grocery store, waiting at the doctor’s office, etc. As I write, I am still surprised when I come across information pertinent to what I am writing, as if guided. Many thanks go out to all contributors. A list of these friends appears in appendix 2. This account could not have been written without their personal stories. None of the contributors used their titles, so I added titles, occupations, and localities to show the diversity of the contributors. Having had the bounty of spending much time with Trudy in her later years, I am one of these contributors. I will be your narrator, storyteller, fellow traveler, and encourager. Trudy taught by example as we accompanied her on home visits. She accompanied us as she encouraged us to arise and find our own spiritual paths of service. This story continues, and it is my hope it encourages everyone to find their own spiritual paths of service.

For Trudy, ever the humble servant, it was never about her. It was about this: The real secret of universal participation lies in the Master’s oft-expressed wish that the friends should love each other, constantly encourage each other, work together, be as one soul in one body, and in doing so become a true organic, healthy body animated and illumined by the spirit.¹

I feel privileged and humbled to be allowed to share this story.

INTRODUCTION

Peace.

A QUOTE FROM THE Baha’i writings says: The earth is but one country and mankind its citizens. ² Down through the ages, many have searched for peace; seers and poets for countless generations have expressed their vision of peace. From age to age, the sacred scriptures of mankind have constantly held the promise of peace. Peace is a common foundation of all religions. For the first time in history, it is now possible for everyone to view the entire planet, with all its myriad of diversified peoples, in one perspective. Revolution is often if not always violent. Hostilities and conflict lie at the root of affliction and calamity. World wars did not lead to peace; however, peace is more than just an end to war. Let’s consider a new perspective: World peace is not only possible but inevitable.

Baha’is in South Carolina like Baha’is around the world, are building spiritual communities side by side with others to create peaceful communities. This is a long term learning process that is the challenge of all of humanity—building one world requires the whole community. The rapid expansion of the Baha’i community in South Carolina in the ’60s and the ’70s brought into sharp focus the need for systematic action. The learnings from those decades in many communities around the world enabled the Baha’i community to move toward a more systematic approach. This is the story of decades of learning by experimentation, characterized by enthusiasm and hesitation, thoughtful planning and haphazard action, achievements, and setbacks. These sustainable approaches to community building continue to develop and bear fruit. South Carolina can be used as one example of how peace can evolve around the world, one community at a time.

There is a lot of talk these days about one world. Is it true or is it just talk? If we really wanted one world, wouldn’t we make it happen? If we don’t really want one world, how many worlds would we want? And how do we want them divided—by race, by religion, by shades of skin color, or by income? Do we want one world for rich people and another for poor people? How about one for black and one for white? Let’s be realistic: We live on one world—on Earth—and we all breathe the same air. We are warmed by the same sun, and we were all created by the operation of one will.

Wars, the threatened collapse of the international economic order, and the spread of anarchy and terrorism have caused many to oppose this view, to lose faith in humanity. Many people have succumbed to the view that such behavior is intrinsic to human nature and, therefore, ineradicable. Others, including Baha’is, take a different view: There is a paradigm shift toward love, peace, and unity taking place in the universe.

This is the peaceful evolution not being reported in the media. Evolution can be defined as a process of gradual and peaceful social, political, and economic advancement and/or a process of continuous change to a better state.

Like-minded people around the world are working to foster the spirit of love, unity and fellowship; improving communication and understanding between all people; uniting hearts, transforming lives. Developing a global civilization which is both materially and spiritually prosperous is a millennia-long process of social evolution. Its purpose is to foster true prosperity, with its spiritual and material dimensions, among the diverse inhabitants of the planet. For Baha’is and others, the mode of operation has become one of learning in action. When efforts are carried out in a learning mode—characterized by constant action, reflection, consultation, and study—visions and strategies are re-examined time and again. As tasks are accomplished, obstacles removed, resources multiplied, and lessons learned, modifications are made in goals and methods.

The goal of Baha’i activities is to promote the well-being of people from all walks of life, whatever their beliefs or background is. How do we expect to get there? We take one step at a time, one community at a time, by taking first steps, by taking action. We can all work toward peace on earth by recognizing that the common origin and unity of purpose of all world religions is peace. We can celebrate the contributions of religious, cultural, and ethnic groups toward peace. We can work together for peace wherever we are and from whatever background we choose.

