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WILLIAM ANTHONY CARTER
1945—1995
llliam Andiony (Tony) Carter, called Antonio or don Antonito by most
of his friends and Tony by many others, was
¢ 1 l i:
\Vz‘lli/zm Anthony Carter
I97
born in Fort Worth, Texas, on June 5, 1945.
In his autobiography Tony said that he was a lonely child even though he had several brothers and sisters. (He was the seventh of eight children.) Using his father’s tools he made his own toys, and he liked to read. An important event of his childhood was his winning a drawing contest. When he was a young man, he used to dream about becoming an engineer and designing cars. He did well in school in almost all subjects. When his schooling was over, he worked at a store until he was recruited to go to Vietnam. He enlisted in the United States Air Force, where he trained in electronics.
Tony said that during his time in Vietnam he read a lot; he studied the Bible and discovered that he could write poetry. He returned From Vietnam, and according to his dear friend Nancy Dobbins, he rekindled his relationship to Catholicism with a confidence and a purity ofintention that enabled him to investigate the Bahá’í Faith, which was first mentioned to him by his brother-in—law. He soon accepted the truth of Bahá’u’lláh’s station, declaring his Faith on September 17, 1969, and engaging in the activities of the Fort Worth, Texas, Bahá’í community.
Nancy recalled that during his first months as a Bahá’í, Tony was especially active with the youth. He had a big cat in which he transported groups of young friends to different Bahá’í activities. He was very calm by nature and possessed a humble spirit. He was happy, always seeming to have a ready smile and a willingness to serve whenever he was needed.
In 1970 he attended his first summer school, and there he filled out an application to pioneer to a foreign country. He later admitted that he had not fully realized what he had applied for. He was surprised
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198 THE BAHA’I’ WORLD
when he received a letter from the National Pioneer Committee inviting him to go to Bolivia.
Tony went to Aiquile, a town located between the cities of Cochabamba and Sucre, where the majority of people are Quechua farmers. Unable to speak Spanish Tony tried to teach the Faith, struggling with the language aided only by a small dictionary. He could answer one question in Spanish. When asked, “Where are you from?” he would reply, “I am a world citizen.” Many who met him in Aiquile listened to him and shook their heads. “He does not understand the question,” they said.
Undaunted by his limited Spanish Tony traveled to nearby Mizque and later to the city of Sucre to give the Message of the Bahá’í Faith. He may not have had the language, but he had a happiness that attracted people and a kindness, courtesy, and generosity that won him friends who were willing to encourage him. His friends had patience and were willing to explain many things to him. An English teacher at the Aiquile school taught him Spanish, and little by little he acquired a facility.
In 1971 he moved to Cobija, a northern city bordering Brazil. He lived there for three years, teaching the Faith and helping to form Assemblies in Cobija and in neighboring towns. He made many friends and played on a basketball team that represented the city. Having acquired a working knowledge ofSpanish, he began to study Portuguese so as to teach the Faith and form Assemblies in Brasileam‘ and Rio Branco in Brazil.
On January 6, 1972, he married Noemi Delgadillo Ponce, a mathematics
'26 A settlement near the Brazil-Bolivian border, not to be confused with the capital city of Brasilia.
professor whom he had met in Aiquile. Their wedding ceremony was celebrated in Cochabamba, after which Tony and Noemi moved to Cobija where they lived until 1975. With the decline of his father’s health, Tony and Noemi moved to Forth Worth, Texas, to be with him. Within a few months his father died. What Tony wanted most was to return to Bolivia, and in 1978 the Carters settled in La Paz with Tony working as a technician for Burroughs Corporation, servicing bank computers in the major centers. He was active in the Bahá’í community life of La Paz and was elected to the Local Assembly several times.
Tony was a person of many interests. Steve Pulley, a fellow pioneer, lent him the book Drawing 0n the Right Side Oft/ae Brain. and Tony took up a serious study of art; his works were featured in a number of exhibitions in La Paz. He thought deeply about art and its relationship to the Faith and was particularly interested in how it was influenced by indigenous cultures. He wrote a book about his musings entitled Hakam Kim (unpublished).
He also had dramatic talents. He acted in a stage play, and shortly before his death he was a bit actor in the motion picture Cuestio'n defi (directed by Marcos Loayza). Mr. Pulley remembers:
When Tony was asked to participate in the movie Cuextio'n defi, the role offered him was that ofa priest. Tony was unsure but said he’d think it over, and then went home and told his wife about it. He said, “What do you think I should do? A Bahá’í pioneer playing a Catholic priest?” Noemi, who was a Catholic herself, smiled and said, “Well, Tony, you know your parents [also Catholics] always wanted you to become a priest, and here’s your opportunity to grant
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IN MEMORIAM 1992—1997 199
them their wish.” Tony laughed at the irony of it, and replied, “Okay, then. Maybe I’ll do it after all.” And he did.
On the morning of March I, 1995, while he was going to work at the Colegio Calvert (American Cooperative School), Tony died in a tragic automobile accident. The principal of the Colegio Calvert said, “During all those years that I have worked in this institution, I have never before met a person loved by all.” He then repeated, “a person loved by all, without exception."
An article in the “Bahá’í Gaceta” said of Tony, “He loved the Bahá’í Faith. He reflected love, in his eyes, in his smile, whenever he expressed himself on Bahá’í topics.” At the time of his passing, he was a member of the Local Assembly of La Paz and had been a pioneer for more than twenty years.
On March 2 the Universal House of Justice cabled the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Bolivia:
SADDENED NEWS DEATH DEVOTED LONGTIME PIONEER WILLIAM ANTHONY CARTER. HIS STEADFAST SACRIFICIAL SERVICES WARMLY RECALLED. ASSURE FERVENT PRAYERS HOLY SHRINES FOR PROGRESS HIS SOUL lN REALMS ON HIGH. KINDLY EXTEND LOVING CONDOLENCES TO HIS FAMILY AND MANY FRIENDS.
Adaptedfrom an article written in Spanisb by Noemi D. de Carter and supplemented by information provided by Steve Pulley
