Remembering Beth Holtam

On Monday, July 28, we lost beloved Beth Holtam to heart disease. Some of our Board were lucky to know Beth for 35 years, while some of us knew her only on Zoom for the two years she met with us at board meetings. Beth graced our meetings with good humor and wise advise. Beth’s stories put the mid-20th Century history of Liberia in context for those of us who were new to it. Happily, she was able to enjoy our May 2025 newsletter featuring her stories. We will keep the compilation of the stories she wrote for our newsletters on our website in tribute to her.

Here are a few of the many gifts Beth shared with International Neighbors:

First, Beth introduced us to key people. After Herbert Hopkins decided to focus efforts within Liberia, mutual friends Denny and Marcia Hamilton, contacted Beth who connected us with her adopted Liberian son, Charles Mulbah, a retired administrator from Cuttington University in Liberia. Charles, in turn, introduced us to Liberian organizations that might benefit from our support. As a result, Herbert and Nancy were able to visit Liberia in December 2022 and meet with three organizations we later aided. This was the beginning of International Neighbors’ work in Liberia.

Second, Beth helped us understand the culture she experienced during her 18 years living, raising children, and teaching in mid-20th century Liberia. She supported our goal of breaking the cycle of poverty by uplifting women and girls. Beth recounted that in the 1960s and ’70s, girls rarely attended school unless they were from elite families. She never had a girl in any of her rural English classes, although she once directed the daughter of the President of Liberia in a college choral event. She cheered on our work to keep girls in school and contributed generously.

Third, Beth surprised us by printing 100 copies of a children’s songbook she had developed years earlier for teaching English through song. International Neighbors shipped the books in one of our book barrels for Charles Mulbah to distribute to local teachers.

Fourth, Beth wrote just for our newsletter. These recent six stories were not included in her 2012 book, What? Raise My Children in the Jungle? You’ll find these short vignettes on our website under Beth’s Memories, Blog.

Here is how Beth described her own professional life:

“Beth Holtam earned a BS in Education with a major in Music from her hometown college, Auburn University, AL. Thanks to her husband Jordan’s work in agriculture and rural community development, she spent many years between 1958 and 1997 in Africa, first in Liberia, then in Zambia, Sudan, and Ethiopia. The youngest two of their four children were born in Liberia. (Between the 18 years in Liberia and three in Zambia, there were nine years in rural Tennessee, where Beth earned an MA in English Education.) Over the years and across the countries, Beth—in addition to attending to motherly and/or wifely duties—served as organist, pianist, choir director, K-12 music teacher, and instructor of EFL (English as a Foreign Language). At Bolahun (1963-1967), she home-schooled her children (first-third grade), helped teach high school classes, and occasionally assisted the nurse midwife by demonstrating to surrogate mothers how to safely prepare baby formula. In 1997, Beth and Jordan retired to Weaverville, NC. Meanwhile, many of the Africans they met and grew to love have immigrated to the U.S. and are now remarkable American citizens.”