1997-07-08 — The passing of Guy Murchie (b. 25 January 1907 Boston MA ) at Fullerton California. He was buried at Fairhaven Memorial Park in Santa Ana, California. [Find a grave]
He led an eclectic professional life: war correspondent, photographer and staff artist for the Chicago Tribune, pilot and flight instructor, teacher, lecturer, aerial navigator, builder, and founder of a summer camp for children.
Murchie embraced the Bahá’í Faith in 1939, becoming one of the early American Bahá’ís. He remained active in the community, contributing articles to Bahá’í News and other publications. In July of 1958 I am a Bahá'í was published in the Chicago Sunday Tribute. He kept a diary of his 1964 pilgrimage to Iran, portions of which were later published with the permission of the Universal House of Justice entitled A Visit to Persia. It included descriptions of the architecture of the house and shop of the Báb, the birthplace of Bahá'u'lláh, and the Síyáh Chál.
As a writer he combined scientific insight with philosophical reflection. His best‑known books are Men on the Horizon (1932), Song of the Sky (1954), Music of the Spheres (1961) and The Seven Mysteries of Life
An Exploration in Science and Philosophy(1978); the latter three were selected for the Book‑of‑the‑Month Club.
Beyond his popular science books, Murchie wrote essays and translations for Bahá’í publications and produced a manuscript titled The Veil of Glory that was a study of Bahá’í history.
His work continues to be cited both for its scientific popularization and for its integration of spiritual perspective, and his papers are archived for researchers interested in the intersection of science, philosophy, and the Bahá’í Faith.
A short biography of this interesting character can be found on Wikipedia.
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