upstate New York (page 4)

annalice

just found this site and read your message. I am from upstate N.Y. I live in the town of Ballston Spa.

DazedAndConfused

I was raised in the Saratoga Congregation also. Hey Bro!

Seeker, yes Saratoga was in that circuit. I don't know anything about the Ogdensburg congregation but I do know that in the early 80's, I think, Br. Cranna did a swipe in the Saratoga Congregation. Paul P was the only elder left and he was so proud that he was the only one left and he kept saying at least with everyone else gone there was no more bottlenecking. My interpretation was that he wanted his own way and the only way he got it was to be the Big Boss. sheesh!

anna, were you in Ballston in the 70's or 80's? I remember a couple of people from there, not many though.

YHWHWho

Seeker4, I remember the race track assembly's. In fact I was baptized at the Saratoga YMCA during one of them, sometime between '72 and '74. I think it was in '73, as I think I was 13 at the time. I lived about 2 blocks from the track. Maybe you saw me there, I was the one in a blue leisure suit and green Converse sneakers. Anyway, my second memory of those assembly's was my mom's guilt trip layed on us children about my dad not getting a part in the assembly because we were so bad. It certainly could not have had anything to do with the fact that she wore the pants in the family. Tell me about yourself or email me at [email protected].

DazedAndConfused, Poloroid Paul!!!!!!! Paul Petrowski studied with us back in the late 60's. Now there's a pollack that knows more pollack jokes than anyone I ever met. No offense meant to anyone. He was one of my disfellowshippers. As well as Donald Gilmore and John Baker. So they cleaned out the elders in Saratoga? Interesting. I believe my brother was an elder there a few years back. I don't really know what happened but I think he became a bit infatuated with some young thing there and stepped down or was removed. I don't really know what occured. So anyway, I'm real curious as to who you are, and if I know you. Give me a hint or email at the address above.

annalice, I worked at Angelica in Ballston Spa about 6 or 7 years ago. I also believe one of my brothers was disfellowshipped at the Ballston Spa congregation, although we fail to see how they did that as he was not associated with that congregation. I believe his exwife was from there as well as her parents. I did'nt know to many people there, just the Allen's. At least that's all I remember.

I look forward to hearing back from all of you.

DazedAndConfused

YHWHWho, I have to concur and say that is a great name. Well, we are closer than you think. I was hoping the Bro! part of my post would have given you a clue. This is Deb. haha. I have been searching on here for you for months!!! I finally found you!!!! Sorry about the exclamation points but I am excited.

BTW, our dear brother...I believe...is again an elder. And that, quite frankly confuses the hell out of me. Apparently he didn't have to go through the usual publisher to ms to elder again. He skipped right over the ms part. sheesh!

ballistic

Upstate? I thought we established in that other thread... there is no up or down in real terms?

bonnie38

The very first assembly I went to was at the Saratoga racetrack. I grew up in Glens Falls. I was in the Glens Falls congregation until the mid-1980s.

DazedAndConfused

I was in the Glens Falls congregation from 1976 to about 1979 I believe. If you were there we probably know each other and know the same people. Some names that come to mind are Brecht, Monroe, C. Viele (sp), Baldwin, Scarsaletta, Ryan. I believe those are names from both the north and south congregations.

Seeker4

Ah yes. I took over circuit accounts from Paul Petrowski when the NY congregations were split off the circuit. Also knew Don Gilmore.

Ballston Spa was also in that circuit. There was quite a scandal around there involving an elder who was molesting kids in that congregation for years. I'll give more details tomorrow when I have time.

Do any of you remember Dave Tennent (sp?) from that area? Killed in a plane crash? He was a friend. I think it was Dave's bro-in-law who was the molester. Any word on the Tennent family? This would have been early 80's at the latest. The Monroe name also sounds familiar.

I now live about 1-2 hours from that area.

S4

DazedAndConfused

seeker, last I knew P. Petrowski is still alive and kicking, although Don Gilmore died a few years ag.

Yes I remember Dave Tennent. I had such a crush on him when I was a teenager. It was so sad when he died in the airplane. I remember his son and pregnant daughter-in-law was also in the plane. It was a very sad thing.

I'm not sure if you are speaking about the same molestation case that I remember from back then. I think this was up near Ticonderoga. There was an elder named Lee. I don't remember if Lee was his first or last name, but he was also a policman? Or at least was before he got the troof. That particular case was really creepy and he got many years in prison if I remember correctly.

As I look at your post I can't figure out if it was in upstate NY in general you are speaking or if it dealt with the Ballston congregation.

The Monroe's lived in Glens Falls. They had 2 children...a boy and a girl. Their son Dave went to bethel. I think they are still there in a congregation in the city that needs a lot of help.

Wow, this is fun, knowing some people that know people I did.

Seeker4

DzdandCnfsd,

Just checked my files. This is the story, and much of it is public record. I remembered parts of this, then found some participants who were willing to talk when I was helping pull together info for Bill Bowen and the Dateline program.

The elder who abused several young Witness girls was Donald Nicholson, and the congregation was Warrensburg, NY, around 1982. Nicholson, as I remember, was Dave Tennent's bro-in-law. Don was the assembly overseer at the time, I think, and Dave was his assistant. Dave and I became friends, and he worked helping build the Kingdom Hall where I was an elder. I don't think you were the only sister with a crush on Dave. A very good looking guy. And what a tragic death, and for his family who were with him.

Nicholson's abuse went on for some time, and was eventually exposed. He was charged and tried in Lake George, NY County Court and was sentenced to prison, again around 1982. He was also disfellowshipped. Lee Steele, a former state trooper, was an elder in the congregation, and he had family members who were victims of Nicholson.

Three of the elders involved in this case, Steele, John Peterson - a CO, and Ross Persons, all have left the Witnesses, to the best of my knowledge.

One of the elders involved in this case told me that the local elders grilled him because he went to court to testify against Nicholson. They tried to tell him what to say in court, and the brother told me specifially that the local elders did not want this case reported to the secular authorities and tried to prevent that. This elder left the Witnesses.

This case caused a lot of people to leave the Org. Nicholson was enjoying all sorts of privileges of service at the same time that it later was proven that he was molesting little girls. Needless to say, this totally shook the faith of the familes of the victims.

Email me privately, and I'll see if we know each other. I eventually ended up as assistant and then assembly overseer myself, but that was after we lost the NY congregations. I used to be over there though in the 80's giving talks, etc.

S4

upstate New York

Share this