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Lynda Carver interviewed by Alfreda Hinn, May 19, 1980.
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- speakerGood morning I'm Lynda Carver,
- speakerresponding to a
- speakerrequest by Mrs Alfreda Hinn
- speakerfor an interview for some of the records of
- speakerthe Presbyterian Historical
- speakersociety. I was born in
- speakerone nine hundred three in May and have just now celebrated my
- speakerseventy seventh birthday.
- speakerI was born in Baltimore
- speakerMaryland. And then when I was
- speakernine we moved to Alexandria Virginia where I completed elementary school and high
- speakerschool. My first year in college I went to Randolph Macon
- speakerWomen's College in Lynchburg, Virginia, and then
- speakertransferred to George Washington
- speakerUniversity where I
- speakerreceived a bachelor's degree in history in education in
- speakernineteen twenty four and continued on in summer school receiving an
- speakerM.A. degree in nineteen thirty-seven in
- speakereducation. My first years of teaching were in the high school that I
- speakerhad attended in Alexandria. Then I had an opportunity
- speakerto get into private school
- speakerwork. And my first position was at the Shippen School for girls
- speakerin Lancaster
- speakerPennsylvania. Then I moved to the Abingdon
- speakerFriends
- speakerSchool in Jenkintown
- speakerPennsylvania. Because of an accident to my
- speakermother. And with the feeling that perhaps I would have to assume
- speakerresponsibility for our family home which was now in Washington
- speakerD.C. I transferred to Silver Spring, Maryland
- speakerand secured a position in Montgomery Hill Junior High School, which was
- speakerjust opening at that
- speakertime. And, I was there as a teacher of social studies.
- speakerAfter a few years the principal resigned and I was given the opportunity to become
- speakerprincipal of the
- speakerschool. This was during the war
- speakeryears. And, it was not an easy time to work
- speakerwith junior high schoolers in the war years.
- speakerSomehow at this time in my life I seemed to be searching for
- speakersomething, although I had a great many
- speakerblessings. I had a good position with
- speakerthe idea of a salary raise in the county very soon.
- speakerI had a car. I was living at home when
- speakerI had an active church life. But I don't think I realized what I was
- speakerlooking for.
- speakerThen, much to my surprise, this opening
- speakercame through a series of circumstances to go to Baghdad,
- speakerIraq to be principal of the girls mission school there under the
- speakerthen Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions.
- speakerThis seemed like an impossible undertaking. My father was
- speakerhospitalized and I was helping at home.
- speakerBut my mother was a woman of great
- speakerfaith. And she said, "Well. We'll just leave it in God's hands, and if this is intended.
- speakerIf it is intended that you should go to Baghdad, the way will open
- speakerup." And it did. There didn't seem to be any obstacle as
- speakerwe tried to work things out for my going to
- speakerBaghdad. So in August of nineteen forty-six, I sailed on the
- speakerold Volcania,
- speakersupposedly for Beirut.
- speakerI was attended or I went along with thirteen Persian
- speakermissionaries returning after the war years.
- speakerWe had to land in Haifa.
- speakerAnd then we drove to Damascus and took the old Nairn
- speakerbus across the
- speakerdesert. Anyone who has had that experience, you know what I'm talking about
- speakerwhen I talk about the Nairn bus
- speakertrip. When I first went to Baghdad,
- speakerI was to do language study for two years but this turned out to be only eighteen months
- speakeras one of the American teachers left it and before the end of the year. And,
- speakerI was forced to go into the school to replace her.
- speakerIn the early years of the school, we were quite crowded. We were. We were in a
- speakerrented building that had been the Egyptian embassy in Baghdad. We had very little playground
- speakerspace, but it was a very happy time. And, we had really many
- speakerhappy times
- speakertogether. In those early days we tried to develop more of
- speakerthe traditions of the
- speakerschool. We adopted school colors blue and
- speakerwhite. We chose a motto for the school, "You can,
- speakerif you think you
- speakercan." We chose a school hymn,
- speaker"Joyful,
- speakerjoyful. We adore thee." [Beethoven, "Ode to Joy."] We had a an alma mater
- speakersong composed.
