By now, many here have read Khufu's posts on his study of how blood is understood in the Bible, and how he came to understand how that contrasts with the JW teachings on blood. He would eventually bring this research to the attention of Fred Rusk.
The truth of this story resonates with me. I first met Fred Rusk in the mid-1980s when we traveled together to an international assembly in Peru. We became friends, and the Rusk's vacationed at my home in Vermont a few times, and we visited them at Bethel as well.
Fred Rusk was for many years the man who answered questions that were phoned or mailed to Bethel. He was eventually moved into the department that handled issues dealing with blood transfusions, and was likely responsible for the changing view toward cell savers, blood fractions and the like.
Fred seemed always a humble and thoughtful man, but definitely a company man. He talked with me about Ray Franz and the big apostasy of the early 80s, where he had served on the investigating committee that questioned the Bethelites. One might insert "Witch Hunt" there. I remember that in South America he met with all the various Gilead grads there to make sure Dunlap and Franz hadn't gotten to them during their tenure at Bethel! I remember how he also gave me a detailed explanation on how some information was the backing piece of evidence for the Soceity's 607 BC date, though I can't now remember what he told me.
Fred was obviously a real company man, though knowing all these debatable points and weaknesses in the Society's teachings, he has continued to defend them. He's traveled the world over to defend the Society's blood position, and worked with some of the largest insurance providers to get them to work with the JW transfusion position.
My last conversation with Fred was about three years ago. He called one evening, and we started a friendly conversation. He asked how we were doing (as in, "in the truth") and I told him that I was no longer a Witness, though my wife was. I explained to him that the 1914 Generation change was the last straw, and I had completely lost faith in the organization and had simply left it. The rest of the conversation was brief and cordial. I would find out later that he had immediately called my former congregation's PO.
Anyway, nothing revolutionary, just some thoughts on the issue. I do remember that Fred had the disconcerting grooming habit typical of many of the older men at Bethel of not trimming his eyebrows, making them look like some 19th Century Victorian military man. I think the Bethelites jokingly referred to them as Eagle-brows, or some similar disparaging term. I remember one sister remarking, "Don't these guys have wives? Can't they tell them how ugly that looks?" The Andy Rooney School of Fashion and Grooming!
S4