SHWA SUZANNE WILKINS to LOWELL THOMAS

New York, NY., July 18, 1960

Dear Lowell,

I wonder if I can bother you a few minutes to look this matter over, as it seems to be urgent as far as the protagonists are concerned. It is not, as far as I am concerned. I am glad for Mr. Sherman to do well, but I feel that financially this is not good at all to me. . . .

The question is for you to see if it interferes with any future plans you might conceivably have. I have thought it all out but shall not belabor you with all that I think about it.

To brief you on the background of it all I enclose some of the recent correspondence concerning all this.

Mr. Sherman wrote, as you can see, on July 8 urging me to sign away my half of the Thoughts Through Space book, for a sum I consider peanuts. . . . No doubt Sherman will do well writing the script, which is a separate deal, something from which I will be “included out.” Then it could be sold to a third or fourth party maybe, and I’d have no say.

I also anticipate that any such TV film or movie might easily wait for your book on Wilkins and then be released to ride on such publicity and acclaim. I am not being harsh, just realistic. It is nothing against anyone personally. That is good business. But not for me, and maybe not for you. You might have no special interest in the ESP aspect of the Soviet Search, might even not need it. Hubert’s report on the Soviet Search itself is a book, without mentioning the side issue of ESP with Sherman. Of course, Sherman jumped at the opportunity to release his half of it for your use. I don’t blame him at all. I wouldn’t want to prevent it. But the further use of it for you and a movie (I hope) of your making might be killed. I may be wrong.

Obviously the names of Wilkins-Thomas or Thomas-Wilkins associated in this particular aspect would be more valuable than Wilkins-Sherman. The contract we signed might be contravened in any case if I were to sign this away without consulting you, even if I liked the money, which I don’t. If you said it was all right I’d still want a different contract with Tors than this. There are lots of questions I could ask.

Sherman has to have an answer of course, and soon. . . . I don’t know why the publisher comes in for a third. I’d like to see HW’s agreement to that, and would the publisher then want to have an interest in your book? You might decide to drop the ESP aspect of it, in that case. The publisher might not give his release as readily as Sherman did, and it might come as an unexpected surprise to hear from Master.

I’d like to hear what you think anyway.

Cordially,
Suzanne

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HMSA HAROLD SHERMAN to SUZANNE WILKINS

Hollywood, Ca., July 20, 1960

Dear Suzanne,

. . . I read the contract through once, before sending it, and regarded many of the paragraphs as the usual standardized junk that lawyers working for a big fee stick in, to make the job look bigger. However, I have now read the “fine” print, and the contract is not acceptable. Sit tight while I get direct to Tors, who is disgusted with his own lawyers. . . .

Tors is ready to go ahead as soon as the rights are purchased. He is not paying much, it is true, but we do not have a subject that appeals to a wide range of producers, and Tors is one of the few with the know-how to do the kind of job we would approve. . . .

Sincerely,
Harold

P.S. I would be relieved if Lowell Thomas cuts out the Urantia reference and deals exclusively with our Thoughts Through Space material. I don’t know where they got the Urantia info. I am skeptical of some of it. Will give you the inside story some day!

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HMSA HAROLD SHERMAN to SUZANNE WILKINS

Hollywood, Ca., August 2, 1960

Dear Suzanne,

Here, at last, are the revised contracts, in more simplified form and much more specific pertaining to what we are selling to Ivan Tors, and what we are to get in return. . . . Please sign these contracts and get them back to me as promptly as possible.

I am presenting a Course on ESP starting at the Ambassador tomorrow. Folder enclosed. . . .

Sincerely,
Harold

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HMSA DIARY of HAROLD and MARTHA SHERMAN

Hollywood, Ca., August 4, 1960

This night Bob and Ruth Burton attended Harold’s class at the Ambassador and seemed quite impressed. They were visiting their relatives in Pasadena on an annual trip and had a bite with us following the lecture. They had little to report on the Urantia activities, saying that the going was slow. Bob had prepared a one-page statement on the Urantia Book which he is passing out and Ruth is doing some teaching at 533.

Dr. Sadler’s health apparently remains good and he is still doing instructing, as is Bill. Leone still remains at 533 and is presumably on good terms with Bill’s second wife. Both Kelloggs are now dead, Mr. Kellogg preceding by some five months [sic = years].

The one item of unusual news was that the Cayce Foundation had published a report on the origin of the Urantia Book which had caused Dr. Sadler to decide to write and publish his own version of what had happened. This is something Harold had advised at the start.

The Burtons presented us with a new jacket for the Urantia Book. On this jacket it says, Para 4, back flap, Urantia is a book about the gospel of Jesus, not about Jesus. (This emphasizes what we have contended—the Jesus papers should not have been included in the Book and that the date of 1934 still stands before the Jesus papers were received.)

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UBH MARIAN ROWLEY to MEREDITH SPRUNGER

Chicago, Il., August 10, 1960

Dear Meredith,

Doctor gave me your letter of August 3 with the proposed talk for Oklahoma City and I have just read it. I think it’s terrific. Exactly what I had hoped you would do. I especially like the way you have pinpointed the various types and their reactions and your following up the Domestic Extension Committee statement.

I have just one suggestion—perhaps one small addition. At the bottom of page 4, “There is ample evidence that significant developments,” etc. You might emphasize a little more that even now things are happening, although they are happening so quietly that most people don’t know or realize what’s going on. The letters and phone calls we get at headquarters make me conscious of it, but I think anyone away from Chicago would not be. This is the type of thing I try to get across in my reports to the First Society on Sunday, but perhaps I’m not too successful. And it’s difficult to get it across to those outside the city. About the only way is the Quarterly News Letter and I’m hesitant about broadcasting some of these contacts in print. Somehow I feel it’s an invasion of privacy. As you’ve noticed, occasionally we’ve used quotes from letters without identifying people. This seems to be very popular. People tell us it makes the letters more interesting.

