As shocking as this may sound, Ray Franz was not the first person to leave the WTB&TS for matters of conscience, he was simply the "biggest fish" of his time.
I left the JWs before Ray did. Back in the day, he would have denounced me with no pangs of conscience. I never felt that I owed a special "debt" to Ray.
I felt a kinship with Barbara Grizzuti Harrison, who left before I did and whose book was a vindication for me of what I knew. As I learned more about the history of the WTB&TS, I learned of others with whom I felt a kinship. Richard Rawe was one. Fred Robison was one.
I'm noy finding fault with Ray. I communicated with him a couple of times, and he was a gentleman. In fact, if you asked him he would probably say he didn't want a lot of fame or acclaim; he just wanted to tell his story. The Watchtower accused him of seeking to create his own organization, but histry once again shows the Watchtower to be a liar.
Sooner or later, there will be another WT "biggie" who will leave. I know this because beneath their reptilian mask they are human. ONLY human.