“… you must become distinguished for loving humanity . . . for heavenly illumination and acquiring the bestowals of God.” — `Abdul’l-Bahá

Dorothy Baker lived on this earthly plane from 1898 to 1954. An articulate writer and speaker, she was loved and known by many. Dorothy was an effective administrator, an extraordinary teacher, and a woman of deepened spirituality. She did not obtain these qualities easily; rather, she acquired these “bestowals of God” through suffering, self-reflection, and outward investigation.

‘I swear by the bounty of the Blessed Perfection’, wrote Dorothy Baker, ‘nothing will produce results save intense sincerity’,— and her own life bore witness to that principle.

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“The following minimal excepts describe her first acquaintance with `Abdu’l-Bahá in 1912, when she was a small child on the arm of her grandmother. This meeting would set the stage for the rest of her life:

“Inside there were groups of people around the room still talking quietly among themselves, but the attention of each heart was no doubt centered on `Abdu’l-Bahá. It could have done little to increase the reverent attitude of the assembled Baha’is even if they had known that during the following months of His American visit, the man about to address them would be sought after by leaders in every arena: J. Pierpont Morgan, Alexander Graham Bell and Theodore Roosevelt, to name a few …

The effect of Abdu’l-Bahá’s loving and radiant nature needed no proof beyond the transformed feelings of the heart that was near Him. A Christian clergyman who also met Abdu’l-Bahá in America later wrote, …one could not be in His Presence more than a few moments without realizing that His every act, tone, gesture, word was so imbued with wisdom, courage, and tranquil certitude, combined with such humble consideration of His interlocutor, that conclusive Truth was conveyed to every beholder and listener’

… Dorothy, without looking up from the floor, stepped around the people who had encircled Him. As`Abdu’l-Bahá continued to speak she sat on the stool near Him but kept her eyes on her own little black shoes.

… But instead of feeling transferred from fear of some immense unknown to the comfortable acceptance of life in the here and now, Dorothy’s fear changed to desperate longing, a longing that felt strange but familiar. She had know it before, but only in dreams. Now she felt again the same intense, overpowering urge for the harmony of united love …”

A glimpse of family life – The life of Dorothy Baker Biography

…Dorothy’s enthusiasms included aspects of her work at home. On the way home from National Convention in the spring of each year, Dorothy always stopped at roadside stands to buy whatever fruit the farmers brought to sell. Convention began just before strawberry time, so she usually arrived home with a crate of berries. Dorothy would gather the whole family to help with the jam making. She had a real interest in the whole process and infused the operations with the same sort of intensity she gave to other projects.

Rhubarb from the back yard, well sugared, was the base for the jam, or Dorothy used several cans of pineapple. Then the strawberries would go in, and as summer fruits ripened Dorothy added them to the big crock of jam in the cellar, making “heavenly hash,” as the Bakers called it. Later in the year, when Frank came home with a bushel or two of fresh peaches, the family gathered again as Dorothy organized the canning. A favorite dessert was “fried eggs,” two peach halves with the curved sides up and each surrounded by a circle of fresh whipped cream. She once commented that she needed these activities to keep a balance in her life. – From Copper to Gold The Life of Dorothy Baker Biography

An adoring husband

Frank adored the thriving home life Dorothy created, … he encouraged her to take on everything she wanted to do. With real appreciation Dorothy often told people of Frank’s advice to her: “We both love this Cause, and neither one of us wants you to give only your gray hairs to it.” Just as he encouraged her, Dorothy showed great gentleness toward her husband. When the double living room and the wide entry hall of their home were filled with people during the Sunday night meetings, Frank would settle himself on the comfortable blue couch in the very back of the room and would occasionally fall asleep as Dorothy spoke.

But her loving, indulgent smile removed all embarrassment. When a snore or sleepy snort made heads turn, she would laugh and suggest that if it annoyed anyone they should wake him, but otherwise let him sleep. – From Copper to Gold The Life of Dorothy Baker Biography

By Susan Peterson, member of the Highland Park Baha’i community | January, 2024

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