Edith Roller – March 13, 1976 – Saturday

  Transcript | Annotation | Source: 89-4286-C-2-A-7-42-45 (PDF) | Month Index


The buses got to Buttonwillow about 8.00 and we had a long break as repairs had to be made to one bus.  It was a warm, sunny day.

I ran, washed, and ate my food.  Talked to Pat Keeler, formerly Elaine, about changing her name legally. She told me about her early life.  She hated her father and mother, ran away from home, was committed by her mother to a mental hospital where she stayed from age 13 to 24, was mistreated by the black inmates which caused her to hate her own race.  When she came to the Temple she at first only associated with whites until she realized she was the only black among 18 whites in a commune and saw the absurdity.

Told several people about my raise including Joyce Shaw, Sharon Amos, and Lisa Layton.  Joyce thought the salary is very good.  We also discussed the philosophy behind the word processing center at Bechtel’s and Bechtel’s alleged complicity with Arab discrimination.

I read the Marchetti and Marks book [Marchetti, Victor and Marks, John D. The CIA and the Cult of Intelligence. New York: Dell Publishing, 1975] on the CIA for about an hour.

Slept the rest of the time until we arrived in LA.  We stopped to fuel up the buses before going to the Temple, the first time I have known them to do this.

We were late. Arrived at 1.10.

I changed clothes. No light in the bathroom.

Didn’t get into service until 2.30.

Johnny Brown took an offering.

Mother came out to preside over the meeting.  Said Father was looking after the Family’s interests in the p.l.

Elihue Dennis testified , grateful Jim got him out of jail.

Mother told how Father got Marie Lawrence released.  We wouldn’t individually have had the money but even if we had we wouldn’t have the power.

Mother announced Jim’s appointment to the Human Rights Commission in SF.  After testimonials, Mother took the offering again.

The LA young people performed an African Dance.

Choir sang.

Mother expressed her devotion and loyalty to Jim.

Tape of former sermon of Jim.  Mother stopped it in the middle and took a third offering, then continued the tape.

Teeth wiring choir.  Herb Caen wrote about it in his column.  KGO wants choir to sing for them.

Mother announced that $1000,which Father said was here, had to be raised and she started a count down.  She got $700 of it but became impatient at the slow process of extracting it and quit at this.

Revelations from Jim were given,

The congregation filed by to touch Jim’s picture and robe.

The meeting was dismissed about 6.00.

Beulah’s husband took us home.

For dinner Beulah gave me liver, rice, and gravy and a small slice of cake.

Beulah had experienced further tragic events with the Malone child.  The 17 year old had escaped from custody and came to her for refuge.  She didn’t have the heart to turn him in.  She fed him and let him sleep in the garage, expecting the police to come for him any minute.  They had an argument because he refused to walk a few blocks to the store.  He left and very shortly the police picked him up for stealing.  The 15-year-old girl had become enraged at her mother and in the family’s absence had smashed all the windows in the house.  She was taken by the juvenile authorities.  Beulah said Donna stayed on the street, smoking and selling marijuana and stealing, neither girl attended school.

I sat in bed and tried to read the CIA book, but was too sleepy to get far.

The two younger Malone children were brought over to Beulah, as they can’t stay in the house.

I went to sleep about 11.00.