If you have any ideas on how we can get these things across to the local Societies, I’d appreciate them. Perhaps I could write letters to each of the secretaries periodically, reporting on these things, similar to the type of thing I’m writing up for you. Surely it would make them more conscious of what’s going on at headquarters and they won’t think we’re just sitting twiddling our thumbs, as I’m sure Oklahoma feels. Perhaps I could send a monthly letter—just a friendly, chatty one about what’s going on—just to the Societies. Of course some of it would be rehashed in the Quarterly News Letter, but they could probably stand a repeat. The letter goes to a very large list, many of whom are complete strangers to us, so it must be more circumspect and formal. You might sound out Oklahoma and see how they feel about this. I do know they all feel we aren’t communicating very well and this idea just occurred to me this morning.

One of the things I would like to have you do while there is to try to find out from them exactly what they want from us. What would they do if they were in our place? And I’d like really thoughtful answers—not just top-of-the-head stuff on the spur of the moment. You might try to get something.

We had a letter yesterday from a man in Cocoa, Florida. We know there’s been some interest there lately, but we didn’t know just what. He wrote that several of them have been studying the Book and he has been contacted several times recently by God (never before), who told him that Michael will make his second appearance on Urantia at Cocoa on October 7. The exact time and place will be announced by Melchizedek, who will appear in Taylor Park, Cocoa, at 2:00 p.m. September 1! God also told him to let us know so that we could let everyone on our lists know. In the meantime, Immanuel is in charge on this planet. He signed his “cosmically given name”—Mala. No other name or street address, so we couldn’t answer, even if we wanted to. It makes me shudder. This probably kills the Book for any serious consideration in Cocoa. Thank heaven for people like you.

I’m enclosing with this letter a list of some of the people you may meet. These are mostly the ones I met when I was there two years ago in September. Some of them probably won’t be there and there will be new ones. But I thought it might be helpful to be familiar with a few names and backgrounds.

Now that we are getting down to actual arrangements I think it will be more practical for you to make them with Berkeley Elliott, the secretary. . . . They will probably reserve a meeting room in the Skirvin Hotel for all of Saturday. . . . Would you like us to send you an advance before you leave?. . .

Sincerely,
Marian

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UBH REPORT on OKLAHOMA SOCIETY OFFICERS

From Marian Rowley for Meredith Sprunger

August 10, 1960

President—Clyde Goodman
Vice President—Van Butler
Secretary—Berkeley Elliott (Miss)
Treasurer—Helen Butler (Mrs. Van)

• I haven’t met Clyde Goodman. If he’s married, I’ve never heard of his wife. I don’t think he is. Berkeley Elliott works in his office and I believe they’re together a great deal outside the office. Berkeley is not particularly pretty, but an awfully nice gal. She is probably the best real student of the Book in the group.
• Van and Helen Butler have both been in the group from the start. I just barely met Van when I was there two years ago, but I did spend a little time with Helen. She has a couple of sisters who were interested at that time—one was Edna Eck, can’t remember the other. Both Van and Helen were in Chicago last fall for a weekend with Berkeley Elliott and Mary Kathryn Grisso and spent quite a lot of time with Doctor and Christy and Leone. I was on vacation so didn’t see them at that time but they attended a Sunday meeting and so met quite a few of our crowd. Helen works for the Salyer Refining Co. You will remember that Salyer started this group originally and then pulled out. I don’t know what Van does.
• Another couple that I know and like very much are Bill and Mary Kathryn Grisso. He was president of the Society for the first couple of years. They were both in Chicago last August (a year ago) and spent quite a lot of time with Doctor, Christy, and Leone, and me. I had lunch with them a couple of times and spent an evening with them at 533 with the Sadlers. I like them both very much, and I think you will too. They also have been in the group from the start. They had such a good time here in August that Mary Kathryn came back a couple of months later with the other group. Bill owns (or runs) a cemetery, I believe, but I think he has other interests too.
• Mrs. Wilma McManus is a good friend of mine and I hope she’s there when you are. She travels a good deal and I think is in Norway now. She’s one of the original group—worked with Rev. Salyer in getting the thing started, I believe. She’s a retired business woman, apparently has quite a lot of money. She used to work with Earl Baker, an elderly, wealthy man who is also in the group. I’m not sure he and his wife are active now. Wilma’s husband died long ago.
• Dr. Goldia Young is another friend of mine, a chiropractor. I think she’s also a widow, but I’m not sure. She was the treasurer up to last year. She and Wilma chauffeured me around so I had a chance to talk to them a little more than the others and liked both of them very much.
• There’s also a J. B. Laughton and his wife. He was vice-president last year.

I liked all the ones I met. Hope you do too. They’re a very friendly, down-to-earth bunch.

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HMSA HAROLD SHERMAN to VINCENT BURANELLI

Hollywood, August 13, 1960

Dear Mr. Buranelli:

I have heard from Lady Wilkins that the Urantia material has been deleted from the chapter on our telepathic experiments.

I am relieved that this has been done because I am completely familiar with the Urantia development and the book which grew out of it. There is some remarkable material in it—but also material which I cannot endorse—and my association with it would not have been happy or desirable.

I hope, in the removing of this material, that you were able to take other authentic material from the book, Thoughts Through Space, and some of Wilkins’ own statements to give this part of his life interests proper representation.

Winston Ross, who told me he is acting as Lady Wilkins’ secretary, over the phone, also informed me that Lowell Thomas’ lawyers were looking over the contract Ivan Tors had submitted for purchase of the dramatic rights to “Thoughts Through Space.”

At this distance, it was difficult for me to understand why Thomas should be concerned with our contract. I had granted, without request for compensation, reference to our telepathic work in a chapter in the Thomas book, and have given my full co-operation. It would seem to me that the making of a feature picture dealing with this ONE phase of Wilkins’ life would enormously help the Thomas book as well as Thoughts Through Space.

Tors is eager to get going on this project and if the contracts are delayed much longer, he will have to take the picture off his schedule. If you can keep this matter from being held up—I will appreciate it.

Please send me the FINAL draft of the chapter on our Wilkins-Sherman telepathic experiments, as revised without the Urantia references.

Do you know anything more definite relative to publication plans for the book?

