"Promises of a Scientology World": an ex's story
- Thread starter Lulu Belle
- Start date
Alanzo
Bardo Tulpa
Tom Weeks -
I knew Ron, and Steve and Mary and many others at the St. Louis org at that time.
In fact, one of my best friends there at the time was the reason that Ron could not pay his rent, a fellow staff member named Barry.
Hah!
Excellent story!!
ED Peoria
December 1985 - December 1990
I knew Ron, and Steve and Mary and many others at the St. Louis org at that time.
In fact, one of my best friends there at the time was the reason that Ron could not pay his rent, a fellow staff member named Barry.
Hah!
Excellent story!!
ED Peoria
December 1985 - December 1990
MarkWI
Patron Meritorious
Very good story indeed.
May be dugg here:
http://digg.com/educational/Promises_of_a_Scientology_World/
M
May be dugg here:
http://digg.com/educational/Promises_of_a_Scientology_World/
M
Tom of Helatrobus
Patron Meritorious
Alanzo,
This is Tom Weeks aka Tom of Helatrobus (pretty cool name, huh?). Is it possible that your Barry and my Randy are the same person? It's been a long time and I'm not clear on some of the names. From what I heard, Randy eventually went to the Sea Org at FSO. Were you in the org at the time. How did you know Steve and Mary?
Part of me would like to get in touch with all those guys and another part of me is embarassed to have named them in the story (although I purposely omitted last names).
Tom
Alanzo
Bardo Tulpa
Helatrobus Tom -
I got into Scientology in 1984, and joined staff at the Peoria Mission in 1985. I became the Executive Director there and traveled to St Louis many times to train, and for "correction" as a staff member.
If I recall correctly, Steve and Mary were Sea Org members who were sent to the STL org because Mary got pregnant, just as Melanie and Craig had before them.
Barry was a friend of mine from Peoria who I had gotten in to Scientology. He was sent to St Louis to train full time to come back to Peoria and be our Course Supervisor. But Kay Rowe and Cat ripped him off and recruited him as staff in St Louis as their own Course sup while he was on the TTC.
Barry and Ron and Tris, the Flag Rep who blew a little before your time, I believe, all lived in a house together. Barry's name was on the lease and Tris and Ron paid Barry for the rent and utilities every month. One day, a few days after the rent was due, an eviction notice appeared on their door and it was revealed that Barry was spending their money on beer and cigarettes and gas money to drive back and forth to his parent's house in East Peoria - and not paying the rent or the utilities!
I don't know what he was thinking, like maybe he was going to get away with it or something. But it was quite the flap.
There was a whole lot more going on behind the scenes there than what Ron was representing to you to get you involved in Scientology. I'm a couple years away from it in my own story, if I ever get around to telling it.
In fact, I've come to realize that I saw all I needed to see, right there in the Midwest, in my first 5 years in Scientology, to know that Scientology was not what it said it was. But I still moved to LA anyway, and spent my next 11 years as a Scientologist, trying to make Scn work and be what it was supposed to be.
I think Barry is still on staff in St Louis, but I'm not sure. I know he was as of 5 years ago.
Remember Joe and Jackie? They were very cool. I always liked them.
You should just walk on in!
See if Barry is still there. Tell him "hi" for me.
Tell him to get on ESMB: It's where all the cool kids are!
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Kathy (ImOut)
Gold Meritorious Patron
Very good story.
Tom of Helatrobus
Patron Meritorious
Posted on Lermanet
Arnie Lerma posted the text on his site and posted the link on ARS. The site I was using was a free hosting site and couldn't handle the hits. Thanks, Arnie.
Tom
Arnie wrote:
http://www.lermanet.com/exit/myscientologystory.htm
does that help?
regards
Arnie Lerma
Arnie Lerma posted the text on his site and posted the link on ARS. The site I was using was a free hosting site and couldn't handle the hits. Thanks, Arnie.
