New  Photo Gallery Includes Stories, Video Clips and More

St. John: Pioneers,Quote re: Pioneers and Pioneering, Travel Teachers,Quote re: travel teachers, and Events:  1968-1978

PIONEERS TO ST. JOHN

Compiled by Patricia Paccassi as of 1988; revised 1991; November 1994, March 2010, July 2011

CODE:

PIO:=Pioneer 

TT :=travel teacher from outside national area;

TTP:=travel teacher and pioneer from within the national area:

TTL:=West Indian travel teacher;

HND:=Hand of the Cause of God;

CBC:=member of the Continental Board of Counsellors;

ABM:=Auxiliary Board Member;

NSA:=member of a national spiritual assembly.

Data enclosed in parenthesis [   ] is my data source:  see source page for details SOURCES

******************************************************************************

PIO: 1968: May or June: Ron Lucero, from USA, via St. Croix.   [NL/21.h]

Ron Lucero

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
PIO: 1972: January to August 1972: Donald Croft, USA. [AF/01.a]

PIO: 1975 August to mid-1980's: Sandra Egerer,  USA [LVI/PIO-rep] _________________________________________________________________________

PIO: 1976: April to present (2016): Alan, Magda Smith & Derik Smith (left in 1993) [24/M19] [LVI/PIO-rep][PF/25-0.5]

PIO: 1976: July to Antigua (see 1980) Late 1976 to 2010, then to Puerto Rico: Anthony Scimeca 

May have left and returned in 1982 with wife,  Idola.  [1977 LVI/pio-rep]

_________________________________________________________________________
PIO: 1977: November, approximately a year. Cessie Sarah Norton. with son Parker  USA [AF/01.a]

_______________________________________________________________

PIO: 1978: September. until ?? Rick and Muffie Lawrence from USA  [AF/24.b]

________________________________________________________________

PIO: 1979: October 10. Letter to Bruce DeVel Curry from International Goals Committee asking if he wanted to be considered a pioneer.  He, his wife and son did come and stayed approximately a year.[24/M11955]

________________________________________________________________
PIO: 1982: April: Anthony & Idola Scimeca to Cruz Bay, USA   [LVI/pio-rep]

PIO: 1982 Violet Clark: She was also called on from time to time to support Bahá’í activity in the  U.S. Virgin Islands and make presentations at Bahá’í summer schools. In  1982 she shifted her home base to the island of St. John, traveling to  numerous islands in service to the Faith while continuing to visit  Belize.

*****************************************************************

TRAVEL TEACHERS:

TTP: 1968: July: Naomi Washington, St. Thomas.[NL/21.h] _________________________________________________________________

TT : 1975: November/December 1 week, Ray & Edna Fechtner, USA [PF/25-0.5] _________________________________________________________________

TT : 1976: February 8-13, Candy Simons, USA [PF/25-0.5]

TT : 1976: March, several days, Mable Garis, USA [PF/25-0.5]

TT : 1976: March 22/April 2, 1 day, Elizabeth Thomas, USA [PF/25-0.5]

TT : 1976: April 10/17, several days, Anthony Scimeca USA [PF/25-0.5] __________________________________________________________________

TT : 1977: June 2 weeks, Robert Malouf, USA [PF/25-0.5]

TTs: 1977: June 1 day, Puerto Rican Team [PF/25-0.5]

TTs: 1977: August, several days, Victor & Betty DeAraujo Bahá’í International Community [PF/25-0.5]

TTP: 1977: October/November several days, Shamsi Sedaghat, Trinidad [PF/25-0.5] _____________________________________________________________________________________

TT : 1978: February, 11 days; Debbie & Phil Christensen, Can.[PF/25-0.11]

TT : 1978: July, several days, Pauline Oungst, USA [PF/25-0.5]

ST. JOHN  EVENTS

Compiled by Patricia Paccassi as of 1988; revised 1991; November 1994, March 2010, July 2011

NOTE: The US Virgin Islands are linked administratively, but events and travel teachers are listed separately for each island.