Thank you for your attention to these details.
All good wishes!
Sincerely,
Harold Sherman

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UBH MEREDITH SPRUNGER to MARIAN ROWLEY

Fort Wayne, In., August 14, 1960

Dear Marian,

Thank you for your helpful comments on my proposed talk for Oklahoma City; I think it is an excellent idea to include a reference to present developments. It would seem to me that it is quite important for the Societies—and maybe some study groups—to receive an informal monthly news letter such as you suggest (and I would appreciate it too).

Will be glad to see what suggestions the Oklahoma Society has regarding communications with or services from the Chicago office. Thank you for introducing us to some of the Oklahoma people. We are looking forward to meeting them.

After getting quotations on train and air transportation, I think we will drive—it’s cheaper! Irene is planning to come along but our plans are not complete at present. I think we can temporarily swing the finances—we’ll send you an account of our expenses when we return.

The Cocoa, Fla., letter is a bit disturbing (and interesting—I have encountered several such individuals in my pastoral experience) but I guess we can expect all kinds of contacts. Such “oddities” are probably easier to deal with than some of the more rational people we may encounter. . . .

Best wishes and thank you for your help.

Sincerely,
Meredith

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HMSA SUZANNE WILKINS to HAROLD SHERMAN

New York, N.Y., August 18, 1960

Dear Harold,

I envy you your ability to act as your own attorney in all these complicated matters. . . . The fact that you said, on reading the first contract a second time, that it wouldn’t do, and I could hardly tell the difference between the first and second anyway, being so unskilled in these matters, made me [turn] the second one over to Lowell Thomas, who in turn explained he understood little about them. So I went to Mr. Dickler, his attorney. The reason for that was that having signed one agreement with Mr. Thomas that gives him exclusive rights to Wilkins’s material and its future use, I did not want to rush into anything that might conflict.

In other words, just as you gave him clearance for your half of Thoughts Through Space so did I for my half. If you had not given your consent, as I did, I don’t suppose he would have been able to make use of it. As it is, even without it, the book is huge and the publisher may, for all I know, not use that chapter. A great deal has been cut, including my chapter. . . .

Finally a letter came from Mr. Dickler, advising me that I may not be in a position to sign the Tors contract because—and then there followed more than twenty-five words. . . . I anticipate no trouble from either coast, because it will be so simple to negotiate this matter easily enough by communicating with Mr. Dickler, telling him the terms of contracts with various publishers and sending him a copy of your agreement with Wilkins, if you have it in writing. He is not acting as my attorney, you understand, but as Lowell Thomas’s. . . . I do suggest you contact him. I am sure it will work out.

Best regards,
Suzanne

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HMSA VINCENT BURANELLI to HAROLD SHERMAN

New York, August 23, 1960

Dear Mr. Sherman:

The delay in answering your letter is due to my attempt to find answers to the questions you asked.

As far as the contract with Lady Wilkins is concerned, that decision came from Mr. Dickler, who you no doubt know is Mr. Thomas’ lawyer. I myself have nothing to do with it, and am merely passing on to you what I have heard.

What does concern me is that there is now some talk of dropping the chapter on mental telepathy. I think it will be a great pity if this happens, as the experiments strike me as being both remarkable and dramatic. Again, however, the decision will not be mine.

I am unable to send you this chapter of the book as all the copies are under examination. I can tell you that the only thing we did was take out the Urantia reference, adding nothing except the few words necessary to bridge the gap.

As far as I know, the book is still destined for Rinehart, although McGraw-Hill has been mentioned as a possibility.

I am sorry not to be more helpful, but that is all I know about this book and the circumstances under which it is being produced.

Sincerely yours,
Vincent Buranelli

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HMSA HAROLD SHERMAN to SUZANNE WILKINS

Hollywood, Ca., August 31, 1960

Dear Suzanne,

I have placed the Thoughts Through Space deal with Ivan Tors in the hands of Mitchell J. Hamilburg, one of the finest agents in show business.

Mitch Hamilburg is flying to New York and will be there Sunday, September 11. I have given him your address and phone number. He will be calling you. . . . please get all copies of the last contract in your possession and hold them for his arrival. He has a copy of this contract which he is studying, and will talk to you about it. . . . Mr. Hamilburg has represented me before, in different matters. You can check on him. He is tops.

Keep in touch. Best to you!

Sincerely,
Harold

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UBH REPORT on ACTIVITIES at HEADQUARTERS

From Marian Rowley, Secretary-General

Chicago, Il., August 31, 1960

Book sales are holding up—in fact, are improving slowly. We are averaging better than one a day now. Sales for this year by months:

• January, 37
• February, 23
• March, 31
• April, 54
• May, 43
• June, 27
• July, 43
• August, 47

Total = 305

Figures on bookstore sales for 1959: Foreign—five stores, one each in five cities, in four countries—England, Switzerland, Australia, and Egypt. In the United States, we sold through 43 stores and mail-order establishments. These were located in 29 cities in 14 states—for a total of 244 Books, more than half of all the Books sold in 1959.

The greatest concentration, as might be expected, was in California (60 Books through seven stores), Illinois (41 books through eight stores), and New York (34 Books through eight stores). Another heavy purchaser is a mail order business in Minnesota—37 books in 1959. Two of the New York contacts also do a big mail order business—so the books are going out into many places we are not aware of. These figures do not include the bulk shipments to Societies and study groups. A great many books have gone to Australia to one person who is selling them, and of course Los Angeles, Oklahoma, and Glenview have all had bulk shipments.

* * *

Study groups are springing up spontaneously and there are probably many about which we know nothing. A year ago a woman from Fort Worth came into the office and told us that there was a study group in Fort Worth and they wanted a little help. A few weeks ago the young man came into the office to buy a Book and told us that there was a group of young people in Elgin who were studying the Book. He had heard of the Book through a friend who had visited in Oklahoma City and learned of it through the father of a girl he had met! There is also a group underway in Houston. This came about through Early Spiars—another direct result of Oklahoma City’s activity.

* * *

The first Book review (that we know of) appeared in the June issue of Chimes—a Spiritualist monthly magazine, claiming a circulation of 10,000. It was quite short, consisting mainly of a paragraph from page one of the Book and listing several of the headings from the back page of the paper jacket. It also offered to send the brochure “Excerpts” to anyone requesting. At the time they sent us the review they ordered three Books and asked for brochures. We sent a small supply. After quite a long time they ordered three more Books and asked for another supply of brochures. But apparently the results of the review were not world-shaking.