Tom
Arnie wrote:
http://www.lermanet.com/exit/myscientologystory.htm
does that help?
regards
Arnie Lerma
Tom of Helatrobus
Patron Meritorious
I don't remember a Berry, what was his post? I was only there for a few months at the most and don't remember all the names.. Don't remember Joe or Jackie by name, but if I saw them, maybe I'd remember. If memory served Carla was the PES, is that who you mean by Cat?
Now the name Kay Rowe really rings a bell. I believe she joined the Sea Org before me and I met her in L.A.. I just realized that I uploaded an incomplete version of my story. In the complete version (which I will upload now) there is a section on how missionaires come to Denver (where I went after I blew) and tried to talk me into rejoining. One of those missionaires - I believe - might have been Kay Rowe and the other, for sure, was the wife of Dave Urban (who you wouldn't know unless you were in the Sea Org.)
I'll upload that new version ASAP. The new section called "The SeaOrg in Denver" would be after "Media Blitz!" and "A Girl with Real Problems."
I live in Denver now, but every now and then I take a trip to visit family in St. Louis. Maybe I will walk in on my next visit. If I see some one from those old days I'll grab them by the lapels, push them into a corner and say, "What the hell are you still doing here!"
Also I read your blog. It really took me back to all those feelings. And your descriptions of how Scientologist think is right on - or at least right on with mine. You wrote a line in there under FAMOUS IN HOLLYWOOD which read, "He's pulling me out the door now. I recognized it as "Tone 40" from one of my Upper TRs drills on my HQS course back home. Cool. I'm being 'Tone 40ed'. For real, even. Wow." I've been laughing about that line all day!
Classic and something only an ex-Scientologist can understand. Tom
Alanzo
Bardo Tulpa
Barry's post was Course sup for a while. Then he was put in Div 6. By 1990, I thought he was PES. But now that you mention it, I remember that Carla was PES by the time I left for LA in 1990.
Kaye Rowe was the CO of STL for a short time in the late 1980's. She was a real piece of work. I bumped in to her on and off throughout my time as a Scientologist, and it was rarely pleasant.
I know it. I can not imagine Barry still being on staff there. But he might be. I think Carla still is, and maybe even Robin, too.I'll upload that new version ASAP. The new section called "The SeaOrg in Denver" would be after "Media Blitz!" and "A Girl with Real Problems."
I live in Denver now, but every now and then I take a trip to visit family in St. Louis. Maybe I will walk in on my next visit. If I see some one from those old days I'll grab them by the lapels, push them into a corner and say, "What the hell are you still doing here!"
Ha!!Also I read your blog. It really took me back to all those feelings. And your descriptions of how Scientologist think is right on - or at least right on with mine. You wrote a line in there under FAMOUS IN HOLLYWOOD which read, "He's pulling me out the door now. I recognized it as "Tone 40" from one of my Upper TRs drills on my HQS course back home. Cool. I'm being 'Tone 40ed'. For real, even. Wow." I've been laughing about that line all day!
Tom
I wish I could go back to those days when I was still all wet behind the ears, and when Scientology was shiney and new to me...
And leave.
That way I wouldn't have wasted so much of my life as a Scientologist!
Tom of Helatrobus
Patron Meritorious
Some how, some way in this crazy universe, you have to get some credit for trying.
Anyhow I reposted my story with revisions at http://seaorg.wind.prohosting.com
That section where I suspect Kay Rowe of being in is near the end and is called SEA ORG IN DENVER. i remember the missionaire telling me she was connected to the St Louis org somehow.
Reading your blog, I think you might be interested in another piece I wrote at http://tomweeks.fire.prohosting.com
It goes into the new age and pseudo science aspects of Scientology.
Tom
Twin A
Patron with Honors
Tom and Alanzo,
I knew Mary and Steve when they were at the Gold/Int base in the early 80's before they had to leave (Mary was pregnant). I have a funny story about Mary that I thought you would appreciate since you met her and could maybe imagine this happening...
Around 1984, late '84 --Edgar Winter came out to Gold to record music for songs that LRH had written based on his books series Mission Earth. Edgar had been calling himself a Scientologist for a while, but I'd heard that all he had really done was read some books. He was not really a public at any org ever that I'm aware of. He'd helped on the Portland and LA Crusades as a performer at events to rally the protesters and so he was already warmed up to the idea of using his talents to help Scientology.
