ATHENS, W.Va. – The grounds of University Point on Concord University’s Athens campus received a new addition recently. An engraved granite bench recognizing the Bicentenary (200th Anniversary) of the Birth of the Bab has been placed near the entrance of the Wilkes Family Chapel.
The bench is a gift for University Point from The Baha’is of Princeton, WV. According to information provided by the The Baha’is of Princeton, “The Bab is one of the two Central Figures, or Twin Manifestations of the Baha’i Faith, which teaches that God is one, mankind is one, and all of the major religions come from one divine source.”
“From Oct. 29 – Nov. 2, 2019, members of the Baha’i Faith all over the world celebrated the Bicentenary of the Birth of the Bab,” the information continues.
The Concord University Board of Governors approved a Resolution on Oct. 15, 2019 to accept the gift. On March 16, 2020, the specially designed and engraved bench was installed outside the Wilkes Family Chapel by Bluefield Monument Company, under the oversight and guidance of Edward S. Grych, Treasurer, and Diane S. Grych, Chair and Group Correspondent of the Baha’is of Princeton. Dr. Diane Grych is a retired Concord University Assistant Professor of Education.
“I love Concord,” Dr. Grych said. In addition to teaching at Concord, Dr. Grych said their daughters were cared for at the Concord University Child Development Center during their preschool years, and their youngest daughter, Virginia, was married and had her reception at University Point in July, 2013.
Dr. Grych said she sees the bench as “a gift to the University that would be lasting” and that signifies “the unity of religion” with its placement at the chapel.
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CONTACT:
Sarah M. Pritchett
Concord University
Office of Advancement
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