* * *

We recently received from an associate of Lowell Thomas a copy of one chapter of a forthcoming book about Sir Hubert Wilkins, which contained a paragraph or two about the Urantia Book and the Urantia organization. We were asked to approve this mention. Dr. Sadler replied that the item itself was fine, but asked that it be removed from the chapter in which it had been placed, since the Urantia Book had no connection at all with mind reading and ESP, which was the theme of the chapter. He suggested that it be moved to some other location in the book. We have heard nothing more.

* * *

A gentleman in the Hague, Netherlands,⁶ asked for a free reading copy of the Book. He said he had published a number of books of this type and mentioned Alice Bailey and Ouspensky, and one of his correspondents thought he might wish to publish this one in Dutch. A copy was sent immediately.

* * *

A letter was received from Hamid Bey,⁷ who is apparently the head of the Coptic Association in America, stating that he had almost finished the Book and would be interested in circularizing his 100,000 followers and asking for any literature we might have. One copy of the Brochure was sent him with a letter asking for information about his organization, but nothing more has been heard from him.

* * *

The number of Books have been placed in public libraries and in college libraries both by the Brotherhood and by individuals. We have evidence that many of these Books are being seen and read. We keep getting letters from people who have found the Book in a library and want more information or want to have their own copy. We’re hoping to get more Books into libraries, and are keeping a list of the libraries at headquarters. We would appreciate knowing of any libraries where it has been placed by individuals.

* * *

Some of the members of the West Coast Urantia Society are holding study group meetings every other Thursday evening in West Los Angeles. Their meetings are well attended and are set up so that several different people take part. The subjects are assigned well in advance. The members have done an excellent job of interesting new people and many of these people come to the meetings and take part, even though they are not yet members of the Society.

Jim Mills, vice president of the Urantia Brotherhood, was in Los Angeles Saturday, August 13, and held two meetings with the group at the Steens’ home in Pasadena. Twenty-five members of the Society and the study group were present and the secretary reported that the meetings were most inspirational and successful.

* * *

Jacques Weiss, the French translator, arrived from Paris the afternoon of Sunday, August 21, and was presented at the birthday meeting at 533 Diversey that evening. Christy, Leone, and Dr. Sadler read appropriate excerpts from the Book. After the meeting was concluded, Doctor introduced Mr. Weiss who told briefly how he happened to receive the Book (it was sent to him by an old-time Forum member, Caroline Brown), how he put it aside for several months thinking he would never read it because it was too big, how he finally started it and was “caught.” He has done all of the translation himself in longhand in notebooks. All of the first three parts have now been typed and are being checked by a man who has been hired by the Foundation. Mr. Weiss is here for two weeks to work out the contract for French publication with the Trustees of the Foundation. He is a charming, friendly person and a very spiritually minded man. Everyone who has met him likes him very much.

* * *

A recent letter from the Washington Saucer Intelligence told us that the writer was most enthusiastic about the Urantia Book and wanted to take on a sales agency for us. He was sure he could sell a lot of Books as he traveled around the country a great deal lecturing on the new space age. We set forth the conditions for acting as a vendor and just last week heard from him again. He was to conduct a space age convention in California and wanted some brochures, and he will also be attending a similar convention here in Chicago September 2, 3, and 4, and wanted to meet us. He thought we would probably be at their convention in the Hamilton Hotel. Then came a letter from Topeka, stating that the man and his wife had just finished reading the Urantia Book, were very enthusiastic, wanted to start some study groups, and would be attending the Saucer convention in Chicago and wanted to come to our office to meet us. They thought we might be at the convention and hoped that we might be scheduled to have a part in the program. But if we didn’t have a part in it, they suggested that they might get a group together and we could appoint a speaker to talk to them.

I replied to both letters saying we would be very glad to have them visit our office and to meet them, and suggested that they call for an appointment sometime over the weekend. I emphasized that it would be an informal discussion, not a formal meeting. If it’s Saturday or Sunday I’ll be the only one around to talk to them. The point I shall try to make very clear to them is that the Urantia Book is a book on religion, a revelation intended to enlarge our cosmic viewpoint and to show us that we are only a small part of a very large universe; that the main theme of the Book is the Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man, and the whole thing leads up to an enlargement and enhancement of the life and teachings of Jesus. The Urantia Book has nothing to do with spaceships or saucers. It does not validate them, it does not disprove them, it simply takes no notice of them. Any study groups which are formed must not be integrated with space age groups. As a group, our business is solely religion, that any individual may become involved in any outside activity—and I’ll read the quotation along this line. We’ll encourage study groups and help them in all ways possible if they keep the study on the Urantia Book. I may be able to give you a progress report on this after the conference.

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UBH MARIAN ROWLEY to MEREDITH SPRUNGER

Chicago, Il., September 1, 1960

Dear Meredith,

Hope you had a good vacation and good weather. Glad to hear from your letter of August 14 that Irene is going with you. . . .

Here are the things that I promised to send you. Use and edit as much or as little the “Activities” [see previous] as you want. They’re just notes of things I thought might interest outsiders.

I think I’ve included everything on the list of material available and I think you know what all the different items are. The ones you might not know: “The Suggestions for Presenting the U.B.” is a mimeograph thing, a couple of sheets, made up by Bill and one or two other people when the Book first came out. I just found some extra copies the other day so I put it on the list. “The Fundamentals of the Papers” (cosmography, etc.) is the old set of mimeographed sheets which Bill made up long ago with the maps, family trees, organization charts, and so on. I’m sure you have an old set as you reproduced part of it. I am having a lot of copies made up so we’ll have them available. Bill did a very good job on that and we need it for new people. The revised version which Bill is working on may not be ready for years. The “Outline of General Organization” is the list of titles of the papers grouped and classified into an outline. Bill made it up originally and I used it to teach a class on a Wednesday night a couple of years ago. I’m pretty sure you have one.

If there’s anything more you need or want, please let me know. Good luck and have fun!