NOTE: listed below are the NSA's who were responsible for the Virgin Islands and the dates the responsibility was assigned:

NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY RESPONSIBLE FOR ST. JOHN

1953 South America/North America;

1957 Greater Antilles;

*1962 Dominican Republic;

1964 United States;

1967 Leeward, Windward & Virgin Islands;

1972 Leeward & Virgin Islands;

1981 Virgin Islands.

*=First time listed specifically instead of being included as part of a larger grouping; i.e. "Leeward Islands"

#=Virgin Islands was included in "Leeward Islands" grouping by   Shoghi Effendi and stayed there until the date (unsure of this date).

Key: LSA = Local Spiritual Assembly

NSA = National Spiritual Assembly

1968: July; First enrollment reported by new pioneer, Ron Lucero, but no name given in newsletter. Naomi Washington joins the two for week end deepening and teaching.[NL/21.h] ___________________________________________________________________________________
1967:  Youth and jr. youth children’s class members, Lynn Paccassi, David  Morris, Tony Harmer, Hilary Morris, Jim Couch, Charles Couch, with teacher Pat Paccassi have first  youth teaching campaign, hold nicely attended public meeting with youth  panel, good responses  [PRC]

_________________________________________________________________________________________

1974: circa: Dr David (House of Justice member) and Margaret Rhue visit accompanied by Randazzo sisters.

______________________________________________________________________________

1976: April. Alan Smith obtains job as public defender [AF/24.b]

1976: September. 5 pioneers, good activities, expect LSA formation by next Ridván [AF/24.b]

_______________________________________________________________________________
1978: April. first LSA elected 

      L to R: Steven Bunting, Tony Scimeca, Sandra Egerer, Joanne Poch, Alan Smith, Magda Smith, Brian Ramsdale, Penny Ramsdale, and Cessie Sara Norton [AF/24.]

1978: April. Magda Guennewig-Smith appointed first ABMA for St. John by Shirley Mather [AF/24.b]

1978: December. Public meeting held [where???] [AF/24.b]

NOTE: see St. Thomas for explanation of cutoff date.....pp

 New  Photo Gallery Includes Stories, Video Clips and More

NOTE: My goal was to trace the growth and development of the Faith in the  islands from their beginnings, as far as I could find, up to the formation of each ones own National Assembly.  As 1981 was the formation of the first NSA of the Virgin Islands, this is  the cutoff date for this research document, the following years will be  done by others.

This document is neither exhaustive nor definitive, we learn as we go, but  what I have, and/or discover, will be chanaged or added as necessary.

Hopefully, I can put this material into a form which, through the medium of oral  history, will breath the life into the bare facts and statistics.  I feel that it is our stories and impressions and feelings that help to  convey the enormous process that is taking place in the Bahá’í World  during this period of development. I am only sorry that it was not done  earlier, we have lost so many stories already.

I truly appreciate all the help given to me in this research and can only hope it is helpful to others.  PP...November. 1994

Published with permission of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the Virgin Islands 

Date:  20 May 2012 

Postal Address:  PO Box 302488,  St. Thomas, VI 00802 USA

Location Address:  129 Estate Contant, St. Thomas, U. S. Virgin Islands 

Email Address:  nsa.bahaivi@yahoo.com

[HOME] [INTRODUCTION] [MAP] [ISLANDS] [ANTIGUA & BARBUDA] [BARBADOS] [BRITISH V.I.] [DOMINICA] [GRENADA] [GRENADINES] [GUADELOUPE AND MARIE GALANT] [MARTINIQUE] [MONTSERRAT] [ST. CROIX] [ST. EUSTATIUS] [ST. JOHN] [ST. KITTS & NEVIS] [ST. LUCIA] [ST. MARTIN, ANGUILLA, SABA, ST. BARTS] [ST. THOMAS] [ST. VINCENT] [Alphabetical List of Pioneers and Travel Teachers] [Articles]