- speakerAnd we set up student government in the
- speakerschool. We made a great deal of Christmas and
- speakerEaster as two of the
- speakerreligious celebrations in the Christian
- speakeryear. At that time the enrollment in the school was
- speakerone third Jews, one third Moslems, one third Christians. And, we combined
- speakerthe number of Jews and Christians and that entitled us to teach the
- speakerBible because the law was that you could teach the
- speakerreligion of the greater greatest number in your
- speakerschool. At that time too, all the Moslem girls came to the chapel
- speakerevery morning, and all of them attended the Bible classes. Well because of
- speakerthis crowded condition,
- speakerwe made application to the very too they denominations who were supporting
- speakerour mission. This
- speakermission was at one time called the United made a Mission
- speakerof Mesopotamia.
- speakerBut then it became known as the United Mission of Iraq as Iraq became more
- speakerfamiliar to people than the old biblical name of
- speakerMesopotamia. We never felt we got very much publicity
- speakerchurch wise
- speakerbecause we were not strictly any one denomination. We
- speakerwere supported in the early years by the Evangelical and Reformed Board, the
- speakerDutch Reformed Board, and the United Presbyterians.
- speakerlater the E and R Board, of
- speakercourse, merged with the Congregational Christian churches
- speakerto form the United Church of Christ and also the Southern
- speakerPresbyterian Church came in because they wanted some work in Moslem lands but did not want
- speakerto initiate any new work.
- speakerWell through the various women's organizations of the supporting
- speakerdenominations, approximately one hundred thousand dollars was
- speakerraised. The Reformed Board had a unique
- speakeridea. They had in their Sunday schoos "Bbags for Baghdad." And, children
- speakerwere encouraged to put in their nickels and dimes and pennies
- speakerfor the girls'
- speakerschool. We went across the river to a developing
- speakerarea in the community and purchased ground and in nineteen
- speakerfifty- one, we began to break ground for a new
- speakerbuilding. And, we moved into the building in one nine hundred fifty three.
- speakerThis was a very difficult time as we had to now have school buses and
- speakerbus routes had to be worked out, drivers
- speakeremployed, and the school really was not
- speakerfinished when we went into the building, so we live with a great deal of mud for a long time.
- speakerBut the school continued to prosper, although now it was in a much more.
- speakerIn a much stronger Muslim
- speakerarea than we had been before. And, because of the emigration of so
- speakermany Jewish families to Israel, we had lost most of our Jewish
- speakerstudents. They were very few now in the
- speakerbuilding in the school.
- speakerAbout this time I came home for a furlough. And, because of my
- speakermother's health,
- speakerI asked for a year's leave of absence
- speakerbecause I wanted to be at home with my only sister when my mother passed away.
- speakerFinally she died in one thousand fifty
- speakernine. And I was free then to go abroad if there was an
- speakeropportunity, but I didn't feel I wanted to take on the responsibility of
- speakeran administrative
- speakerjob. So it happened that Miss Jane Doolittle [Doolittle, Jane Elizabeth] from Teheran was in
- speakerBaghdad. And, I met her and told her I might be looking for a position. And, she
- speakersaid they were in need of an English teacher in the Iran Beth and in the Iran Bethel
- speakerschool in Iran. So it turned out then that I accepted that
- speakerposition and went as a short termer to Iran for three
- speakeryears. But when I came back to Baghdad
- speakerone
- speakerspring and saw that the playground had been finished, the building was complete,
- speakertennis courts had
- speakerbeen fixed up. I realized that my heart was still
- speakerin Baghdad. And so I asked what were the possibilities of coming back.
- speakerWell the mission in Baghdad was looking for someone to take over the principalship of the school
- speakerbecause
- speakerthey present principal at that time was due to go on furlough.
