Bahá’í World/Volume 18/Hermione Vera Keens-Douglas Edwards
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HERMIONE VERA
KEENS-DOUGLAS EDWARDS 1908—1981
Vera was born on 26 December 1908 in Grenville, St. Andrew’s, Grenada. In 1957, accompanied by her aunt, Millicent Douglas, she took an excursion cruise to Africa and arrived in Monrovia, Liberia, in December of that year. Her aunt had known J ulius Edwards prior to his moving in 1953 from Jamaica to Africa where he settled first in Ghana and then in Liberia. For his services in opening to the Faith the Nonhem Teniton'es Protectorate
Hermione Vera Keens-Douglas Edwards
THE Bahá’í WORLD
he was named by Shoghi Effendi a Knight of Bahá’u’lláh. Vera and her aunt began attending Mr. Edwards’s public meetings in Monrovia and both accepted the Bahá’í Faith in the spring of 1958. They and Mr. Edwards were elected to serve on the first Local Spiritual Assembly of Monrovia at Riḍván 1958.
Throughout the Ten Year Crusade Vera was a very active teacher of the Faith. She, her aunt and Julius Edwards formed a teaching team and travelled to villages throughout Liberia. Vera Keens-Douglas and Julius Edwards were married in November 1960. Vera became a naturalized Liberian and always considered herself a Liberian Bahá’í.
At Riḍván 1964 the Hand of the Cause John Robarts appointed Vera a member of the Auxiliary Board. That year she represented the Hands of the Cause at the first National Convention of Liberia. She was the representative of the Continental Board of Counsellors for Africa at several National ConventionsLibera, Ghana and Gambia—and also at several important conferences in those countries as well as the Ivory Coast.
For many years, and before the present-day emphasis on the sfiiritual education of children, Vera single-handedly organized and taught children’s classes. From 1964 until 1979 she composed monthly Feast Letters for distribution among the believers in Gambia. Senegal, Sierra Leone, Liberia. Ivory Coast, Upper Volta, Ghana, Nigeria and Mali. She attended the first Youth Conference of Ivory Coast in 1967 andaddressed the West African Bahá’í Women’s Conference held at the University of Liberia in December 1978.
Julius and Vera Edwards left Liberia on 20 December 1979 and arrived in Grenada on 28 February 1980. She continued to be an active teacher of the Faith until her death on 19 November 1981. She bequeathed a small plot of land at Grenville, St. Andrew’s, to the Bahá’í community of Grenada for an endowment.
In a written tribute to Vera Edwards, Mrs.
Nura Master stated: “She was a lady of grace,
understanding and strong character whose
dignity and manner quickly attracted those
who came into contact with her. Through her
trips, her very inspiring Feast Letters and
through personal correspondence and contacts
she tried tirelessly to attain and demonstrate
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the standards set by the Universal House of
Justice for those who are honoured to discharge this sacred duty . . . Her dissatisfaction
always came from what had not been done in
complete conformity with the Divine teachings.’
Vera was a kind, patient, gentle person who
was deeply involved in teaching the Faith on
the local level during the time she spent in
Grenada; she was much loved by her Bahá’í
and other associates. Informed of her passing,
the Universal House of Justice on 1 December
1981 cabled:
PASSING AT NEW POST GRENADA DEVOTED
BELIEVER HERMIONE VERA EDWARDS BEFI'ITING
CULMINATION HER LONG DEDICATED PIONEER[NG SERVICES. OFFERING FERVENT SUPPLICATIONS HOLY THRESHOLD PROGRESS HER SOUL
WORLDS GOD.
