In Memoriam 1992-1997/Francis Gilbert

In Memoriam 1992-1997 Francis Gilbert

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FRANCIS GILBERT 1929–1996

The Universal House of Justice was saddened to learn... of the passing of Dr. Francis Gilbert, devoted servant of the Faith and long-time pioneer to the Turks and Caicos Islands. His radiant spirit and praiseworthy example will be warmly remembered and sorely missed. Be assured of the prayers of the House of Justice at the Sacred Threshold for the progress of his soul in the Abhá Kingdom, and that his wife, Evelyn, may be solaced through the divine grace of the Blessed Beauty.

Department of the Secretariat February 13, 1996

Francis "Frank" Gilbert was born on September 21, 1929, to Gerard and Diane Gilbert in Manchester, New Hampshire. The son of French-Canadian parents who migrated to the United States, Frank grew up speaking French with his sister Madeline and his brother Leo. Frank played football in high school and excelled in academics throughout his youth, enabling him to graduate high school with honors and enroll in the University of New Hampshire in Durham. He embarked on a theological degree, planning to be a priest, but later determined to pursue a career in medicine.

At his cousin's wedding in 1949 Frank became acquainted with one of the bridesmaids, Ms. Evelyn "Evie" Charpentier, and they were wed March 1951. Frank enrolled in the Boston University School of Medicine and obtained his MD in 1954, with a specialization in obstetrics and gynecology. Subsequently the Gilberts relocated to Portsmouth, Virginia, where Frank provided medical services as a lieutenant in the US Navy.

[Page 282]In 1960 the Gilberts moved to Waukesha, Wisconsin, where Frank joined a medical office and later established a private practice with his wife who was by then a registered nurse.

One afternoon in 1966 Frank went to the public library searching for a copy of Pope Leo XIII's encyclical entitled Rerum Novarum or Of New Things, but he happened instead on All Things Made New, an introduction to the Bahá’í Faith by John Ferraby. Frank read the book, actively sought out firesides, and declared his belief in Bahá’u’lláh on May 26, 1967. An avid student of comparative religion Frank wondered if he would ever become disenchanted with his new religion as he had with others, but the flame of his love for Bahá’u’lláh burned with increasing brilliance throughout the remaining three decades of his life.

The following year Evie became a Bahá’í, and the Local Spiritual Assembly of New Berlin, Wisconsin, was formed with Frank serving as chairman. From the time of his declaration until the family's departure six years later, he gave presentations on the Faith in local high school and university classes and helped introduce the Faith to prominent people including the mayor. The Gilberts converted their large garage into a multiuse space that served as an Assembly meeting room, the New Berlin Bahá’í School, and the Bahá’í reference library. Every Sunday the Gilberts hosted a children's class in the morning and a fireside in the evening. Their home was the center of regular socials for friends and seekers who often stayed late into the night. Nurtured in this unique environment each of the four Gilbert children declared their belief in Bahá’u’lláh upon reaching the age of maturity. The local community witnessed many new enrollments and an astonishing growth in activities.

After going on pilgrimage in 1979 the Gilberts returned to the United States determined to become long-term pioneers, but the opportunity did not arise until 1987 when they responded to an advertisement in The American Bahá’í calling for a doctor in the Turks and Caicos Islands. After visiting the Islands the Gilberts sold their home, gave away their belongings, and bequeathed their Bahá’í reference books. Upon arriving Frank became the first permanent doctor of the Providenciales Health-Medical Center, where he remained until 1991. In a social environment afflicted by racism, bribery, malnutrition, and disease, news spread quickly of Frank's medical expertise and his equal treatment of native and nonwhite patients; he became known as the "little people's doctor." A Turks and Caicos news article applauded the "kindness and humane approach which Dr. Gilbert has established with his patients... This no doubt stems from his religious convictions, as he sees all persons as being equal, whether black or white." Frank's reputation led to his appointment in 1989 to the Health Practitioners Board of the Ministry of Social Services, making him the Board's first nonnative member. In 1991 he accepted a position as a government doctor.

In 1988 Frank and Evie were elected to the newly formed Local Spiritual Assembly of Providenciales, with Frank serving as chairman and Evie as secretary. Frank sent a steady stream of substantive letters updating the US Bahá’í International Goals Committee on the progress of the Providenciales Bahá’í community. These letters have been compiled as "The Francis Gilbert Papers."175

175 The papers include his report "A Brief History of the Progress of the Bahá’í Faith on the Island of Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands, BWI from January, 1982, through November, 1989." [Page 283]The Gilberts' distinguished characters and their Bahá’í identities became widely known, prompting a curiosity about the Faith that they were happy to satisfy. Notwithstanding their grueling work schedules the Gilberts hosted firesides every Tuesday night, often using the ambulance to transport guests. They drew upon their command of Creole and French to reach out to the islands' native peoples and to the Haitian exiles. One evening, after Frank gave an inspired presentation, all fourteen of the Haitian guests declared their belief in Bahá’u’lláh. (One hundred and thirty-five people in the Turks and Caicos Islands enrolled in one year.)

In 1993 the New Era Medical Center (NEMC) was opened in Blue Hills, Providenciales, giving Frank and Evie their own private clinic. It was the realization of a vision shared by the Gilberts and an Iranian-American Bahá’í entrepreneur, Mr. Vahid David Hedayati. The NEMC sought to prevent disease and maintain wellness through good nutrition and positive lifestyle habits. The treatment offered there was complemented by Frank's program "Your Radio Doctor" that broadcast presentations addressing what he saw as the island's nine controllable health problems: hypertension, obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol, sexual promiscuity, drug and alcohol abuse, lack of exercise, and smoking.

Frank's greatest wishes were to minister to the needs of the people until the day of his death, "to die with his boots on," and be buried in the Islands. One evening toward the end of his life, he turned to his wife and asked, "Evie, you didn't have a dull life with me, did you?" to which she immediately replied, "Oh, heavens no, Frank!"

On February 1, 1996, he suffered a heart attack while seated at his desk facing a picture of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and died "with his work boots on." During the next twenty-four hours the Gilbert residence saw a constant stream of visitors including Turks and Caicos natives, Haitian exiles, government officials, and expatriates. The next day, after a dignified and poignant funeral service, Frank's body was buried at a gravesite close to the ocean.

During Frank's nine years of service in the Turks and Caicos Islands, the image of the Bahá’í Faith, previously tarnished by a backlash to earlier teaching efforts, was rehabilitated by loving and skillful teaching. In this sense Frank's success in Providenciales was surely a "providence" of its own for the Turks and Caicos Islands.

The assurance of the Universal House of Justice that "His radiant spirit and praiseworthy example will be warmly remembered and sorely missed" will prove as true for the people of Providenciales as for the friends and family of Dr. Frank Gilbert.