Favorite/least favorite CO's (page 15)

dannyboy

Hi Mulan,

Where am I? California. You must be in this over-populated state also???

Yep, Al Michaelson and his wife (Louise???) were great. What a contrast to many others, however.

And yes, Baxter was, well, a jerk. I had ocassion to be asked by him to arrange for some "fixit" items for his trailer. This was many years ago, and in my ignorance I authorized various "brothers" to be reimbursed for the materials they used (a modest amount, less than $100) in taking care of this "request" of his (you don't turn down a "request" from a DO when you're a PO)..... Got called on the carpet for this, and browbeat about what in the world was I thinking about, trying to get the circuit to pay for such "personal" expenses of his.... (Anyway, I was dumbfounded and intimidated, wound up paying for the materials myself....what a sucker)

There are a few more DO's I got to thinking about since my last post.

Amazingly, I remember Ted Jaracz as a DO when I was a boy, and had occassion to kibbutz with him about 5 years ago, I thought he was ok, though I've read the slams of him here.

I'm also remembering a DO by the name of Brandozzi (or something similar) who had the nickname (among the other irreverant types I hung with) of "Bandini" [a fertilizer brand name for those not in the US :))) ] I had contact with him at a DC, and thought he was a thoroughly oily jerk.

NotBlind

Thumbs up to:
C.O. Mike Joria - single until a couple years ago; seemed to get along with everybody and never put anybody down. Served in Indianapolis area until a year ago.

C.O. Steve Miller - kind and compassionate; doesn't hurt anybody's feelings and doesn't play favorites in the cong. New in the CO work, served in Illinois.

C.O. Melvin Branam - very thorough (always went overtime), but he always had time for everybody. I think he has Alzheimer's now. He was in St. Louis area for a few years in the late 80's.

C.O. Jesse Cantwell - served our cong. when he was in his 80's. Former missionary from Colombia during the 50's. I loved it when the ditched the Society's outline and told experiences from his missionary days instead.

Thumbs down:

D.O. Joseph Howard - this guy was a jackass and everybody knew it! He loved to humiliate the participants on the TMS at the circuit assembly. He was firmly ANTI-COLLEGE and made sure you knew it.

C.O. Gayle Comer - everybody in the cong. loved him, and I don't know why. He was very intimidating, talked down to people, and seemed quite proud. I hear he's in Tennessee these days.

Mulan

Danny, I am North of Seattle, in Washington.

Al Michaelson's wife was Louise. I think I posted about her earlier on this thread. She was a darling, and HATED field service. She and I became quite close. When my last baby was born, it was an emergency situation, and she came and sat with me, in the hospital, for a whole day. My little guy, now 21, was 6 weeks early, and had to be taken to a special hospital. He is fine, 6'2", got married on July 21. (his name is Danny.........er, Dan)

I remember Brandozzi too. I think I heard that he died. His wife was sweet too. She said they had a child that died as an infant. She loved kids. That was nice when they liked children. He was a Mafia type!! A real greaser. Some of the guys who worked on the stage with my husband (he was the stage overseer for years) had lots of jokes about him, and his terminology. Things were "always" and "key". Did he dye his hair? Pretty black for a man his age.

Does anyone remember Darrell Holman? His wife was Darlene. He was a real jerk.........a "company man". I remember his berating families for going to Disneyland instead of to tour Bethel. "Don't go to the Mouse........go to the House." GRRRRRR.

Marilyn (a.k.a. Mulan)

Maximus

I've loved this trip down memory lane. Gotta be careful, however. I'm actually saddened to be reminded of so many oafish guys.

Then there was Rutherford B. Sakatos, a handsome and articulate young Greek DO with skill oozing from every pore. Poor guy was being taught humility in the Deep South before more "privileges." Problem was, no one could understand him. He was totally baffled by Southern speech, and his Northern ratatatat often grated on the locals. (Guess who he was named after?)

Trying desperately to make small talk, he was thinking about volunteer service and the circuit assembly that weekend. He said to a flower of the South: "And what will be your contribution to the assembly, my sister?" She demurred.

And then had her prominent husband write the Society a blistering letter about how this DO had the nerve to ask her how much money she was going to put in the contribution box!

Maximus

Room 215

Anyoner remember Paul Ruggles? A real P.T. Barnum huckster if there every was! Demons lurking in every nook and cranny; it was a rare congregation in which he failed to perceive ``a blockage to the free flow of the Spirit,'' his excuse to start a witch hunt and clean out most of the servant body.
Or Robert Ross, a sweet man who was excruciatingly painful to listen to, and who could barely walk before the Soceity sent him back to his children with his tail between his legs.
Whew! Talk about this subject being done to death! Fully 8 pages of memories!
As a postscript, do you have any musings/anecdotes as to just how many of these people eventually faced up to the realization that they squandered their lives as virtual vagrants, iving out of suitcases, in many in near-poverty?
Of course, for many of our least favorite types, the approbation and fawning of the sycophants in local congregations was a heady motivation. For these. ``they've had their reward in full.''

closer2fine

*roybatty* I remember Walden Chin too - ick. There was an Awake! article about his family in 1997 I think. I liked his wife (Mary Lou). I heard they were in Ohio now.

*Room215* I remember Conte - he was ok.

I also remember Barnet (always laughing) I liked him.

Not so fond of DiCinti.

closer

"Can you imagine a world with no hypothetical questions?" -- Steven Wright

Maximus

Ruggles. I'm pained at some ugly memories.
To his credit, Harley Miller responded to reports of such excesses and eased this guy out. He succeeded because numbers went up wherever he was.

Roomy, I reflect on so many, many misfits. Come to grips with a squandered life? Denial is so powerful. I am aware of quite a few individuals who awakened far too late, whose circumstances are/were pitiable. Can't talk about them.

Max

lordconquer

I had a Presiding Overseer at my congregation in Bellerose, NY named Grizzle. Not sure if its the same Grizzle but he was a soft spoken man and very kind. I forget his first name but I beleive he is now living with his wife at Bethel in Brooklyn, NY.

AMNESIAN

Mulan opined:

Does anyone remember Darrell Holman? His wife was Darlene. He was a real jerk.........a "company man". I remember his berating families for going to Disneyland instead of to tour Bethel. "Don't go to the Mouse........go to the House." GRRRRRR.

He reigns presently as DO here in SoCal. It is my opinion that this man is not merely a jerk or company man. He's an evil pharisee. The lies and misrepresentations he reported to Brooklyn in a situation in our local area and the consequences of such are what finally convinced me, after years of guilty doubting, that, if the W"B"TS ever did enjoy Jehovah's favor and blessing, it clearly no longer does. No organization, religious or secular, that would employ a wicked bastard like Holman could ever have good motives or intentions. A whitewashed-grave full of dead men's bones.

-AMNESIAN

BoozeRunner

LordConquer, who else do you remember from the Queens, NY circuits?
I grew up in the Jamaica area.

Boozy

Favorite/least favorite CO's

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