The central theme of Bahá’u’lláh’s message is that humanity is one single race and that the day has come for humanity’s unification into one global society. Below are some tenets of the Bahá’í faith that can help create peaceful solutions and peaceful communities.

• the oneness of humanity

• the common origin and unity of purpose of all world religions

• the harmony of science and religion

• equality of women and men

• the elimination of all forms of prejudice

• a spiritual solution to economic problems

• the establishment of a world commonwealth of nations

Peace.

1

THE CAUSE

Blessed is the spot, where mention of God hath been made, and His praise glorified.

—Baha’i prayer by Baha’u’llah³

Dedication of the Louis G. Gregory⁴ Baha’i Institute

On October 22, 1972, over 800 Baha’is and friends attended the dedication of the history-making Institute which has been brought into being by the Bahai’s of the United States for the specific purpose of training teachers, primarily in the Southern states, for the mighty Cause of God.

Driving through tiny, sleepy villages on that special Sunday morning, absorbed by a green and peaceful countryside, suddenly one discovered a clearing in the wood lands. Elegant yet simple buildings appeared, and welcoming walks and driveways beckoned. To visit the Louis G. Gregory Baha’i Institute - located at Hemingway, South Carolina, which has already proved the spiritual capacity of its rural folk - is to find one- self transported to an idyllic setting. On the special day of dedication of that Institute, when the power of the Faith of Baha’u’llah was evidenced by the magnificent diversity of the friends who had gathered, the sparkle of a warm and sunny day filled one with hope and with thanksgiving, and its atmosphere of peace brought the future breathtakingly close.

The Baha’is, on this precious day, gave evidence of their labor to erect the Kingdom of God on Earth; they were engaged in the task of breathing life into a unified body, of creating the true unity and spirituality which is destined to culminate in the Most Great Peace. It must be God has willed this place to be built! (Baha’i News, Dec. 1972, p. 8).

The facilities of the Louis G. Gregory Baha’i Institute, estimated to have capacity for about 100 students, are a modest group of buildings surrounded by a neat lawn on a rural road. A recent upsurge of conversions across the South, and particularly in South Carolina, prompted the National Spiritual Assembly to establish this center of Baha’i study (The American Baha’i, Nov. 1972, p. 1).

Many thousands have recently accepted the Baha’i Faith in the Southern states, particularly in South Carolina, and the new institute will train teachers capable of dealing with those complicated developments. (The American Baha’i, April 1973, p. 11).

W HAT DID THIS momentous occasion and true story have to do with Estella Gertrude Ellis, a seamstress from Utah? Christianity remains the largest religious tradition in every state of the United States according to the 2010 U.S. religion census. The same study lists the Baha’i Faith as the second largest religious tradition in South Carolina. How did this happen? How did the Deep South Project, Operation Conquest, the Dillon Project, Operation Gabriel, Operation Outreach, Operation Grassroots, and Project Tabarsi affect South Carolina? How do we walk the spiritual path of service to humankind? Our journey begins with brief stops in Salt Lake City, Utah, and Los Angeles, California.

2

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH (1924)

Intone, O my servant, the verses of God … that the sweetness of thy melody may kindle thine own soul, and attract the hearts of all men. Whoso reciteth … the verses revealed by God, the scattering angels of the Almighty shall scatter abroad the fragrance of the words uttered by his mouth, and shall cause the heart of every righteous man to throb. Though he may, at first, remain unaware of its effect.

—Baha’i prayer

Below is a short family tree of Estella Gertrude Trudy Ellis:

A S STATED BY Trudy’s son Fred White, Trudy’s grandparents came to Utah from two different directions, and very strangely. Trudy’s maternal grandparents came by way of West Virginia and Wisconsin. Her grandmother was African America and her grandfather was White (Elias Stevens). They met in West Virginia and moved to Utah (no one knows why). They could not marry in either state. Elias initially passed as African American. After two children—Gertrude and Isabel—he left, presumably to go back to the white world. Trudy’s grandmother, Margaret, would later marry Phillip Johnson, and Trudy would name her youngest son after him. Trudy’s mother, Isabel, always considered Phillip Johnson her father since he was the one who raised her.

Trudy’s paternal family was a military family. Her grandfather, Merriman Howard Ellis, was a Buffalo Soldier who was transferred to Salt Lake City from Fort Wingate, New Mexico. Buffalo Soldier is the nickname given to the "Negro Cavalry" by the Native American tribes they fought. Many reasons may have caused this, but whatever the reason, the term Buffalo Soldier was used respectfully and with honor. The term eventually became synonymous with all of the African American regiments formed in 1866.