Edgar got a specially supervised Purification Rundown delivered to him, using a sauna and work out area on the North side of the Gold property called the "Clipper Ship". It was considered an LRH space and was maintained by the Household Unit. It got used for small crew partys, entertaining important guests, and as an office for Stephen Price, Gold's non-SO Chiropractor (later in the 90's), on the weekends. This helped to make Edgar an official Scientologist I guess.
Mary was in charge of the Music Dept. at Gold. The LRH Music Studio had been newly completed and it's maintenance and cleanliness was strictly supervised by CMO GOLD/HU staff daily. Mary had a problem. Both Edgar and his wife used cologne and perfume, and it was causing Mary to flunk inspections of the Music Studio. She was being threatened by the HU staff of getting her and her musicians kicked out of the studio.
Edgar created some other problems as well. He had his own opinions and was not an LRH robot. He'd argue about some of the music directions he'd been given, causing the musicians to record and mix different versions to make him happy. At one point, Edgar literally refused to do one song called "Teach Me" because it was too sexually suggestive. His refusal did end up getting sent all the way to LRH and LRH asked Edgar to listen to all the recent pop hits on the radio and compare it to LRH's song. Edgar did so and conceded that "Teach Me" was, in comparison, not so bad and agreed to record it. Mary was under the gun on that one, because somehow she should have known how to handle Edgar and not let the problem get all the way up to LRH.
Mary was being pressured from many areas, she had RTL (Michelle Yaeger, Ron's Traffic Liaison) on her case to get the Mission Earth songs submitted to LRH for approval on time and fully in compliance with LRH's directions for each song. Some of the directions were fairly complex. Plus Special Project Ops, or COB ASI (which were DM's job titles back then) wanting to be involved in every aspect of the project for quality control of recording, mixing, and the set up of the new equipment for all of this. Mary had young messengers and older messengers crawling around her making sure she didn't mess up the new LRH Music Studio which, back then, was really the first showpiece of the use of LRH's advices in construction methods, and his suggestions in design (Barry Stein had done the designs to LRH's suggestions and had them approved by LRH).
Since Edgar was on his Purif, he was easy to deal with in regards to using cologne. He didn't really care much about it. But Mary was getting tired of having to stay up all night to wash and air out the music studio just because Edgar's wife had walked in for two minutes... so Mary approached Edgar's wife...and she demanded that she 1) Stop wearing perfume or not enter the studio, and 2) That she let Mary have all her clothing washed and cleaned so that they wouldn't smell up the precious LRH Music studio.
I was not there to hear the conversation. I am told that Mary tried to be tactful and nice, but that the resentment she was feeling towards Edgar's wife for putting her in this bad position, had certainly come through in her voice.
Edgar's wife was furious, she felt that she had been treated quite disrespectfully. She had to get handled by the Chf LRH PRO (Jeanine Boyd at the time) and the Int LRH PPRO (don't remember who this was, might have been Rinder, he jumped on and off this job at different times) Reluctantly Edgar's wife agreed -- she stopped wearing her expensive perfumes and allowed all her clothing items, many of which were some extremely expensive unique boutique designer clothing made especially for her, to be washed.
Mary could not get them washed up at BV (LRH's house and laundry facility on the upper North side of the Gold property), using LRH's laundry facilities because the clothes were "too perfumy" and would contaminate the LRH space with evil perfume smells. The HU staff were not helpful to Mary on this problem. So Mary had them all hand-washed and air dried out by the Clipper Ship. Edgar's wife woke up one morning to see her clothing hang drying out by the Clipper Ship pool, all ruined. The colors destroyed, the material had shrunk. She was outraged. She had been told the were going to get dry cleaned in LRH's dry cleaning facility and they hadn't been. I think I heard the number $15,000 mentioned with regards to the amount of damage done.