- speakerSo I came back to the school in nineteen sixty-
- speakertwo. And served as principal for two and a half
- speakeryears. But the spirit of the school had changed a great deal in
- speakerthe years that I had been away. In the meantime there had been
- speakerthe revolution in the country in which the young king
- speakerand the higher officials of the country, many of them had been killed or
- speakerexiled. And the an entirely different group and different spirit seemed to prevail
- speakernot only in the country but even in the schools.
- speakerI found it very different from the days when I knew the school
- speakerin the years when I served before as
- speakerprincipal. So because of this difficult feeling.
- speakerI asked the
- speakermission if I could it be relieved of the
- speakerprincipalship and be assigned to teach in the
- speakerschool part time and use the rest of my time to build up
- speakerthe alumni society, which had not become very
- speakerstrong, not as strong as it was in the old school, because the girls felt they didn't know
- speakerthe teachers and it didn't seem school to them. But I seemed to be
- speakerthe connecting link between the old school and the new
- speakerschool. And so, the mission agreed to this
- speakerarrangement. And ,I taught in the morning English and Bible,
- speakerand then the afternoons were devoted to visiting and meetings with the alumnae society.
- speakerWe had some very nice times in this in the New School in those days. We
- speakerhad a homecoming day for the girls of the alumnae society. And then, in the school
- speakeritself we built up a sports day, which was a very happy day given over
- speakerto various kinds of sports in the
- speakerschool. Well the next big event that happened was the Six-Day War
- speakerbetween the Arabs and the Israelis.
- speakerWe were not asked to leave
- speakerBaghdad. But we felt, for the sake of our own safety when
- speakerthe American embassy was
- speakerclosed and for the sake of our
- speakerIraqi nationals, that we should leave the country. So we arranged
- speakerto
- speakertravel by bus to Teheran, where the Presbyterian Church
- speakerhad strong mission work.
- speakerThis was in the summer of one thousand nine hundred sixty seven in June.
- speakerSo the question then was where to spend the
- speakersummer. Well I had done a good bit of traveling while I had been
- speakerin Teheran in the Iran Bethel School so I didn't feel I wanted to
- speakerspend the summer in Teheran. So I asked for some extra leave
- speakerand cabled my sister and came home for two
- speakermonths for a vacation. I was classified as being on
- speakervacation. When the time came for me to return
- speakerto Baghdad because we had anticipated opening the school again in September,
- speakerit was found that I had to have surgery so instead of going to Baghdad, I went into
- speakerthe
- speakerhospital. But the time I had convalesced from this operation, it didn't
- speakerseem worthwhile to return to Baghdad. And also, I had only one more year
- speakerbefore
- speakerretirement. So it seemed better that I just not return to Baghdad
- speakeralthough it was with some regret because I felt that I had not completed especially
- speakerthe work with the alumnae
- speakersociety that I would like to have
- speakerdone. Then a position opened
- speakerup in the personnel office of the Board rooms [Commission on Ecumenical Mission and Relations] under May Ross Taylor taking care
- speakerof the concerns of retired missionaries. And I worked there at the Board
- speakerrooms for three years and
- speakera half, first on full time and then on
- speakerhalf time. But I knew that little position could not last forever,
- speakerand although I didn't know the church was going to undergo a tremendous reorganization,
- speakerI decided to look around to see where I should
- speakersettle. And when I found that the Board of Pensions was
- speakeropening a new home in downtown Philadelphia, it seemed to me that was the
- speakerbest place for me because I feel I am an East Coast person. I think if
- speakerWestminster Gardens had been on the East Coast, I would have chosen
- speakerit but California seemsed too far
- speakeraway. So I came to Prentice House in nineteen seventy-
- speakerone in June. And, I have
- speakerbeen there all of this time.
- speakerSince coming to Philadelphia, it has been interesting to try to find places
- speakerto serve in a big
- speakercity. For two and a half years I
- speakerserved at the nationalities service center here in Philadelphia which specializes
- speakerin teaching English to foreign
- speakerstudents. Then I was given the opportunity to serve as President
- speakerof the Women's Guild of Arch Street Church, where I am a member.
