I think we need another summary of the info uncovered. --VM44
Rutherford Exposed: The Story of Berta and Bonnie
by Farkel 747 Replies latest watchtower scandals
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Gamaliel
I don't know how appropriate it is to bring all this up in a thread which attempts to expose Rutherford, but I will add my two cents worth.
I have met Eugene R Black, Jr and his wife Susette Heath Black. I have stayed at their house. The last time my wife and I saw them was at their granddaughter's wedding in Southampton, Long Island, about 1980. This is the daughter of William H Black, the younger son of both E.R.Black, Jr and Susette -- not Eugene R. Black Jr's older son, E.R.Black III.
The granddaughter's name is Abigail. I also knew her mother and brothers fairly well. In fact, I spent some time with Abby and her friends almost every weekend for about three years. I had taken the trip out to Southampton to visit Abby and her younger brother while I was at Bethel in Brooklyn. I've spent the night there more than once, and even learned to water ski behind one of their boats with Abby's oldest brother, William, at the helm.
I attended the same congregation, Brooklyn Heights, and the Tuesday night book study at their Brooklyn home, a waterfront brownstone on Columbia Heights, just up the street from Bethel at 124/107 Columbia Heights. You rarely saw Abby's father around the JWs at all, and would not often see her older brother at meetings. But she and her younger brother were (are?) active JWs, as well as her mother. I found the mother to be a most interesting woman. She's an excellent conversationalist, well-read, with interests that went well beyond most JWs.
I don't know all the details of their history with JWs, but I assume that Susette Heath Black tried to make sure her son grew up as a JW, and marry a JW. But these were not your average JWs, of course. For example, I was shown where Einstien and other famous people had visited. I've stayed in a guesthouse nicer than houses I grew up in. The family actually had two houses in Southampton when I visited, and maybe one in Easthampton. This is among some of the nicest property on Long Island. (I believe I've also seen a picture of one of the Southampton places on the World Bank site some time ago.)
Some E.R.Black trivia below:
By the way, if any of you listen to the old recorded White House phone recordings of President L.B.Johnson as sometimes played on CSPAN, you may notice that Johnson discussed offering a White House appointment for Eugene R Black, Jr. Johnson discussed this with with Robert S McNamara, Sec of Defense. Curiously, McNamara himself went on to take over the presidency of the World Bank, 5 or 6 yers after Eugene Black. The world bank site comments on the difference between McNamara's "appointment" and the previous presidents of the bank:
All were impeccable establishment figures accepted on Wall Street and by the U. S. Treasury, which was very important to the Bank. The Bank's senior staff worried that Lyndon Johnson had dumped a political liability on them; McNamara was an architect of the Vietnam War, which was unpopular the world round; to boot he was rumored to have been fired. Another anxiety among the close-knit staff was that McNamara would descend on them with a phalanx of Whiz Kids and turn the place inside out, as he had the Pentagon." McNamara began at the Bank in April 1968, and served as President until June 1981.
A couple years ago, while bored at work, I did some research on the family. There were several places on the Internet where surprisingly bad assumptions had been made, sometimes confusing E.R.Black, Sr, with E.R.Black Jr.
The flack over E.R.Black Sr and the Federal Reserve didn't seem to be very significant in my view. A lot of people lost money in the stock market crash and looked for scapegoats. McFadden (once Chairman of the Banking and Currency Committee) was allowed a lot of leeway in the midst of the post-1929 "zeitgeist", and he gave several polemic speeches against the Fed Reserve and banking practices. Ironically, in a lot of ways the World Bank and the IMF began doing the very thing that he accused the the Federal Reserve of doing. World Bank Group Historical Chronology gives some evidence that Jr followed in the footsteps of Sr.
F.D.Roosevelt evidently broke his good friendship with E.R.Black, Sr, over Federal Reserve issues but not the same ones brought up in McFadden's accusation. I think on most Fed points, Black and Roosevelt would have agreed even more than Jefferson and Hamilton did in their version of the same discussions, a century or so earlier.
Roosevelt's supposed capitulation to stop backing US currency with gold made him a treasonous dictactor to McFadden, an accusation that stands in The Congressional Record. His complaints were not acted upon. Supposedly, McFadden subsequently suffered a couple attempts on his life, both in Washington D.C. There was an attempted assassination by shooting and an attempted poisoning at a banquet where a physician friend pumped his stomach in time. At any rate, he died 10/3/1936 after a flu-/-heart attack. I don't think we can pin that one on Rutherford. (If only he had asked to be dressed in toga, as C.T.Russell did on Halloween, 1916, then we'd have a little more to go on... ;o)
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Gamaliel
If anyone is interested, an example of the McFadden information is found here:
http://iresist.com/cbg/mcfadden.html
Also one of the best bios of E.R.Black Sr is found below (although almost entirely unrelated to the discussion here however).
In full size, they can be found here:
http://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/cgi-bin/ebind2html.pl/reed_c10?seq=122
http://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/cgi-bin/ebind2html.pl/reed_c10?seq=123
http://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/cgi-bin/ebind2html.pl/reed_c10?seq=124
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Lady Lee
Gamaliel I think it was absolutely appropriate to let us know what info you have. We are looking for proofs and adding to or ruling out leads is all an important part of the work.
