# Dr. David S. Ruhe: Kansas Author

*Exported from [Holy-Writings.com](https://www.holy-writings.com/) on 2026-06-18 — 1 clipping.*

---

> Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: Duane L. Herrmann, Dr. David S. Ruhe: Kansas Author, bahai-library.com.
> ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
> 
> DR. DAVID S. RUHE, KANSAS AUTHOR
> 
> Duane L. Herrmann
> 2003
> 
> David S. Ruhe was born 3 Jan 1919, the second of eight children, to Percy Bot & Amy S Ruhe
> of Allentown, Pennsylvania. He received B.S. & M.S. bioscience degrees at Michigan State college
> and his MD from Temple University School of Medicine in 1941. In 1986 he also received an
> honorary Sc. D degree from the latter.
> Though his initial research was in tropical medicine with a focus on malaria, he specialized in
> public health with an emphasis in audio visual communication. He eventually became a Senior
> Surgeon in the US Public health Service, then director of the Medical film Institute of the
> Association of American Medical colleges. He came to Kansas in 1954 and founded the
> Department of Medical Communication at the Kansas University School of Medicine of which he
> became a full professor and Chairman.
> He published a book on the ongoing research, viewing and appraisal of medical films,
> specifically relating to psychiatry, psychology and mental health in medical communication, as well
> as many professional papers over the decades of his professional career. He also produced a large
> number of medical films for educational purposes.
> Dr. Ruhe married Margaret Kunz on 7 Sept 1940 at Urbana, Illinois, with whom he had two
> sons, Christopher and Douglas. In 1941, while living in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania he entered the
> Bahá’í community. His wife had grown up in the Bahá’í community after her mother accepted the
> Bahá’í Faith in 1916. Her mother was the daughter of a clergyman of the Reformed Church of
> Switzerland. Her conversion was the result of a Unitarian minister in Urbana, Illinois where she
> and her husband were living while he taught at the University of Illinois (a famous physicist, Dr
> Kunz had invented the first photoelectric cells). The Unitarian minister had met ‘Abdu’l-Baha, the
> son of the Founder of the Bahá’í Faith while he was in the US in 1912. The effect galvanized his
> being and he conveyed that to his congregation. Some left the church with him and began the
> Bahá’í community of Urbana. Ruhe’s future mother-in-law was among them.
> In 1942 Ruhe was elected to the governing council of the local Bahá’í community of New
> Orleans, Lousiana. Bahá’í elections are conducted in a spirit of prayer, with no campaigning or
> nominations, so being elected is oftentimes a great surprise; they are essentially a vote of
> confidence in an individual’s ability. He served on various such councils, called Spiritual
> Assemblies, as his professional career took him from place to place.
> In February 1954 his career brought him to Kansas. Five years later, much to the surprise and
> delight of fellow Bahá’ís in Kansas, he was elected to the National Spiritual Assembly of the
> Bahá’ís of the United States, a position to which he was re-elected for the next three decades. He
> was the first member of the Kansas Bahá’í community to be so elected. From the year he arrived in
> the state, he had been elected delegate from Kansas to the National Bahá’í Convention, so he was
> known on a national level of the Bahá’í community. He continued to be elected delegate every year
> while he lived in Kansas.
> In 1959 Horace Holly, Secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the
> United States, was asked to serve at the Baha World Center in Haifa, Israel. This created a vacancy
> on the membership of the National Spiritual Assembly. When a bi-election was held to fill that
> vacancy, Ruhe was elected to fill it.1. He attended the weekend meetings of the National Assembly
> from his home in Kansas. After election of the National Assembly in 1963, he was elected its
> Secretary. This meant leaving Kansas to assume responsibility for the Office of the Secretariat of
> the National Assembly whose offices are just north of Chicago, in Wilmette, Illinois. The family
> regretted leaving Kansas, but Ruhe later reflected, “The five years as National Secretary were
> challenging but delightful.”2.
> For five years he served the American Bahá’í community in this office, then in 1968 he was
> elected to the international Bahá’í council, the Universal House of Justice. This council coordinates
> the affairs of the entire Bahá’í world community. This election necessitated moving to Haifa, Israel
> where the Bahá’í World Center is located. He served there until he retired in 1993.
> The quarter of a century of his membership on this council saw tremendous changes in the
> Bahá’í world community. Its size went from several hundred thousand members to several million.