Merriman married Medora Jackson of Fayette, Mississippi, and they had ten children. Many of the African Americans who came into the Great Salt Lake valley were slaves who settled in the Holladay-Cottonwood area. They were part of a group known in Latter-day Saints (Mormons) history as the Mississippi Saints. (Medora was not related to this group but had friends who were.) Medora’s family still owns land in Mississippi, and part of the property is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Initially the white population of Salt Lake was very hostile toward the black troops. However, the department of the army had rewarded them for outstanding service by sending them to Fort Douglas. It was one of the better military posts in the West. Over time, the total population saw the black troops behaving better than the white troops because of racial pride and self-preservation (see appendix 4).

The African Americans were overjoyed when the soldiers arrived. It meant they would have a better social and cultural life. Fortunately, social and cultural life impacts both black and white communities. The Twenty-fourth Infantry brought an outstanding band with them. Band performances and concerts at the fort were attended by all citizens. This outstanding band may have also contributed to Trudy meeting her future husband.

Trudy was born Estella Gertrude Ellis on December 19, 1924, in Salt Lake City,

Utah. One of her friends said the name Gertrude/Trudy means valiant, honorable, warrior.⁵ She was the fourth child born to Delaney James Ellis and Isabel Gladys (nee Stevens) Ellis. Two months premature and weighing only two pounds, Trudy began life with a struggle for survival. Nina Uccello from Mount Pleasant shares, Trudy shared this story with me back in the 1970s. Trudy said the hospital in Utah would not allow black premature babies to be cared for in the hospital with the white babies, so she could not stay at the hospital. Her mother had to take her home and place her in a shoe box and keep her warm artificially. Miraculously, she lived, with the loving care and prayers of her dear mother!

Fred adds, It is true that she was premature and weighed about two pounds. Her mother used boiling water in Mason jars to make an incubator to keep her warm. Grandma never mentioned race when she was sent home; in 1924, babies Mom’s size did not survive. The shoe box was really intended to be a coffin. It was the sheer refusal of Grandma to lose another child, and of course God’s will, that kept Mom alive.

This foreshadowed a life of determined commitment and service to the Baha’i Faith.

Trudy’s father Delaney worked for the Post Office as a mail carrier. Family lore has it that Trudy’s father saw ’Abdu’l-Baha⁶ near the Mormon Temple as he, Delaney, was working as a mail carrier. According to the U.S. National Baha’i Archives, ‘Abdu’l-Baha arrived in Salt Lake City on Saturday, September 28, 1912, and stayed at the Kenyon Hotel. There happened to be an agricultural convention going on, and on Sunday; he bought seeds to be sown on Mount Carmel. The book Mahmud’s Diary includes statements of his as quoted by a newspaper reporter but does not indicate that he gave any public talks. He left on Monday, September 30, 1912. Delaney remembered him wearing the turban and long robes and followed him down the street. Delaney did not know who he was until Isabel became a Baha’i and he, Delaney, saw a picture of Him. While Delaney never declared his faith, at the end of his life, he told Isabel that he recognized the faith as the only acceptable religion.

The Ellis family first heard about the Baha’i Faith at their AME church, when a nice white lady spoke about it. In accord with the U.S. National Baha’i Archives, a September 1940 edition of Baha’i News reported that Ruth Moffett gave fifty-seven public talks between February 18 and March 28 in Salt Lake City. This could have been the nice white lady who spoke at the church.

Family members agree that Marguerite Sears was the first person to directly tell the family about the Faith. In her autobiography, Marguerite Sears writes that she and her husband, William Sears, later appointed Hand of the Cause of God (see appendix 1, #5) moved to Salt Lake City in late 1938 or 1939. They stayed until December 5, 1941. Isabel Ellis declared her faith in Baha’u’llah in November of 1943.

image001.jpg

Isabel Ellis in her later years.

Trudy attended public schools in Salt Lake City. What was it like for African American families living in Salt Lake City? Trudy often said it was hard being black and in the minority in Salt Lake City when she was coming up. She would on occasion relate that if Baha’u’llah could change her enough to make her serve the Faith after her experiences growing up, He could change anyone.