Cordially,
Marian

ADDED PERSONAL NOTE

Meredith,

I’m a little worried about getting mixed up with saucer people. As a rule, they’re such fanatics and screwballs, though not all. I don’t know where you stand on saucers, but because of my belief in the Urantia Book, I simply can’t believe that humans from other worlds are visiting us. It isn’t logical and I don’t believe it would be permitted. You remember at the beginning of Paper 72 they say it is most unusual for one world to be permitted to know what is going on on another. And if humans visited back and forth imagine the mix-up in cultures and perhaps even in races! Also, although they do say that there are three other spheres in our solar system which might be suitable for life, they don’t say there is life on them. They do say if Venus were inhabited, the people would be superbreathers, if Mars were inhabited, they would be sub-breathers, and if the Moon, non-breathers. But they don’t say any of them are. We are mid-breathers. If any of those other kinds visited here, I don’t see how they could exist in our atmosphere. They do say there are non-breathers in close proximity, which might mean the Moon, but I doubt it very much. Whatever the UFO are, I just can’t believe they’re human visitors. Does my stand make any sense to you? This is just my personal opinion so I’m making it separate from my report.

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UBH MARIAN ROWLEY to MEREDITH SPRUNGER

September 3, 1960

Dear Meredith,

Last night I had the interview with the two spaceship men, Wayne Aho and Harry Fleenor. They did not know each other before attending the convention. We had only about an hour together so we couldn’t cover much.

Aho was more interested in telling me about the spaceships and the people who come here and what they have told him (and others), and how Jesus has talked to him and how he knows what’s going to happen in the next twenty years, than he was in asking questions about the Urantia Book. In fact, he asked no questions. He is completely dedicated to his work, travels and lectures constantly on the space age, and is working hard to prepare the planet for Jesus’ second coming, which he says will be sometime in the next twenty years. I didn’t dare tell him someone else says it’s going to be October 7! I believe he really is spiritually-minded, but mixed up.

He has not read the Book—only parts of it here and there—but those parts agree with his beliefs and he’s enthusiastically recommending it to his audiences. I told him that many of the things he believed in were not in accord with the teachings of the Book, and urged him most strongly to read it through so he would know what it really said. He claims he hasn’t time—it would take three years. He said in his lecturing he has come across people who agree with him and know what he’s talking about because they know something about the Urantia Book. He mentioned two in Oklahoma City, one named Craven and the other a real estate man, whose name he couldn’t remember.

Fleenor is also interested in the spaceship thing, but not in the dedicated way that Aho is. He claims he’s read every word of the Urantia Book and from his very pertinent comments, I believe he has. He agreed with me that many of the things in the book did not agree with Aho’s views and also urged him to read the whole book. I’m sure he’s more open-minded. I emphasized to both men that the Brotherhood was not now and must not be connected with any organization, that we were concerned only with religion and must stand alone, and I read them my supporting quotes on pages 1087 and 1089. They understood and agreed and did not seem antagonized. Fleenor asked the usual questions about origin, money, and so on, and was satisfied with my answers and did not push the point of origin.

They both bought more Books and left on a very friendly note. So, one more interview behind me, which I had dreaded. Each one gives me a little more confidence.

Cordially,
Marian

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HMSA HAROLD SHERMAN to SUZANNE WILKINS

Hollywood, Ca., September 11, 1960

Dear Suzanne,

Have not heard from you in reply to my letters saying I had turned the Thoughts Through Space deal over to Mitchell J. Hamilburg. . . . A letter of agreement was sent to Lowell Thomas by the Tors office, to make sure there would not be any possible conflict on either side.

I hope we can get everything cleared up and in action within this coming week. . . .

Best to you!
Harold

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HMSA SUZANNE WILKINS to HAROLD SHERMAN

New York, N.Y., September 15, 1960

Dear Harold,

Just a hasty note to thank you for your letters, and to say that Winston saw Mr. Hamilburg for me. He liked him, they got on well and we all agree that the contract is ridiculous, which I knew from the start. But that is not the holdup, however. Winston said Mr. Hamilburg was much louder when it came to ideas on money. But like Mr. Dickler, he also wants to know more about contracts signed by Wilkins with publishers to see what and why and where they come in.

That lawyer can stop sending windy letters wondering why or if I am hiding behind Lowell’s skirts. I have nothing to do with it now. By contract agreement between Lowell and myself on the book and all other rights, he is in control. That means Mr. Dickler of course, too. That is why you were asked to give a clearance for your half of the book. If they don’t use it, they will release me probably to sign an agreement with Tors.

. . . . Where is the copyright now? I can find nothing among Wilkins’s papers that resembles any sort of agreement with anyone or any publishers. . . . I shall need representation on all this eventually. Mr. Dickler is very patient, seeing he is not my lawyer. Tors’s lawyer is not yours, and Hamilburg is an agent. This is interesting. Look out.

I’ll write again when I know more.

Best regards,
Suzanne

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HMSA HAROLD SHERMAN to SUZANNE WILKINS

Hollywood, September 19, 1960

Dear Suzanne,

Your fine letter received this morning.

Mitch Hamilburg returned from New York yesterday and reported a good meeting with Winston whom he liked. Mitch feels he can get us a much better deal with Tors, and of course I am highly in favor of this, as are you.

I have turned over the Master Publications contract on Thoughts Through Space and Hamilburg is having photostatic copies made to send to you. Hubert gave me the right to act for him on this book years ago, saying he was either out of the country or unavailable much of the time, and what I felt was acceptable to me was acceptable to him. . . . The copyright was taken out in Wilkins’s and my name, for us, by Master Publications, and is so noted in their edition of the book. . . .

I would not grant a clearance for use of my material in Thoughts Through Space to Lowell Thomas if I knew they were to keep us from selling Thoughts Through Space to Tors or anyone else. I am getting no compensation from your deal with Thomas, for inclusion of the Thoughts Through Space chapter, and you, of course, have no right to commit me without my permission. I had not thought to ask for any payment from Thomas. My only thought was one of cooperation with you on this project, to help make Wilkins’s adventures complete in this one book. I had no anticipation of any conflicts arising.

. . . If we do not straighten out these matters reasonably soon, I feel sure our deal will be dead. . . . I hope we can move right ahead now.

