This is from Seeker4, whom some of you may remember from H2O. Have been quiet for several months, and not even reading the boards. Too busy. But checked today, as Bill Bowen had been in touch and I heard the lawsuit had started.
Bill - sorry I haven't returned your call. Was in the Southwest when it came, and since I got back I've been out straight. I'll call later today. This has been on New Hampshire Public Radio already up here.
Loved that post on COs and DOs - brought back tons of memories. Best for me: I really liked and worked with a lot of good brothers over the years, but Terry Barnes (now pion. in Burlington, VT) and Frank Hans (now going blind and living with family in Texas) were among the best. Perhaps the best of all was Ray Hayes, now an elder in California, and a guy with a totally realistic view of the WTS.
But so many of the other names were familiar: Conti, JR Brown, Wes Benner, Dennis Raftopoulis, John Crispin, Angelo Catanzaro, Clayton Peace, Sam Hurd, Walden Chin, Henry Caspar, and tons more. There is a new CO - Joel Friedmann. How is he doing? I like Joel, but always a bit suspicious of these young anointed ones. And a lot of "little gods" out there - including some on that list - Angelo and Walden, for sure. And I remember Walden when he was a Bethelite hustling pay jobs on the side and pinching pretty sisters when he visited the congregations. Enjoyed his liquor as well. But then, that's no sin, eh?? Lots of strange bros., and the 'special diets' - what gives? Any of you out there ever have Claude Burkett serve as a CO-sub?? Great guy in some ways, but man, what a nazi he could be!
Paul Illingworth - was a friend at one time, and we worked together at several DCs. But the comment about being full of himself - dead on. Loved those talks on the 'greek words.' Appealed to the pseudo-intellectuals among us, for sure!
Two of the worst, and there were lots of really poor traveling brothers, were Clayton Peace and Wade Paine. Wade is just a sad example of all that is wrong with this arrangement - from insulting the friends from the platform to weird little seating practices at the meetings for field service. There was another terrible brother who served in Vermont in the early 70's, just a complete jerk at times, but I can't remember his name. But with all these men I also remember other things - like Clayton really took a liking to me when I was a kid (and he hated kids), that Wade was really sympathetic when we were dealing with a serious issue, and the brother that was a total jerk in the 70's really helped my wife when she had to stop pioneering because she was pregnant with our second baby. But I think we all remember that there was both good and bad stuff.
This is also a quick shout out to some of the new folks on the board who may be from the New England area, like Zev. Drop me a line at the email address.
SilentLambs - good job. Max - love your posts. How's your sons career going? Tina, UB, Alan - miss you. I was actually in Colorado in July - but not for long.
Mulan - remember those emails we exchanged about reconnecting with an old friend? Well, I did. This has been an amazing year.
Please feel free to drop a line, anyone who remembers me.
S4