In 1964, my sister read There Is a River [the autobiography of Edgar Cayce] and wanted to know more about Edgar Cayce. I attended A.R.E. classes on meditation and health with her and felt the information helped me to raise my children with a good attitude toward life. The natural healing and herbal remedies helped heal our illnesses.

In addition, my husband, Charles, and I began attending Study Group meetings which emphasized the companionship of like-minded people and the importance of one’s attitude. The Study Group leader, Minyon Helm, was a longtime member of A.R.E., and she was a big help in translating the readings. Charles and I appreciated her teachings.

One evening, my sister and I were walking on the beach when she said I should try to get a job at A.R.E. After thinking about it, I agreed it was a good idea as I had a desire to learn more.

The year was 1972, and A.R.E. didn’t have an opening so I worked as a secretary at the Marshall’s hotel across the street [the Marshalls was located across from the A.R.E.’s Virginia Beach headquarters at the time, and was a popular hotel with A.R.E. conference attendees]. I began learning more about Edgar Cayce’s life and the work of the organization.

While working at the Marshalls, I heard they had an opening in a new library for the blind and applied for and received the job.

My work was to increase the services to the blind and provide access to the Edgar Cayce readings. Professional Braillists transcribed the Edgar Cayce material into Braille. Donations helped to continue this work for the blind.

I took courses in Braille and began setting up more extensive processes for distribution of the Braille material. The organization advertised the library and offered the blind an opportunity to read There Is a River and find health answers from the Edgar Cayce work. Later, they purchased a Thermoform machine through a generous donation from a member. The machine greatly assisted in the duplication of pages in the Braille books. I remember my daughters volunteering and assisting with the page duplication during the summer months.

Later, with the dawn of the cassette tape age, books were transcribed into audio form also.

When cassettes came out, we received a call from a local prison that some of the inmates were recording for the blind. We took the opportunity to let them read some of the Cayce literature and make the audio recordings available as well.

Blind readers discussed their needs over the phone and through letters written in Braille. They requested information on meditation, health, Edgar Cayce life philosophies, predictions, etc. The information was prepared and sent to the requestors. Louise Rothrock, the sister of a gentleman who helped with the A.R.E. Camp program, was a volunteer. She had been blind since birth and was an invaluable help in constructing and mailing the Braille information to the requestors. The mailing and shipping department at A.R.E. also greatly helped in the mailing and receiving of Braille books.

Often recipients of the material would contact our department to express their appreciation. The library functioned liked a public library. When the prior book was returned, a new book was sent to the library members. Gladys Turner Davis [Edgar Cayce’s secretary who had transcribed all of the readings] was the most important supporter of A.R.E.’s Library for the Blind.

Eventually, it was necessary to stop the service at A.R.E. and make the information available to the Library of Congress for greater distribution [this happened in 1984]. 

I always felt I was guided to be a part of this work. I was convinced that all the answers for a healthy life could be found in the readings. I believed in Edgar Cayce’s viewpoint of better living. I was joining in the work that Edgar Cayce placed before us in making people more aware of their health and daily lives.