> Large areas of the globe where only a few believers were scattered here and there, now had large,
> thriving Bahá’í communities. At the beginning, many believers could only dream of efforts to
> improve the societies in which they lived, at the end thousands of such efforts had been initiated.
> The number of schools blossomed, especially in areas with no education for children, medical and
> agricultural projects proliferated. Major volumes of scripture were translated and published. And
> several major construction projects were undertaken: continental houses of worship were
> constructed in Panama, India, and Samoa, and most significantly, the seat of the House of Justice
> was constructed in Haifa. This was the first major step of the development of the international
> infrastructure at the Bahá’í World Center since the 1940s. Successive stages involved the building
> of an archival facility, a research center, an office building, hospitality centers for guests and
> monumental gardened terraces climbing one half mile up the slopes of Mount Carmel. One could
> say that the Bahá’í community had changed beyond recognition. As a member of the international
> council, Dr. Ruhe exercised a major executive role.
> When Dr. Ruhe retired from service at the Bahá’í World Center, he and his wife settled in New
> York State to be near their children. In retirement he did not rest. He completed several books he
> had started decades before and, with son Doug, founded a video production company to supply
> videos for the American Bahá’í community. Some of these have been broadcast on cable and
> commercial networks breaking new ground in supplying information to the public about the Bahá’í
> Faith.
> While living in Haifa, he conceived and wrote his first book to be published on a Bahá’í
> subject. It is titled, Door of Hope: A Century of the Bahá’í Faith in the Holy Land. The publisher
> is George Ronald in England. It was released in 1983. He explained the reason for the book as
> being that, “historically, the Holy Land has exercised an influence upon human affairs out of all
> proportion to its diminutive size, and without doubt it will continue to do so in the future. To
> ‘Akká, ‘the silver city,’ Mount Carmel, the ‘mountain of God,’ and their environs come ever-
> increasing streams of Bahá’í pilgrims and visitors seeking their spiritual and administrative home.
> It is hoped that this book will be of particular use and interest to them, to answer the questions of
> the curious, to enrich pilgrim days, to provoke wide reading of original sources, and to be a
> perennial reference on this ‘most holy land.’”3.
> This book “is much expanded in content and detail,” beyond an earlier volume titled, Bahá’í
> Holy Places at the World Center, produced for Bahá’ís in 1968. That year the arrival of
> Bahá’u’lláh (Prophet-Founder of the Bahá’í Faith) to the shores of the Holy Land a century before,
> was commemorated. That earlier book was part of that effort. At the time of His arrival, ‘Akká
> was the most infamous penal colony of the Ottoman Empire. Sentence there was effectively, for
> most prisoners, a sentence of death. It was the final destination of the series of exiles which
> Bahá’u’lláh had endured.
> These exiles and the life sentence of imprisonment had begun when Bahá’u’lláh had accepted
> the teachings of a religious reformer in His native Persia. Bahá’u’lláh had been born to a noble
> family and could have lived a life of ease and luxury with the court. Instead, for His beliefs, He was
> stripped of His wealth, social position, imprisoned and exiled.
> His exile to ‘Akká made the land holy to Bahá’ís as it was to Jews, Christians and Muslims.
> Door of Hope draws on recent scholarship and archeological research, newly translated documents
> and archival photographs to document the sites with special significance for Bahá’ís. Its scholarly
> treatment for these sites was new for the Bahá’í community.
> The structure of the narrative of the text was also new. He explained that the text, “is place-
> related and does not follow a strict chronology, its narrative necessarily moving forwards and
> backwards in time as the place of the drama changes.”4.
> In the text Ruhe skillfully blends his narrative with excerpts from source documents when
> giving the history of a site. An informative excerpt from the chapter on Mazraih, the first house
> where Bahá’u’lláh lived after the Ottoman governor and Muslim clergy of ‘Akká made it clear that
> no one would enforce the firman of the Sultan requiring perpetual house arrest: “The House
> remained in the possession of the descendants of Muhammad Safwat during the period of the
> British Mandate. Then, about 1928, Mrs. Lillian Mc Neill came to the Holy Land with her husband,
> a Brigadier-General who had been with Allenby in the conquest of Palestine. Mrs. McNeill had
> been a childhood friend in Malta of the English princess who became Queen Marie of Rumania.
> She relates that when she was making a journey of discovery in the area below Nahariya and
> travelling ‘...across country where then only the roughest of tracks existed, I came upon an old
> house, neglected, some parts almost ruinous...”5.
