Transcript | Annotation | Source: 89-4286-C-1(76-80)(PDF) | January 1978 Index
Guests were at the mission today, the foreign ministers and other Guyanese officials. They arrived about 9.30 and their arrival was announced from the gate. They conferred with Jim in the dining area and security personnel were on duty. Jim as usual gave the news of the day with special emphasis on the situation in Rhodesia over the loudspeakers at intervals. He exhorted the membership to clean up the grounds and be on their best behavior.
Worked approximately from 9.00 to 11.30 on journal entries, seeing which ones in journal were incomplete or on which I had only notes. Started systematically to fill in the missing pieces.
Had lunch.
Talked to Don Jackson who teaches English for high school and wanted some pointers. I asked him when would be convenient. He proposed I talk to all the junior high English teachers at once and we settled upon a kind of seminar tomorrow night at 11.00 in the pavilion as permission had already been given to teachers to stay up late to work.
Sat in on an English class taught by Jann Gurvich and Barbara Walker. They had given an interesting assignment. I thought it was too complicated and was not suficiently introduced and probably the follow-through was not sufficient. Barbara began to question my credentials, so I did not press it. But I made some comments to Jann. I also made a list of points I plan to cover with the junior high teachers and went through some of them with her. She proposed that the high school English teachers come also and Jann was very sleepy having been …
Talked to Rita Lennon (Tupper). She gave the family the Lennon name from his background. We discussed a number of the things that have occurred in the community since we had last seen each other, particularly Tim Stoen’s behavior. She said she had not been surprised.
Went to the machine shop and had them file down the prong in the key to my typewriter cord which doesn’t fit. I tested the typewriter and it seems to be satisfactory and the typewriter is undamaged from the trip.
Took a shower and rested for an hour.
No rain today
Went to dinner.
Went to the pavilion early to get a seat for the People’s Rally tonight, scheduled for 7.45. As in San Francisco, the seniors vie to get seats in the front.
When Jim came in, he first announced that Marcy’s cancer, which had been conclusively diagnosed twice was healed to the amazement of the doctors. This had cost him much effort. She will be with us in two weeks.
Agricultural Committee
The report from the Agricultural Committee was continued. First item was on the activities in the garden.
Danny Kutulas reported on bananas. The relative advisability of concentrating on bananas or cassava as human and stock feed was discussed.
Robert Gieg spoke on cassava.
Jim told the results of his meeting with the Guyanese officials. Points mentioned: How our group fit into the immigration policy of the government. They stated agriculture was our strong point. We were multi-racial. We have a variety of general skills. We integrate our people in that nation. Our leader’s abilities are extraordinary. He has a loyalty to the group which is returned. There is no sexism; no racism. The only drawback they see is that we could be a target for the CIA and we might accept an agent into our midst. We must watch everyone for any sign of capitalist behavior. The government is asking us to contact other cooperatives.
Two young men were on the floor for behavior: Marcus Anderson & John Gardener.
Jack Barron reported on peanuts, sorrel, sorghum and granadillas.
Becky Flowers on citrus.
Jeff Carey was brought up on not following through on a program he had promised to do; failure to do so is common with him.
Hazel Newell was on the floor for saying that her husband would be broken-hearted if we didn’t bring the child back. __ _ is some 5 or 6. __ __ __ __ it is clear the husband is an alcoholic who used all the family money he could get for liquor and not faithful to his wife. And has even made advances to one of his daughters. Jim was furious that she worried more about her husband’s feelings than her child’s welfare and safety.
None of the children wanted to return. Jim said they would not be sent back. He told Hazel if she would be firm, her husband would wish to come here.
Keith Wade was reported for saying he was not happy here and wished to return. He said he didn’t feel that way any more. Jim warned him of the treatment homosexuals received in the U.S. even death. I questioned his mother, Lu Ester Lewis, on her attitude as she seems unhappy. She said she hated the U.S. but had other problems. She rejected my query. Jim asked her if it was her daughter Sheila who concerned her (I knew Sheila left the group). She said yes.
Russ Moten reported on insecticides.
Mary Wotherspoon on the cassava milk.
Gene Chaikin on the nursery.
Phillip Blakey on tractors.
Vernetta Christian who had heard Jim asked to take a medical inventory reported difficulty because of professional jealousy. Jim denounced this and ordered that facility to proceed.
Pauline Groot was on the floor for unsatisfactory performance on the job she had previously refused to make use of her engineering knowledge for the collective and Jim dealt directly with her attitude. She had taken his time with a long, self pitying center, many members addressed her with their caustic comments. I told her I resented her because she drained our leader and was slowly killing him. Many, including Jim, agreed with me. I proposed she be put in isolation where she would not have paper to write complaints and could not communicate with people. Jim said that if assignment to the learning crew did not cure her, we might try some form of sensory deprivation.
A child who tried to strangle little Mary Wotherspoon was put on learning crew.
Jim was suffering intensely from a sore in his mouth as a result of much oral activity and all night answering the radio. He is often up most of the night answering on our radio. Other operators in North & South America are reached and Jim carries on public relations conversations, even gets offers of cash donations. Last night they talked to people in Alaska. He intended to put in some more time but the radio was reported dead.These connections are very important; we make friends and acquire a mailing list which can be very valuable to us.
The meeting ended about 1.30. I was in bed about 3.30.