It is not surprising that some black pioneers settled in Utah during the pioneer era. I was surprised to learn that African slaves were bought and sold in Utah. And white Southerners who were members of the LDS church brought their slaves with them. In the 1850s, this meant the majority of African Americans in Utah were slaves.

African Americans across the United States, including in Utah, had raised expectations for freedom because of the Civil War. As a child, I thought African Americans in the Deep South were the only ones affected by racism. I was wrong. As the black population increased, African Americans in Utah were subjected to racially based discriminatory practices just like we were. There was at least one difference: they were a numerical minority residing in the midst of a majority, while we were a numerical majority. In both areas of the country, there were whites who believed in the notions of white superiority and black inferiority. Many of the same injustices applied in both places: routine denial of access to public facilities and interracial marriage being illegal. The white population—both the Latter-day Saints and the non-Mormon—supported these beliefs just like the Southern states.

Nevertheless, the small black community had numbers sufficient to establish its own churches, political organizations, newspapers, and social and fraternal groups. Both Trinity African Methodist Episcopal Church and Calvary Missionary Baptist Church have continued to maintain their historical roles in addressing the secular as well as the spiritual needs of the states’ black communities. Employment opportunities for blacks were generally limited. This influenced the decision of many blacks to relocate outside of the state, including Trudy and her family. Access to housing was limited by restrictive covenants. If they were permitted to enter privately owned venues, blacks had to sit in the balcony section of theaters. Or stand outside of the ballrooms where black entertainers were performing.

A significant number of African Americans migrated from the South to the West in search of peace and better opportunities in the 1920s. Some of my relatives settled in California, and some other people may have selected Utah as their new place of residence. They would have found employment on the railroads or at government arms manufacturing shops and defense installations. Some could have found employment at the local hotels and the American Smelting and Refining Company. After World War II, African Americans across the nation, including Utah, began to focus their attention on issues of racial injustice on both the community and the national levels. An NAACP branch was established in Ogden, Utah, in 1943. The Salt Lake City NAACP branch was reinvigorated, and both branches actively supported the quest for civil rights.

The Baha’i community was made aware of this challenge at least as early as 1939 by Shoghi Effendi:

As to racial prejudice, the corrosion of which, for well-nigh a century, has bitten into the fiber, and attacked the whole social structure of American society, it should be regarded as constituting the most vital and challenging issue confronting the Baha’i community at the present stage of its evolution. (The Advent of Divine Justice, p. 33).

Trudy could be clumsy but loved to dance. She met Frederick LuShon White, of Muskegon Heights, Michigan, at a USO dance. He was working as a porter on the railroad at the time. On August 8, 1946, Trudy and Freddy were married in her parents’ home on East Fourth Street, Salt Lake City. Her son Fred shares, Mom always said she did not know what happened since she always liked tall brown-skinned men, and Dad was neither. To put it mildly, Mom hated Salt Lake City. She said if she never went there again, it would be too soon. Betsy had already moved.

Soon after the marriage, she and Freddy joined her older sister Betsy in Los Angeles, California. At that time, California was still the land of opportunity and hope.

3

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA (The ’50s and ’60s)

O God, refresh and gladden my spirit. Purify my heart. Illumine my powers. I lay all my affairs in Thy hand. Thou art my Guide and my Refuge …

—A Baha’i Prayer

I N CALIFORNIA, FREDDY began working for the post office. Trudy was a talented seamstress, who made and altered clothes for different clients, her daughters, other family members, and friends. She also did piecework for a large clothing manufacturer at home. Her four children were born in Los Angeles: Frederick LuShon White Jr. (August 12, 1952), Annette Trudy White (September 4, 1953), Nancy Susan White (April 3, 1955)—all born at the Japanese American Hospital in East Los Angeles—and Phillip Jamal White (March 12, 1964), born at the Kaiser Permanente Hospital, Hollywood.

Phillip was her surprise baby. Her granddaughter ZaKiya remembers the family saying Trudy walked around the house for weeks in denial, saying, I can’t be pregnant. Her mother, Isabel, told her, This is your baby, your pumpkin. Nancy was displaced as the baby of the family when she was nine years old and became a middle child. Though Nancy was a self-described daddy’s girl, her daddy was not always nice to her. According to Annette’s daughter, ZaKiya, her grandfather would overreact with punishment when Nancy got into trouble. ZaKiya relates, I understood our grandfather had a very rough childhood and could be a tough man at times. Nancy adored him even though there were some very rough times.