Best wishes,
Harold

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HMSA SUZANNE WILKINS to HAROLD SHERMAN

New York, September 26, 1960

[Suzanne’s handwritten note on top of page:
“Casting Consultation/Technical Consultation/Script Approval. You see, I have masses of inside dope on the Arctic aspect of the story, without which they’d have a hard time, background, not to mention film footage, all real.”]

Dear Harold,

I hope this can be settled soon. . . . Dickler said he had not heard from Tors’s lawyers. I suppose he wants to know what their story will take in of Hubert’s life beyond the ESP aspect of it . . . but it now appears that I am the co-owner regardless of my contract with LT, and I can sign a contract that is OK. I just don’t want to have to go beyond the four covers of the book . . . and I must not get into trouble with you, publishers or LT or filmmakers. I don’t want to be in the middle, I don’t want to fight anyone, I am friends with LT and yourself and I want to keep it that way.

. . . I helped this fellow in England with a book before LT approached me. This fellow, Grierson, has disappointed me, and I’m not sure yet if he is in trouble or not. I’m trying to get hold of a manuscript of his effort to see if he has mistakenly referred to Thoughts Through Space without troubling to ask you. He went over my head with a few things, and hasn’t come through yet with the arrangement we had, including an advance script and approval. More of that when it is known. . . .

Cordially,
Suzanne

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HMSA TELEGRAM, HAROLD SHERMAN to SUZANNE WILKINS

Hollywood, circa September 27, 1960

IMPERATIVE. PLEASE WIRE HAMILBURG AUTHORITY TO PROCEED ON DEAL WITH TORS ON TERMS OUTLINED TO YOU. WE CANNOT WAIT LONGER. WHOLE DEAL JEOPARDIZED OTHERWISE. REGARDS.

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HMSA SUZANNE WILKINS to HAROLD SHERMAN

New York, October 1, 1960

Dear Harold,

I suppose you received my previous letter which I sent the morning of the night your telegram came. I did not send an answer to your wire as a result, as I felt my letter was the answer you were waiting for. . . . I am just as anxious as you to get on the road.

A copy of John Grierson’s book⁸ arrived, and it doesn’t please me, for several reasons, which I won’t bother you with. I looked for reference to Thoughts Through Space and found it. You must recall that he came on the scene while I was still in a state of shock to say the least, and Winston was still too stunned to see through this Grierson fellow what with Hubert’s sudden death and [Winston’s] mother’s just a few weeks before Hubert’s. . . .

On page 200 of Grierson’s book, Sir Hubert Wilkins—Enigma of Exploration, Grierson says,

“During 1942 a book was published jointly by Sir Hubert and H. J. Shurman called Thoughts Through Space. This dealt with telepathy, as it had first suggested itself to Wilkins from the practices of the aborigines in Northern Australia. He had arranged a series of tests during the search for Levanevsky, Wilkins being the transmitter in the Arctic and Shurman the receiver in a darkened room in New York. Three times a week they had a set hour for communication and some extraordinary results were achieved. On one occasion Shurman had the impression that Wilkins was attending Armistice ceremonies at Regina on November 11th, clad in evening dress. This seemed incredible because he felt sure that Wilkins had had no such intentions and that he certainly would not be carrying evening dress for his aerial search in the Far North. Yet two weeks later, when the mail came through, Wilkins’s letter told how he had unexpectedly been forced back to Regina by bad weather, been roped in to the Armistice ceremonies and given the loan of a dinner jacket! There were similar cases, in which Shurman gave an accurate account of what had been happening to Wilkins, with under 40 percent of failures. Thought transference between two human beings, over 3,000 miles apart, was proved as a possibility.”

That is his spelling, SHURMAN. I don’t know how he came by it or the information, unless he read through the book here. It is a bit hazy to me now, but I was still in a state of shock, as you know. If he did read the book, how did that spelling get by? Anyway, along with many other errors and statements I shall question, he launches out with opinions of his own that are quite unfounded, and which he is not justified in expressing. Also, it is a breach of my agreement with him, which he never did sign, that I was to see a manuscript for approval. As I contributed mainly to his doing a book in the first place, I wanted to make sure there were no errors that would make me look ridiculous. If you can find anything in that passage to quarrel with, I am in a position at least to back you up with a few of my own complaints. . . .

Cordially,
Suzanne

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[Excerpt] SIR HUBERT WILKINS—ENIGMA OF EXPLORATION by John Grierson

From page 202-203:

In 1955 was published a tome of over 2,000 pages called Urantia Book, the religious work of many authors of whom Wilkins was one. “Urantia” means Our Universe. The publishers were the Urantia Foundation, Chicago, and at the price of $12, the book is unlikely to have achieved a wide circulation. Sir Hubert said that he had been working on this production for nearly twenty years, and wrote a letter of explanation to his secretary, Winston Ross, dated November 1, 1955, in the following terms:

“For many years I have been associated with a group in Chicago which has been interested in publishing some papers of material revealed to us by visitors from the outer universes. At last we have been able to print and privately distribute the Book and I would like you to have a copy.

“At present we are not telling many of the recipients of the manner in which the information was received, but I can tell you, for your information that the texts of the papers were spoken by the revelators through a man in his sleep and who to this day has no idea that he was the medium. Learning that this man was ‘talking in his sleep’ it was arranged to have a stenographer record the statements and soon it was possible for those concerned not only to listen and record, but also to talk with the revelators as you and I might talk.

“The mass of information of the Book is at first bewildering. To most of us it came piece by piece and was not so overwhelming. The information as to the possibilities of survival after death and the experiences thereafter, as mentioned in the paper Morontia Life, and elsewhere, is most inspiring and comforting.”

The “mass of information” certainly is bewildering to anyone picking up this Book; the title pages of the 196 papers give as their respective authors, such names as “Perfector of Wisdom,” “Mighty Messenger,” “Brilliant Evening Star,” “Melchizedek,” and so on. The forty-six pages describing the contents of the Book show that an attempt has been made to deal with Christianity as well as the principal religions of the world under the four headings “Central and Superuniverses,” “The Local Universe,” “The History of Urantia” and “The Life and Teachings of Jesus.” The Foreword begins by stating that special meanings have to be attached to certain word symbols “because of this conceptual poverty associated with so much ideational confusion.” Such a statement is unlikely to encourage the timid, who may already have been taken aback by a study of the contents. This also will restrict the number of those who might eventually persevere to read these writings, however profound may be the thinking behind them.