Mary was removed from her post as the director of the Music Dept. and put on the decks. I don't remember what happened to her after that, I just remember how shell shocked she looked the day she was removed from her post. I could have sworn I heard her muttering to herself, "I can't f____ing believe this" as she walked past me on her way to the DPF unit.
I was confused by it all. I was a Messenger in CMO GOLD back then. I was never directly involved with the Music Dept., nor really with the Music Studio, but I had seen the clothing that had been ruined and they didn't look that bad to me. I could never imagine anyone owning or wearing a few outfits worth 15,000 dollars. I could not imagine anyone being so upset that a patch of jade material was now slightly bluer. It was hard for me to believe that Mary had met her match with Edgar's wife. Of all the things that Mary had going on, she had one of the hottest jobs at the Int base, what brought her down was expensive perfume, boutique designer clothing and the wife of an albino rock star. The VWDs from LRH on the songs she'd produced, the completed work on the set up of state of the art music recording and mixing lines in Gold under her, had given her no ethics protection.
When I think of Steve and Mary now, trying to deal with a struggling St. Louise Org, I figure they take it all in some kind of stride compared to what they had to deal with while in the SO.
Oh... Steve had a really hot spot too. He was in charge of PURL. LRH's Purchasing and Logistics Lines. Whenever LRH or the Household Unit wanted something, socks, flannel shirts, leg warmers, a specific specially made manual typewriter, the latest still camera film stock from Kodak, some special gidget for the darkroom -- Steve had to find it and get it within 24 hours. Anything past 24 hours of a request was considered "backlogged" and he'd lose stats every day it was in that condition. That was a hot seat too.
I knew Mary and Steve when they were at the Gold/Int base in the early 80's before they had to leave (Mary was pregnant). I have a funny story about Mary that I thought you would appreciate since you met her and could maybe imagine this happening...
Around 1984, late '84 --Edgar Winter came out to Gold to record music for songs that LRH had written based on his books series Mission Earth. Edgar had been calling himself a Scientologist for a while, but I'd heard that all he had really done was read some books. He was not really a public at any org ever that I'm aware of. He'd helped on the Portland and LA Crusades as a performer at events to rally the protesters and so he was already warmed up to the idea of using his talents to help Scientology.
Edgar got a specially supervised Purification Rundown delivered to him, using a sauna and work out area on the North side of the Gold property called the "Clipper Ship". It was considered an LRH space and was maintained by the Household Unit. It got used for small crew partys, entertaining important guests, and as an office for Stephen Price, Gold's non-SO Chiropractor (later in the 90's), on the weekends. This helped to make Edgar an official Scientologist I guess.
Mary was in charge of the Music Dept. at Gold. The LRH Music Studio had been newly completed and it's maintenance and cleanliness was strictly supervised by CMO GOLD/HU staff daily. Mary had a problem. Both Edgar and his wife used cologne and perfume, and it was causing Mary to flunk inspections of the Music Studio. She was being threatened by the HU staff of getting her and her musicians kicked out of the studio.
Edgar created some other problems as well. He had his own opinions and was not an LRH robot. He'd argue about some of the music directions he'd been given, causing the musicians to record and mix different versions to make him happy. At one point, Edgar literally refused to do one song called "Teach Me" because it was too sexually suggestive. His refusal did end up getting sent all the way to LRH and LRH asked Edgar to listen to all the recent pop hits on the radio and compare it to LRH's song. Edgar did so and conceded that "Teach Me" was, in comparison, not so bad and agreed to record it. Mary was under the gun on that one, because somehow she should have known how to handle Edgar and not let the problem get all the way up to LRH.
Mary was being pressured from many areas, she had RTL (Michelle Yaeger, Ron's Traffic Liaison) on her case to get the Mission Earth songs submitted to LRH for approval on time and fully in compliance with LRH's directions for each song. Some of the directions were fairly complex. Plus Special Project Ops, or COB ASI (which were DM's job titles back then) wanting to be involved in every aspect of the project for quality control of recording, mixing, and the set up of the new equipment for all of this. Mary had young messengers and older messengers crawling around her making sure she didn't mess up the new LRH Music Studio which, back then, was really the first showpiece of the use of LRH's advices in construction methods, and his suggestions in design (Barry Stein had done the designs to LRH's suggestions and had them approved by LRH).