After Phillip was born, Trudy became a real estate broker and sold homes to some of the first African Americans to move into Inglewood, California. Her youngest sister, Dorothy, moved to Los Angeles; and after her father retired, her parents relocated there too.

What was Los Angeles like when Trudy lived there?

Los Angeles grew as a result of World War II, producing aircraft, war supplies, and ammunitions. It was a financial and industrial giant by the 1950s, assembling cars, stitching clothes, making tires and furniture. There were also the better-known motion pictures, radio programs, and television shows. Financing of tract houses by the Federal Housing Administration created a construction boom. Los Angeles spread out with the building of freeways in the 1940s and as the local street car system went out of business. Then the automobile took precedence, along with all the problems this dependence produced. Cars, along with the bus system, contributed to the severe air pollution that the city would become famous for.

At the turn of the century, Los Angeles was the land of opportunity for African Americans. The city had the highest percentage of black home ownership in the nation. W. E. B. DuBois was quoted as saying LA was a wonderful place where blacks were less subjected to racial discrimination. Los Angeles is a major U.S. city founded by settlers of predominantly African descent. However, by the 1920s, they were mostly confined to the South Central corridor and Watts by restrictive covenants that enforced segregation. Other areas of the city received far more services. Black homeownership declined though the population continued to increase as many left the South for better opportunities. By the 1960s, South LA had the largest black community in the city.

Illumine, O Lord, the faces of thy servants, that they may behold Thee, and cleanse their hearts that they may turn unto the court of Thy heavenly favors, and recognize Him Who is the Manifestation of Thy Self and the Day-Spring of Thine Essence. Verily, Thou are the Lord of all worlds. There is no God but Thee, the Unconstrained, the All-Subduing.

—Baha’i Prayer by ’Abdu’l-Baha

Trudy declared her faith in Baha’u’llah on April 1, 1948. Her sister Betsy declared the same year. Betsy was a delegate to the national convention from S. California in 1962 and 1963 and was on the California Goals Committee 1966 to 1967.

Her son Phillip remembers Trudy saying she was a youth in the Los Angeles Baha’i community with Wilma and Caswell Ellis. Mom always said that Mrs. Ellis (Adrienne, Wilma, and Caswell’s mother) could cook up a storm. Trudy’s cooking was a little different. Phillip exclaims, Mom was the worst cook ever! Oftentimes I would go eat at friends’ to avoid her cooking. Here is a great example of her culinary skills. She took eggs, threw in some beets, green beans, and carrots, and mixed it all together and ate it. Of course she offered us some … but everyone was totally grossed out.

When asked about Trudy’s culinary skills, her son Fred adds, "Mom was known for her unusual creativity in cooking and meal preparation. Her best-known preparations, such as overcooked liver and green peas; hot dogs sliced lengthwise with cheese and pickles in the slice; and broiled, scrambled eggs and hot dogs; and fried smelt (a family of small fish that did not command a high price on the market). The best canned cook, Minute Rice, powdered potatoes, mac and Ground Round. Cantaloupe and ice milk (couldn’t afford ice cream), this was only in the summer when we were growing up and fruit was still seasonal. It was one of the healthiest meals."

Her early years in Los Angeles would lead her to become an active participant in the Baha’i community, a commitment that would shape the next six decades of her life. Her study of the Baha’i writings led her to the path of more frequent and significant levels of service to the Cause.

Trudy joined the Baha’i Faith during the Second Seven Year Plan.

The First Seven Year Plan (1937–1944) was developed by Shoghi Effendi⁷ for the North American Baha’is. After the successful completion of the First Seven Year Plan, Shoghi Effendi launched the Second Seven Year Plan (1946–1953), again assigned to the North American believers. The objectives of this plan were as follows: consolidation of the work throughout the Americas; the completion of the interior ornamentation of the House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois⁸; the election of three national spiritual assemblies in Canada, Central and South America; and a systematic teaching campaign in Europe aimed at establishing spiritual assemblies in the Iberian Peninsula, the Low Countries, Scandinavia, and Italy. The British, in conjunction with the United States, Egypt, and Iran, were called upon to undertake a two-year Africa campaign (1951–53).

The Baha’i Faith is the youngest of the world’s independent religions. Its founder, Bahá’u’lláh (1817–1892), is regarded by Bahá’ís