> The reference to Queen Marie of Rumania gains meaning when one realized that she was the
> first monarch to accept the message of Bahá’u’lláh. Mrs. McNeill was also a believer.
> The volume is lavishly illustrated with period photos which, unfortunately because of their age,
> are all black and white. Most had never been published before. As well as these “new”
> photographs, most of the information in it is also found no where else. The book is now
> indispensable for every person who wishes to learn about the sites in the Holy Land associated with
> the Bahá’í Faith.
> Ruhe’s second book on a Bahá’í topic is a biography of the early life of Bahá’u’lláh. While in
> prison for His beliefs, He received a vision that He was to be a Messenger of God. The message
> was one of utter simplicity: “The earth is one country and mankind its citizens.” Simple though it
> sounds, its consequences are far-reaching and will result in great changes at all social levels before
> its realization. And, He said, its realization would come to pass for it is the will of God. Since this
> announcement in the nineteenth century social upheavals have occurred which have increasingly
> removed one barrier and another that have divided the human race for centuries. One of the first of
> these was slavery. At the same time new institutions and organizations have been created to
> facilitate global interaction among people, the United Nations and the internet are two examples.
> Robe of Light, published in 1994, is the first of a projected series of long fruition, begun even
> before the author came to Kansas. It was started in 1949 and he continued to work on it while in
> Kansas. At that time there was no documentary biography of the Founder of the Bahá’í Faith.
> Since that time others have appeared, but this one remains unique in that it includes vast
> autobiographical references found in the Writings (some 21,000 documents) of Bahá’u’lláh
> Himself. Ruhe had access to these while living in Haifa where the International Bahá’í Archives
> are located.
> Ruhe explained the reason behind this book, “Nothing is more important than to explore the
> Great Lives which periodically have released man from each gradual new dilemma produced by his
> own social evolution. In any age the Supreme Souls born among mankind provide man’s essential
> understanding of himself and his relation to God.”6.
> Describing the role of these individuals he further explained, “Through the different
> expressions of spiritual genius of each Manifestation of God, man’s primary and innate needs are
> perceived and the profound ideas required for the creation of a new age, with growth into another
> great cycle of human progress, are put forth with divine power.”7. This is the role he believes has
> been fulfilled by Bahá’u’lláh. The full title of the book is: Robe of Light: The Persian Years of the
> Supreme Prophet, Bahá’u’lláh: 1817-1853.
> Future volumes were planned to cover the years in Baghdad and Constantinople, each a
> successive stage in the exile from his native land. These books may well be reference points for
> future generations of Bahá’ís and others wanting to know more about how a religion begins in
> historical times.
> Dr. David Ruhe’s professional and Bahá’í publications have added a luster to the literature of
> Kansas of which few people are aware. It is hoped that this paper will relieve that to some degree.
> David Ruhe Bibliography
> 
> Articles:
> 
> A Highway to Enduring Peace, World Order, December 1944, p. 282.
> The Bahá’í Basis for human Relations, World Order, May 1947, p. 46.
> Religion for Adults, World Order, November 1948, p. 253.
> A New Evolution: Religious Bonding for World Unity, Journal of Bahá’í Studies, 1995
> 
> Books:
> 
> Door of Hope: A Century of the Bahá’í Faith in the Holy Land, (Oxford: George Ronald) 1983, rev
> 1986.
> Films for the Teaching of Social and Environmental Factors of Medicine, (New York: Asso. of
> American Medical Colleges) 1951.
> Films in the Cardiovascular Diseases, vol I & II, (New York: Asso. of American Medical Colleges)
> 1953-54.
> Robe of Light: the Persian Years of the Supreme Prophet, (Oxford: George Ronald) 1994.
> Selected Films for Medical Training: a Suggested Basic Motion Picture Library, (Chicago: Asso. of
> American Medical Colleges) 1965.
> 
> Films:
> 
> The Bahá’í Community: A World Presence, (Sidcorp) n.d.
> Bahá’í Youth, (Sidcorp) n.d.
> A Case of Hypoglycemic Crises of Unknown Origin, (KU College of Health Sciences) 1959.
> A Case of North American Blastomycosis Treated with Amphotericin B (KU College of Health
> Sciences) 1961.
> A Case of Unexplained Bleeding from the Upper Gastrointestinal Tract (The School ) 1958.