One of the simpler statements is couched in the following terms:

“There is in the mind of God a plan which embraces every creature of all his vast domains, and this plan is an eternal promise of boundless opportunity, unlimited progress, and endless life. And the infinite treasures of such a matchless career are yours for the striving!

“The goal of eternity is ahead! The adventure of divinity attainment lies before you! The race for perfection is on! Whosoever will may enter, and certain victory will crown the efforts of every human being who will run the race of faith and trust, depending every step of the way on the leading of the indwelling Adjuster, and on the guidance of that good spirit of the Universe Son, which so freely has been poured out upon all flesh.”

(“Presented by a Mighty Messenger temporarily attached to the Supreme Council of Nebadon and assigned to this mission of Gabriel of Salvington.”)

What should one make of Wilkins’s avowed connection with the Urantia Book? It would have been helpful to be able to pick out the part which he actually contributed. However, a letter appealing for information in this connection, and sent to the only address given in the book, namely “Urantia Foundation, Chicago, Illinois” was returned marked “Address Inadequate.” So one is left wondering.

The known facts are that Wilkins was extremely interested in the life hereafter, as he mentioned in the last paragraph of his letter to Winston Ross, and that he believed in telepathy; his thinking in these matters was conditioned by a deeply religious background. “My upbringing,” he said, “precluded any interest in clairvoyance or modern forms of prophecy.” Evidently he had been introduced to this group in Chicago before the second war and before he wrote Thoughts Through Space, since he said he had been working on the project for almost twenty years. In an age when modern prophets tell us that visitors from other universes are already in our midst (one recently mentioned that even some cabinet ministers fall into this category), the sceptics may hesitate to reject these ideas as absolutely as our forebears would have done. The chapter on Morontia Life, to which Wilkins drew Winston Ross’s attention, deals with the resurrection under five headings:

Heralds of the Resurrection
Jesus’ Appearance at Bethany
Appearance to his Brother James
Appearance to his Earthly Family
At the House of Joseph
Appearance to the Greeks
The Walk with the Two Brothers.

In describing what he calls “the seven Morontia appearances of Jesus,” the writer uses a style which could be that of Wilkins: simple, straightforward and sincere.

“All this power which is inherent in Jesus—the endowment of life—and which enabled him to rise from the dead, is the very gift of eternal life which he bestows upon kingdom believers, and which even now makes certain their resurrection from the bonds of natural death.”

In Graham Land, with the same sincerity of purpose, Wilkins had been led to declare the existence of Lurabee Channel, Casey Channel and Stefansson Strait. Was not Urantia the Stefansson Strait of his religious thinking? Both were conceived in honesty and sincerity; nobody doubted Sir Hubert’s complete good faith in his published findings, though in the end they were only a mirage.

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UBH MARIAN ROWLEY to JACQUES WEISS

Chicago, October 3, 1960

Dear Mr. Weiss,

At last I have the pictures which I took at the airport the day you arrived, Sunday, August 21, 1960. We all think they are very good, except one which is a little blurred, and I hope you like them, too. They will serve as a little memento of your trip. I’ve also included a picture of the Sadler house, as I thought you might like to have that.

I’m also sending you under separate cover a copy of a presentation I prepared last year, “The Lives We Live.” The Glenview Society asked me to speak to their meeting one night so I presented this. It was so well received that I was asked to do it again on Sunday, before the Chicago group. And I had so many requests for copies that I had it duplicated. I hope you like it.

I’m so sorry I didn’t have more chance to get really acquainted with you. But I have a full-time job downtown during the day and evenings and weekends when I was here at Sadlers’, you were either away or otherwise occupied. Perhaps next time you come we can have more time together.

Cordially,
Marian Rowley

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UBH JACQUES WEISS to MARIAN ROWLEY

Paris, October 11, 1960

Dear Mrs. Rowley,

I was delighted to receive your nice color photos. Many around me who have followed my efforts for the Urantia Book wanted to know Dr. Sadler and those attracted around him by the spiritual gravitation. So, I could satisfy their curiosity.

Now I await the sea mail with a copy of “The Lives We Live” and I thank you in advance.

I would have been glad to spend more time with you, but I was squashed between dates and was forced to go back a little prematurely for the Gelsey corrections in Paris.⁹

Besides, the Urantia hospitality and kindness was above expectations for me, and I had not planned the adequate response before leaving Europe. But next time, I shall come with experience.

Only, I would have come with the French book, and the main delay comes from the lawyers. In France, we sign contracts without lawyers, or after a quick consultation with them, except for special deals where they are needed. The American way of losing an incredible time with them seems so strange to us. What is your feeling about it?

Very sincerely yours,
J. Weiss

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SHWA HAROLD SHERMAN to SUZANNE WILKINS

Hollywood, October 12, 1960

Dear Suzanne,

Well, it is all over.

We waited too long—and the deal is cold.

I have been apprehensive of this for some time as I have reported to you by letter and by wire.

I am sick and disheartened. We have missed the chance of a lifetime.

I would not know where to sell the property now, as there are few producers with knowledge of ESP.

This deal has been on the fire for six months, and Tors has been extremely patient, but he has now changed his production plans and he is no longer interested. . . .

I wish you had had more faith in me and had given the go-ahead much sooner.

So sorry. Best to you.

Sincerely,
Harold

SHWA SUZANNE WILKINS to HAROLD SHERMAN

New York, October 24, 1960

Dear Harold,

It doesn’t seem possible all that frantic three-way correspondence went on for weeks, and Hamilburg was here and everything seemed set, then to no avail. . . .

You didn’t say what you thought of Grierson’s misspelling of your name or mentioning your work. The publisher has since written saying he was sorry he didn’t know but in any further editions it would be corrected. . . .