- speakerAnd, I have served there as president for four years. I've just completed the fourth year.
- speakerAnd this was a very fine opportunity because although we have a small number of women who attend
- speakermeetings we were
- speakerable to interest the women in the church. All the
- speakerwomen of the church in general in various projects. and I think we accomplished quite a bit.
- speakerAlso I had found out that united the the Church Women United had
- speakerits offices very near where I was living. And so, I became involved in their
- speakeractivities serving as chairman of the Citizen Action
- speakerCommittee which in which capacity I served for a while and
- speakerthen resigned, and now I'm back at that job
- speakeragain serving in that
- speakercapacity. This is my second
- speakeryear. I would like to say just one thing
- speakerabout retirement. I think it
- speakerisn't and a stage in life that has to be worked on just
- speakerlike every stage in life has to be worked on. Things don't come
- speakerautomatically, but I find that it is a very rewarding
- speakertime a time to do things that you didn't have time to do
- speakerbefore. And,
- speakerI especially found a great deal of satisfaction in being able to
- speakerdevote time to Bible study especially Bible prophecy.
- speakerSo I feel
- speakerthat if people will really work at retirement there are many things to
- speakerdo and many rich blessings to be fit to be found at
- speakerthis stage of life.
- speakerSo I feel as
- speakerI read they are the title of Myra Scovel's book. I
- speakerreally feel I'm living in clover and thank God for all his blessings.
- speaker[Hinn]Thank you very much. Lynda. This will be filed at the Presbyterian
- speakerHistorical Society in their oral history department. This is Alfreda
- speakerto
- speakerHinn thanking Lynda for
- speakerher
- speakercontribution. Lynda you were
- speakerat the Pension Board home in Newton, New Jersey, weren't you?
- speakerI think we forgot to mention that before. Will you tell us about your time there.
- speakerAnd when you went
- speakerthere? [Carver] Well
- speakerI did
- speakermention that because of my mother's health, I had asked for
- speakeryears leave of absence from the Board [COEMAR]. I didn't want to resign because I
- speakerfelt there was a possibility that after my mother's death, I might be able to return to the field.
- speakerSo I took this year's leave of absence
- speakerand at that time they were looking for someone to manage the Miriam
- speakerhome in Newton New Jersey which was a Board of Pensions home. So I was given that
- speakeropportunity and served there for fifteen months and then I returned
- speakerto Iran for three years rather than going directly back to
- speakerBaghdad. [Hinn] Will you tell us? Do you remember
- speakerany special experience of yours at the
- speakerhome?
- speakerI don't know of any special experience.
- speakerWe had about eighteen people in the home. I enjoyed the years that I spent
- speakerthere, and Newton was is is
- speakeran interesting little
- speakercommunity. I think
- speakerthat the thing I and one of the things I enjoyed
- speakermost was bringing flowers into the house for the older
- speakerpeople.They could not see the flowers out in the garden, and we had lovely grounds around this
- speakerold home in Newton, which had been
- speakerwilled to the Board by the Miriam
- speakerfamily. Many of the treasures of that family had been left in
- speakerthe home and it was really a
- speakerbeautiful situation in which to live. I never thought that I
- speakercould live, I think, in America in such ease as I was as I
- speakerwas able to live at the Miriam home, but I did enjoy arranging flowers and
- speakerI think
- speakerthe holiday celebrations were nice times for us
- speakertoo with table decorations, a Christmas tree and so
- speakeron. That was a very enjoyable
- speakertime. I think one of the reasons I decided not to stay at Newton was because
- speakerI had become so attached to the people there that I hated to be there when
- speakerthose folks passed away. And, this was one reason I was glad for an opportunity to get
- speakerback into active service
- speakeragain. [Hinn] I'm glad we added on
- speakerthis because this was the part that we didn't want to miss.
- speakerThanks again.