Since Edgar was on his Purif, he was easy to deal with in regards to using cologne. He didn't really care much about it. But Mary was getting tired of having to stay up all night to wash and air out the music studio just because Edgar's wife had walked in for two minutes... so Mary approached Edgar's wife...and she demanded that she 1) Stop wearing perfume or not enter the studio, and 2) That she let Mary have all her clothing washed and cleaned so that they wouldn't smell up the precious LRH Music studio.
I was not there to hear the conversation. I am told that Mary tried to be tactful and nice, but that the resentment she was feeling towards Edgar's wife for putting her in this bad position, had certainly come through in her voice.
Edgar's wife was furious, she felt that she had been treated quite disrespectfully. She had to get handled by the Chf LRH PRO (Jeanine Boyd at the time) and the Int LRH PPRO (don't remember who this was, might have been Rinder, he jumped on and off this job at different times) Reluctantly Edgar's wife agreed -- she stopped wearing her expensive perfumes and allowed all her clothing items, many of which were some extremely expensive unique boutique designer clothing made especially for her, to be washed.
Mary could not get them washed up at BV (LRH's house and laundry facility on the upper North side of the Gold property), using LRH's laundry facilities because the clothes were "too perfumy" and would contaminate the LRH space with evil perfume smells. The HU staff were not helpful to Mary on this problem. So Mary had them all hand-washed and air dried out by the Clipper Ship. Edgar's wife woke up one morning to see her clothing hang drying out by the Clipper Ship pool, all ruined. The colors destroyed, the material had shrunk. She was outraged. She had been told the were going to get dry cleaned in LRH's dry cleaning facility and they hadn't been. I think I heard the number $15,000 mentioned with regards to the amount of damage done.
Mary was removed from her post as the director of the Music Dept. and put on the decks. I don't remember what happened to her after that, I just remember how shell shocked she looked the day she was removed from her post. I could have sworn I heard her muttering to herself, "I can't f____ing believe this" as she walked past me on her way to the DPF unit.
I was confused by it all. I was a Messenger in CMO GOLD back then. I was never directly involved with the Music Dept., nor really with the Music Studio, but I had seen the clothing that had been ruined and they didn't look that bad to me. I could never imagine anyone owning or wearing a few outfits worth 15,000 dollars. I could not imagine anyone being so upset that a patch of jade material was now slightly bluer. It was hard for me to believe that Mary had met her match with Edgar's wife. Of all the things that Mary had going on, she had one of the hottest jobs at the Int base, what brought her down was expensive perfume, boutique designer clothing and the wife of an albino rock star. The VWDs from LRH on the songs she'd produced, the completed work on the set up of state of the art music recording and mixing lines in Gold under her, had given her no ethics protection.
When I think of Steve and Mary now, trying to deal with a struggling St. Louise Org, I figure they take it all in some kind of stride compared to what they had to deal with while in the SO.
Oh... Steve had a really hot spot too. He was in charge of PURL. LRH's Purchasing and Logistics Lines. Whenever LRH or the Household Unit wanted something, socks, flannel shirts, leg warmers, a specific specially made manual typewriter, the latest still camera film stock from Kodak, some special gidget for the darkroom -- Steve had to find it and get it within 24 hours. Anything past 24 hours of a request was considered "backlogged" and he'd lose stats every day it was in that condition. That was a hot seat too.
Alanzo
Bardo Tulpa
Thanks, Twin A!
Mary told me a story about getting the new-style cans done for the New Mark Super VII that included lots of do-overs, many all nighters, and I think even an Indian or two.
Mary and I got along for the most part. And I always liked Steve.
But in the end, Mary and I had a falling-out over her application of some justice procedures to a situation in which I was intimately involved. To this day it still pisses me off.
Although now that I look at it, outside the cult, I wonder what the hell I ever expected her to do about it, anyway.