> Challenge: Science Against Cancer, (Canada: National Film board) 1950.
> Emergency Airway Crisis and Action, (Pfizer) 1960.
> An Epidemic of Histoplasmosis Associated with an Urban Starling Roost (US Communicable
> Disease Center) n.d.
> Le Fe Bahá’í, (Sidcorp) n.d.
> Left Colectomy for Carcinoma of the Rectosigmid (The Center) 1956.
> The Mississippi Valley Disease: Histoplasmosis, (Highroads to Health) 1956.
> The Power of Prayer, (Sidcorp) n.d.
> The Power of Race Unity, (Sidcorp) n.d.
> The Spiritual Road, (Sidcorp) n.d.
> The Struggle for Black and White Unity (Sidcorp) n.d.
> Symbols of the Spirit, (Sidcorp) n.d.
> Temporalis Muscle Transfer for Lagophtalmos (KU College of Health Sciences) 1963.
> Tracheotomy and Cricothyrotomy: a Study of Emergency Methods, (Churchill-Wexler Film
> Productions) 1965.
> Unity and Diversity, (Sidcorp) n.d.
> The Vena Caval Bronchovascular Triad, (KU College of Health Sciences) 1961.
> We are One, (Sidcorp) n.d.
> 
> Sidcorp Videos (www.sidcorptv.com)
> 
> Bahá’í Community: World Presence
> Bahá’í Youth
> Le Fe Bahá’í
> The Power of Prayer
> The Power of Race Unity
> The Spiritual Road
> The Struggle for Black and White Unity
> Symbols of the Spirit
> Unity and Diversity
> We are One
> Notes:
> 1. Margaret & David Ruhe, correspondence with the author, nd, postmarked 21 December 1987.
> 2. David S. Ruhe correspondence to the author, 29 April 2003.
> 3. Ruhe, David S. M.D., Door of Hope: A Century of the Bahá’í Faith in the Holy Land (Oxford,
> George Ronald) 1983, p.3.
> 4. ibid. p.1.
> 5. ibid. pp.91-92.
> 6. Ruhe, Robe of Light: The Persian Years of the Supreme Prophet, Bahá’u’lláh (Oxford, George
> Ronald) 1994, p.4.
> 7. ibid. p.1.
> 
> Letters to and from Dr. Ruhe
> 
> Letter from myself to David Ruhe [some personal details removed]
> 
> Thanks so much for your response, corrections and additions. It is a pleasure working with you like
> this. I am so glad you are willing and able to help. I feel much better when I can get the most direct
> information possible. I did much of the work on it between phone call interruptions, so I’m sure
> some editing will be helpful.
> 
> I have two questions: 1.) what year did you come to Kansas?
> 
> And, 2.) I don’t understand the comment that: “Door of Hope, on the Holy Land, is number four in
> the series.” Series of SEVEN? Have I missed five of them? If Robe of Light is number one, where
> are numbers 2, 3, 5, 6, & 7? Have I missed them, or are they waiting for their turn at the publisher?
> Would you have time to provide the title of each one and a sentence of the content? I don’t want to
> leave anything out. If some of them have been published (and I am ignorant, I am very sorry) could
> you give the country and year of publication?
> 
> I have attached the revised version of the paper. If there’s any additional information that you feel
> would be helpful, please feel free to add it. …
> ------
> 
> his reply [some personal details removed]
> 
> 29 April ’03
> 
> Dear Duane Herrmann:
> 
> You have been bold as a biographer, but I have edited your “Kansas Author” detail and apologize
> for the delay in feeding it back to you.
> 
> Good to hear of the continuing Baha’i activity in Kansas! Keep up the good work! Everywhere our
> communities need an expressive publicist who knows his countryside, his friends and his
> opportunities. to you, all hail! Abdu’l-Baha left His footprints in Kansas – good that you and
> others keep the memories warm.
> 
> Here’s to the Kansas Authors club and your membership in it. Our years in Kansas and at K.U.
> were happy ones, and you are keeping the pot boiling in your way.
> 
> …
> 
> Warm greetings and salutations to the Baha’is of Topeka, Lawrence, K.C. where ever you may
> travel. We keep reasonably well and as every plugging away for the Faith.
> 
> Your biog of Rose Hilty shows your gift as historiographer it seems.
> 
> Dave & Meg Ruhe
> --------
>
> — *Dr. David S. Ruhe: Kansas Author (Used by permission of the curator)*