Catherine Gent

Catherine Gent heard about the Bahá'í Faith in 1942, in Augusta, GA and became a believer soon after and signed the declaration card in 1947 when life returned to normal following World War II.

She and Chris lived in College Station from 1946 until 1952 where she was the first Bahá'í to arrive in that area. The A & M newspaper, The Battalion and the Bryan paper, The Bryan Daily Eagle, were very good about printing long articles and letters to the editors about the Faith, and several representatives from National came and held public programs.

She had met Anna Reinke earlier, in 1952, while the Gents were living in Wimberley and she and her daughters traveled to Austin for events held at Anna's place in the country.

In 1953, she moved to Austin with the family. In those early days Austin did not have an assembly and teaching was by study sessions in private homes and public meetings in rented facilities. Shortly after Catherine was appointed to the district teaching committee, in 1955, the Gent family was transferred by the hotel company Chris worked for to Lookout Mountain, Tennessee. Chattanooga did not have an assembly, either, but did have Bahá'ís. Many local and visiting Bahá'ís from all over made their way to the lovely hotel on Lookout Mountain where Chris was general manager. That is where Catherine met Winston Evans who became her dear friend.

In 1957, the family was moved to Galveston where Catherine made the ninth Bahá'í and Galveston's first spiritual assembly came into being.

In 1961, the Gents were sent back to Austin where Chris managed the Stephen F. Austin Hotel. Catherine served on the Austin Spiritual Assembly from 1962 until 1977.