Anyway....
Thanks.
Mary told me a story about getting the new-style cans done for the New Mark Super VII that included lots of do-overs, many all nighters, and I think even an Indian or two.
Mary and I got along for the most part. And I always liked Steve.
But in the end, Mary and I had a falling-out over her application of some justice procedures to a situation in which I was intimately involved. To this day it still pisses me off.
Although now that I look at it, outside the cult, I wonder what the hell I ever expected her to do about it, anyway.
Anyway....
Thanks.
Wow, what a great story, Tom; welcome to esmb! You have a lot of writing talent, so I hope you'll post a lot more of your story. I'm just an anon, but I am lucky enough to live in Denver, and I saw you on the 15th, as well as "talking" with you a bit on the Enturbulation forum. 
I'm looking forward to reading your posts and getting to know you better, along with the rest of these way-cool people. Heck, you've already brought Alanzo out of semi-retirement, I see! 
I'm looking forward to reading your posts and getting to know you better, along with the rest of these way-cool people. Heck, you've already brought Alanzo out of semi-retirement, I see!
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Tom of Helatrobus
Patron Meritorious
Twin A, thanks for the background on Mary and Steve. All that I ever knew about them was that they had worked at Gold Base. I can totally see Mary behaving like that. She was a real type A personality. A friend in STL told me that they left the SO and started a company based on LRH tech.
That story reminds me of the big deal people used to make about perfumes and scented products in Scientology. I remember reading a policy on it from LRH, but in retrospect, of course it was stupid. I read some of Chuck Beatty's post, according to him scented products are making a comeback - since LRH is gone, who is there who would complain?
Curiosity: Thanks. I'll see you at the picket. I hope I can get the time off. There are so many really cool stories on this site. I can't even believe it. I understand your interest the Scientology movement. I'm interested in it too, but having been a Scientologist, I had to work from the inside out to get a true understanding. I had to get a real understanding, just to find out what the hell happened to me back then. Real science - as opposed to Scientology - has some real answers. I wrote some other piece on the psychology and new age aspects of Scientology if you are interested at http://tomweeks.fire.prohosting.com
That story reminds me of the big deal people used to make about perfumes and scented products in Scientology. I remember reading a policy on it from LRH, but in retrospect, of course it was stupid. I read some of Chuck Beatty's post, according to him scented products are making a comeback - since LRH is gone, who is there who would complain?
Curiosity: Thanks. I'll see you at the picket. I hope I can get the time off. There are so many really cool stories on this site. I can't even believe it. I understand your interest the Scientology movement. I'm interested in it too, but having been a Scientologist, I had to work from the inside out to get a true understanding. I had to get a real understanding, just to find out what the hell happened to me back then. Real science - as opposed to Scientology - has some real answers. I wrote some other piece on the psychology and new age aspects of Scientology if you are interested at http://tomweeks.fire.prohosting.com
From what you mentioned, it seems there is a chance I once knew you, but maybe missed you there by a few years. I had wondered about the fate of Michele Yaeger and Marc. Michele was always pretty nice. You mentioned Barry Stein who was known to me. I could list lots of them, but I'm sure I've forgotten most of their names.
I'll start a new post, or maybe find it mentioned in an older post, because I have a question about whether any of the training films that were made in Super 8 casettes were ever pirated. I'd love a copy of any or all of them. I was personally involved in just about all. But if I get too specific, it might reveal my ID and I don't plan to do that just now.
Back to what you said, I'm wondering if DM is how most people know David Miscavige or is that something others who never knew him picked up from those who did? I knew him long before he rose to power.
I'll start a new post, or maybe find it mentioned in an older post, because I have a question about whether any of the training films that were made in Super 8 casettes were ever pirated. I'd love a copy of any or all of them. I was personally involved in just about all. But if I get too specific, it might reveal my ID and I don't plan to do that just now.
Back to what you said, I'm wondering if DM is how most people know David Miscavige or is that something others who never knew him picked up from those who did? I knew him long before he rose to power.
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