-Shoghi
December 24, 1951
In the history of the Baha'i Faith during the first half of
the twentieth century, Roy C. Wilhelm occupied an important place. The firmness
of his faith, the purity of his devotion, his self-sacrifice and his untiring
activity enabled him to make a unique contribution to the establishment of the
Faith in North America and indirectly, through his generous aid to Miss Martha
Root, and his distribution of Baha'i literature in many languages, to its
spread in other continents. Essentially humble, he carried heavy administrative
responsibilities with a winning charm which endeared him to a host of friends.
Roy Wilhelm was first and foremost a man of integrity who
applied the high Baha'i standards of conduct to himself before he applied them
to others. Born in Zanesville, Ohio, September 17, 1875, Roy Wilhelm and his
parents moved to West Englewood, New Jersey, and opened their import firm in
New York City, which he actively conducted until the last few years of his
life. It was on this property in West Englewood that 'Abdu'l-Baha in 1912,
during His North American visit, held a unity feast for the Baha'is of the New
York metropolitan area at which He announced that on that date the Faith of
Baha'u'llah was truly established in America. The site of that gathering will,
in the future, mark the only public Memorial which the American Baha'is are
permitted to construct in reverent observance of 'Abdu'l-Baha's visit from
April to December, 1912.
