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ALFRED E. OSBORNE SR.
1907—1992
lfred Elderfield Osborne St. was born
in St. John’s, Antigua, in the British West Indies, on May 23, 1907. He immigrated with his family to the Republic of Panama, where he lived until his departure to Chicago, Illinois, in 1923. Alfred attended Hyde Park High School there and went on to the University of Chicago, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy in 1931. By this time he had become a naturalized American citizen. He later returned to the United States to complete a master of arts degree at Columbia University in 1946.
In 1943 he married Ditta Barnett Shirley of Colén, Panama—a union that produced four Children, Alfred JL, Sheila, Miguel, and Melva.
Alfred was dedicated to education and to the opportunities it afforded his students to contribute to humanity. His establishment of the first Normal School in La
Alfim’ E. Oséarm’ Sr.
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IN MEMORIAM 1992~1997 9
Boca, Canal Zone (1932—34), was a tangible and long—lasting contribution to education, especially for people of color, and it marked the beginning of his distinguished career as teacher, principal, supervisor of instruction, and eventually assistant superintendent in charge of Latin American schools in the Canal Zone. On the occasion of his retirement in 1969, the governor of the Canal Zone presented him with a “Master Key to the Panama Canal Award,” citing him as educator emeritus.
According to his own account he first encountered the Bahá’í Faith in 1939. The American pioneer Mathew Koszab6 was in an audience attending a talk Alfred gave on immortality. The talk was from a humanistic point of View and challenged traditional religious concepts; Mr. Koszab approached Alfred afterward and asked if he really believed in what he had said. Alfred answered, “no” and explained that his remarks were intended to provoke thought. Alfred was later introduced to the Bahá’í pioneers Louise Caswell7 and Cora Oliver, whom he later credited as being his “spiritual mothers.n They had nurtured him through his acceptance of Baha’u’llah in 1941. He became the second Bahá’í in Panama—a fruit of the first Seven Year Plan of the Guardian.
Alfred served the Faith as teacher, speaker, promoter, administrator, and Counsellor. He traveled with Cora Oliver to the All—America Centennial Convention in Chicago in 1944, where he was a principal speaker. His experience was particularly moving since it was held in the Stevens Hotel, which had been segregated when he had worked there during his school
6 See “In Memoriam,” 777: Balm"! World, vol. IX. pp. 614—16.
7 See “In Memoriam," The Balm"! Wir/d, vol. XX. pp. 867—68.
years. Now he was on the dais, a principal speaker and guest, addressing an interracial audience. It was both a testimony to the Bahá’í principle of the unity of the human race and to the power of Baha’u’iléh to effect Change. He stayed in Wilmette after the conference to assist with the planning of the future expansion of the Faith in Latin America.
As a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Panama, he participated in the election of the first Universal House ofjustice in Haifa and attended the first World Congress in London in 1963. He was privileged to assist Mr. H. Borrah Kavelin8 in the pressing work of securing the site for the Panama Temple. In a first ofits kind, exchange of greetings by telephone among six intercontinental Bahá’í conferences held in 1967, he spoke on behalf of the Bahá’í’s gathered in Panama.
Alfred was appointed to the first Board of Counsellors in Central America in 1968, and he served as Trustee for the Continental Fund based in Panama. This period of his life was particularly fruitful as he was able to focus completely on service to the Faith following his retirement from the Canal Zone schools. He traveled often to remote parts of Central America and the Caribbean, encouraging the friends and assisting the pioneers. The Osborne home and generous hospitality were always available to the many pioneers and other distinguished Visitors who traveled to Panama to serve the Faith.
He maintained a warm relationship with the National Assembly of Panama. It called upon him often for his loving and wise counsel. Leota Lockman, a former secretary of the National Assembly, recalled
8 See “In Memoriam," The Bahá’í World, vol. XX, pp. 821—25.
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10 THE BAHA’I' WORLD
a meeting that had been planned with the new ambassador of Israel to Panama along with the Assembly chairman, Raquel de Constante, and Alfred. There was some doubt that the meeting would take place, since it happened to have been scheduled the morning after the assassination of Israeli athletes at the Olympic Games in Germany. Alfred decided that the Bahá’ís would be present so that the ambassador would find a welcome, should he decide to come. The ambassador arrived promptly, saying that he had spent a restless night and had canceled all his appointments for the week, except the meeting with the Bahá’ís. He knew the Bahá’ís were his friends and shared his grief. Alfred spoke for the Bahá’ís in a gentle voice and loving manner, expressing their sympathy to the ambassador and to all the people ofIsrael. The visit lasted about an hour after which the ambassador thanked them and said he had been comforted.
Alfred and Ditta moved to Irvine, California, in 1982, to be closer to their Children and grandchildren. Alfred continued to serve the Faith as his health allowed; he was a member of the Local Assembly of Irvine, a supporter of Interfaith Council activities, and an articulate speaker on the Bahá’í Faith. He continued to serve as an assistant to Auxiliary Board members Edward Diliberto and Miguel Osborne, his son. Alfred passed away at home August 14, 1992. He is warmly remembered as husband, father, grandfather, educator, friend, teacher, administrator, and Counsellor—as a person dedicated to the Faith, thoughtful, accomplished, and steadfast—a person with a warm sense of humor. On August 25 the Universal House ofjustice remembered him:
SADDENED LEARN PASSING OUTSTANDING RESOLUTE PROMOTER
FAITH GOD ALFRED OSBORNE. RECORD H15 DISTINGUISHED SERVICES. ESPECIALLY AS CONTINENTAL COUNSELLOR CENTRAL AMERICA, IMI’ERISHABLE. PRAYING FERVENTLY HOLY THRESHOLD ADVANCEMENT HIS NOBLE SOUL IN KINGDOM ON HIGH. KINDLY EXTEND OUR HEARTFEL’I‘ SYMPATHY AND CONDOLENCES MEMBERS HIS DISTINGUISHED FAMILY. ADVISING NATIONAL ASSEMBLY PANAMA ARRANGE BEFITTING MEMORIAL MEETING HIS MEMORY MOTHER TEMPLE LATIN AMERICA.
Miguel H. 05501716 wit/J contributors Ditt/z B. Oskarm', Com Oliver, and Leora Loc/emnm
