Iola Phillips Penland led a full, purposeful life for the Lord. Her chief passion was the Royal Ambassadors, a Baptist missions organization that helps boys in grades 1-6 develop a Biblical worldview and passion for missions. She started a chapter in both Hayesville and later in Asheville. Each year she brought the Asheville chapter to Truett Camp and enjoyed teaching the Bible to the boys.
Her family made significant contributions to the construction of the bunkhouses at Truett. We are happy to honor her and her family’s contributions by naming the bunkhouses after her.
Missions
Iola Penland had immense passion for missions, something that was instilled in her at a young age. She founded many missions organizations during her life for youth and women.
BIBLE TEACHING
Her favorite part of coming to Truett was the opportunity to share the truth in the Word of God. We have handcopies of three of her lessons in our Truett Museum.
ReSILIENT
Iola had very poor eyesight, which kept her from overseas missions. A surgery in her 20s greatly improved this until she became completely blind in her 60s. She came to Truett and taught the Bible for several more years.
Iola Penland was born on April 9, 1887 in a log cabin in Swiss, NC (in Yancy County). Her parents were Joshua and Alice (Jamerson) Phillips. She was the second of ten children, and the oldest daughter. Iola’s father was a Baptist pastor of a rural church. Joshua had little formal education but was considered well-educated for that era and area. As a hobby he wrote fictional stories in beautiful Spencerian Script. The stories featured young female missionaries who traveled to islands that were ruled by a queen. The missionaries all shared a name with his daughters.
These stories must have inspired Iola. From childhood she wished to become a missionary. Her poor eyesight prevented her being able to act on this dream, but not from sharing the Gospel. The family moved close to Mars Hill, NC during her childhood.
Her first teacher was Dr. Robert L. Moore, who would later become the president of Mars Hill College (now Mars Hill University). He stabilized the college after a long period of instability born from the Civil War that split families over supporting the Union or Confederacy. His personal faith and integrity marked him as an inspirational leader.
His strong Christian teaching had a great influence on Iola, reinforcing the teachings she received at home. At the age of 14, Iola started attending the North Carolina State School for the Blind in Raleigh. There she met her future husband, but it was far from easy. The boys and girls were strictly segregated.
One fall Iola was traveling by train to return for the school year. Along the way, she had a long layover at the Greensboro Railway Station. Other students were also at this station. She looked them over and chose to offer one of the apples she had picked from her grandfather’s tree to a totally blind boy named James. They wanted to keep their communication going. They connived to leave notes for each other in a reference book in Professor Royal’s classroom.
At the end of the school year in 1908, Iola decided to attend a YMCA meeting in Asheville as a representative instead of going home. After that, she would travel a little further west to Macon County to visit her classmate, Valley West. This brought her closer to James who lived in Clay County. James visited Iola at the West’s home. James had graduated already. He persuaded Iola to marry him rather than return to school. Part of his argument was Clay County had plenty of opportunities for missionary work.
Thus, on July 30, 1908 James and Iola Penland were married at Snow Hill Baptist Church. Reverend Curtis King, a first cousin of Iola’s father and pastor of First Baptist Church in Franklin, performed the ceremony.
Despite his blindness, James became a successful businessman. In 1917, he assisted with establishing the Clay County Telephone Company. He assembled the first switchboard for the county at his home. Iola and their seven children helped him operate it. The switchboard is on display at the Clay County Historical Museum.
In her early twenties, Iola underwent surgery. This drastically improved her vision. However, she became totally blind in her sixties.
James and Iola raised very successful children. They had five boys and two girls. Six of the seven children graduated from college. Like their father, they did well in their chosen occupations; Cecil (lawyer), Talmage (lawyer), Eugene (banker), Buford (chemical engineer), Phillip (employment security executive), Elvita (teacher and weather information specialist), and Robin (beautician).
Iola was very influential in Clay County. Gerry Koontz was quoted in THE STATE magazine of January 18, 1964 as follows, “In Hayesville, she organized the Sunbeams, a missionary society, the Royal Ambassadors, and taught Sunday School. She assisted in Sunday school build-up drive for the rural areas which was a state-wide operation. She helped with the devotions in the Parent Teacher Association that the first PTA president, Jim, organized.” With the Royal Ambassadors at Hayesville, Iola greatly enjoyed taking the boys to the Ridgecrest RA Camp.
In 1938, James was offered a job as the Rehabilitation Counselor with the State Commission for the Blind. This caused the family to move to Asheville. Iola quickly became involved in Inanda Baptist Church. She taught a Sunday school class and started a missionary society here as well. Of course, Royal Ambassadors was described as a chief interest of her life. Inanda Baptist soon had a thriving Royal Ambassadors chapter. Iola brought this group of boys to Truett Camp. Iola thoroughly enjoyed becoming part of the staff during these trips and teaching the Bible to children who attended. She continued these trips well into her 70s.
Later in life, Iola began attending West Asheville Baptist Church. She was active in Sunday school and would often deliver devotional talks when there was a special occasion.
Iola passed away on May 23, 1980, at the age of 93. She is buried next to her beloved husband, James, at Green Hills Cemetery in Asheville. Those who know her well have no doubt that her soul is with God.