Best regards,
Suzanne

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SHWA HAROLD SHERMAN to SUZANNE WILKINS

Hollywood, October 26, 1960

Dear Suzanne,

. . . About the book this man Grierson wrote: If the paragraph you copied relating to Wilkins and my experiments is a sample it must be incredibly bad and inaccurate. I have written a writer friend of mine in England to investigate for me and to have a copy of the book sent to me, before I make official comment.

How you could have given a man you apparently hardly knew permission to go ahead on such a book and use your portrait painting for a front cover, etc., etc., including permission to refer to the telepathic phase of Wilkins’s life, etc., is difficult to understand. You do not mention having a participation in the profits, only a left-handed expression of appreciation from Grierson for your cooperation.

Of course the inaccuracies as to the spelling of my name, etc., is disturbing to me, as it would be to you. I do not know what can be done about it now. Perhaps this book will not get wide circulation—I hope not.

Let’s wish each other better luck in the future. Sir Hubert has such a great story—it is tragic to have it garbled. Doubtless Lowell Thomas will do much better by him. What is the status of this book at this time?

Best to you!
Harold

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UBH MARIAN ROWLEY to CLYDE BEDELL

Chicago, December 1, 1960

Dear Clyde,

First of all, thanks very much for the $500 check for the Foundation. I turned it over to Christy and she and Doctor were so pleased. Perhaps you’ve already heard from her or from Bill Hales officially. . . .

It’s been so long, I hardly know where to start. But first, Doctor is quite well, and so are the others. . . . We’re all keeping busy. I haven’t had a great deal of correspondence, but the Book sales keep up, and Leone and I keep busy doing the textbooks for classes. Just finished another one this week, but the second volume of Science will be coming up any minute now. It takes a long time to edit, type them on stencils, and proofread. The editing on Doctor’s is particularly difficult lately.

I hadn’t seen Bill since last April until two weeks ago. And the last time I talked to him on the phone was early September. But he’s now been in the hospital for a month while the doctor got him reduced (mostly water but some fat) so they could operate for gallstones. He was very bloated and hasn’t been at all well for the last six months. He called me one Sunday morning and wanted me to come to the hospital that noon. Tried to get out of it, but didn’t have a really good excuse so I went and stayed for about an hour and a half. He talked mostly about the book he’s writing on A Study of the Master Universe. He’s really obsessed with the subject. He recently visited the Culver study group and had a wonderful evening, then spent that night and all the next day with Dr. Sprunger at his home in Fort Wayne. Didn’t seem much interested in what the rest of us were doing and asked no questions. By the way, he was operated on day before yesterday for gallstones. Patty reports that he is getting along all right.

About the Index—Edith Cook and Anne Rawson are still plugging along. I think it will still be a long time before it’s ready. Just between you and me, the Doctor did far more damage than good when he took it over. They’re repairing the damage now and I believe are making a much more professional job than has been done before. They’re restoring a lot of things which he dumped—and rearranging. He’s not interfering in any way now—Anne and Edith are responsible—and he leaves them alone.

I think that about covers the news from the office. As for me personally, I told you that I had been transferred in May to the office of the Chairman of the Board. I have almost nothing to do and I got pretty bored at first. But I can do personal work and I bring a lot of my Urantia typing down so that I don’t have to work so many evenings, which is a great help. . . .

. . . Next time you come east, why don’t you get in touch? And in the meantime, let’s hear from you occasionally.

P.S. Jacques Weiss, the French translator, is the nicest person you could imagine, and a truly dedicated Urantian. We’re all crazy about him. He and Doctor fairly loved each other. They spent hours and hours talking. Weiss said he hadn’t found another American who was so versatile—who could talk on so many different subjects. And they both had tears in their eyes when they said goodbye. And Weiss and young Chuck Sadler became great friends too. Chuck drove him wherever he wanted to go and spent a great deal of time with him. Weiss spent one day with Bill Sadler and Bill’s Society entertained him at dinner at the Drake that night, but Chuck stayed with Weiss every minute so Bill never was alone with him at all.

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HMSA DIARY of HAROLD and MARTHA SHERMAN

Hollywood, December 6, 1960

Lulu Steinbeck and Caroline Brown had dinner with us on their trip to California from Guadalupe, Mexico, and reported that Bill Sadler had broken with his father’s Forum group and had formed a group of his own.

Caroline reported that the columnist Upton Close,¹⁰ recently deceased with whom she had been associated, had been introduced to Dr. Sadler and the Urantia material. After talking to the Doctor and reading some of it, he gave as his opinion that Sadler was the author. This outside observation of a writing man of note, was of especial interest to us. We had long ago come to the conclusion that the Doctor had, at least, been taking editorial license with the material in the preposterous statements he had made about typed manuscripts materializing on his desk.

Caroline, one of the earliest members, who does not accept the sanctity of the Doctor, said that the Doctor now does not want the long-time members to recall or talk about some of the things that happened or were written in the beginning and which do not appear in, or were subsequently taken from, the present Book.

Caroline reported that she had interested a French friend of hers in translating the Urantia Book into French after some difficulty with the Doctor, which difficulty was overcome by the gift to the Urantia Foundation of $20,000. The French translator intends to have it published in four volumes rather than the over-large, too-formidable, single-edition American edition.

The two sisters admit that the Book thus far has not received the recognition or acclaim hoped for it. Lulu apparently accepts Urantia in toto literally. Caroline, however, apparently accepts what appeals to her as truth and doesn’t take the rest too seriously.

Caroline told Harold on the side that Erle drank himself to death and died with DTs in the hospital, which fact Lulu does not know. This is a sad commentary upon the lack of character-building impact upon Forum members. The philosophy in the Book, unusual as some of it is, has little demonstrated value as applied to everyday life on this earth. The sympathy of the two sisters goes out to Leone in her divorce from Bill. Leone has been assured residence at 533 for so long as she lives.

Russell Bucklin is now retired and unable to work. Mildred is employed, and their daughter Winnifred, who has been married twice, is keeping house with her children. Lulu is dividing her time between her sisters Caroline in Mexico and Grace Palmer in Florida. Both look remarkably well—Lulu at 74 and Caroline at 68. Caroline walks with a slight limp but otherwise is quite recovered from her auto accident of a year or so ago. She calls Mexico home now, though keeps her American citizenship.

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