Fascinating info you provided.
I will save my thoughts for later though
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Gamaliel
Merry,
I wonder if the William H Black mentioned in Leolaia's research as a brother of Eugene R Black III and son of Eugene R Black, Jr is the same as the William Heath Black that this site ( www.namebase.org/main1/Eugene-Robert-Black.html ) says is mentioned on p.518 of The House of Morgan by R. Chernow? (Named after a favorite uncle perhaps?) And is this/are these the same as the person mentioned here on the SEC site?...
I am pretty sure you are right on the first count, and his middle name would have also been his mother's maiden "middle" name, of course, as well as his uncle's surname. On the second count, it doesn't seem as likely. The family has had its share of investment bankers. Many investment brokers were sued for losses by their clients after the tech bubble burst, but the William Heath Black I knew was nearing retirement 20 years ago. I assume it's a doppelganger.
I should note that there are many cases of this kind of research exist all over the Internet, where a conspiratorial feeding frenzy is nourished by the mere fact that two rich families marry each other. In fact, it is very common practice. Among a small group of JWs in the rural area where I grew up there were only two "rich" JW families within hundreds of miles. Guess what? They found each other and married each other. Rich families tend to marry other rich families, and it seems to be more newsworthy only when they don't.
When one adds "Jehovah's Witness" to the filtering criteria for potential marriage mates, then the rich JW is likely going to find another rich JW. Yet, it might be completely innocent. The witness wedding I went to for Abby Black in Southampton would also provide fodder for this type of gossip. The brother she married was also from a well-to-do JW family, and some thought it was therefore a totally "arranged" marriage. But, in fact, as far as I could see, they dated for quite a while and it was, in my opinion, a very sweet, romantic relationship.
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MerryMagdalene
Gamaliel,
I very much appreciate reading your first hand knowledge of the Black's and your ability to put some of this information in perspective, helping us to discard that which is inaccurate or simply does not belong. All I have to contribute are bits and peices gleaned from the internet which can foster a good deal of speculation, curiosity, and further research. But that is all it is. I love getting to hear from those who might actually know something. Thanks!
--Merry
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Gamaliel
Just a few more "web" tidbits:
I couldn't find the picture of Jr's Southampton house, but some pictures of Eugene Black are here: http://lnweb18.worldbank.org/HRS/yournet.nsf/WB+History+022302?OpenPage with the following note in one entry:
February 19, 1992 ?Former World Bank President Eugene Black dies in Southampton, N.Y. at the age of 93.
I don't remember the exact addresses very well, but after reviewing some info here and elsewhere it appears that William H Black Jr lived at 226 Toylsome Ln, Southampton while his father ERBlack, Jr, lived (and died) at 330 Meeting House Lane, Southampton.
JUNIOR
The U of G bio was posted. ERBlack, Jr, even made the Encyclopedia Britannica online: http://www.britannica.com/eb/article?tocId=9000587&hook=108341
He even has dispatches that were printed in Time magazine, he was a regular correspondent for Time in the 50s. Sometimes just as "Gene Black".
However, I don't believe anyone posted the World Bank's small bio for Jr, although I might have missed it. It's actually in pieces all over the site, but here's a portion:
Eugene Black was born on May 1, 1898 into a well-known Georgia banking family. He graduated from the University of Georgia, winning his Phi Beta Kappa key as a junior. During World War I he served as an officer in the U.S. Navy in the Atlantic. After the war Mr. Black went into finance and eventually became a senior Vice President of the Chase National Bank.
SENIOR
Also note that Eugene Sr served two terms on the Fed Reserve of Atlanta,
01/13/1928 - 05/18/1933 (1st term)
08/16/1934 - 12/19/1934 (2nd term)
this site: http://www.stlouisfed.org/about/fed_presidents.html, says he died in office.
THE THIRD
ERBlack III wrote his own little bio that's on amazon.com. I happen to have a Broadway Playbill, btw, that contains his name.
Eugene Robert Black's detective novel is a gem of its genre. It is rip roaring entertainment. He is one of the rising stars of the mystery/adventure novel. Two other books are scheduled for release early next year. The author has written under the names of Franklyn MacGregor and Ashley Cooper. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
From the Author I have lived a life of multiple occupations which has taken me into many adventures around the world. Although a work of fiction, many of the experiences are actual. I have written six novels, 17 plays and several screen plays. I was born in Atlanta, Georgia, and educated at Yale University and Oxford University, England. I was a General Partner of international investment banking firm for many years. I have also lived in Brazil and France with my wife and three children. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.Book Description The Madagascar Corundum, a large heart-shaped ruby set in a brooch with emeralds and diamonds by an Italian Renaissance artist, has come into the hands of a prominent jeweler, Charles Kukorin, who bought it for three million dollars from the Emir of Madagascar, and is reselling it to a young Long Island millionaire for four. The millionaire, Henry Rubenstein, has asked that it be delivered to his Southhampton estate
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1585000795/bridgebooks/104-2299360-5920760 (The Madagascar Corundum) -
MerryMagdalene
VM44 and everyone else, I hope you don't mind me trying to summarize everyone else's brilliant research and amazing contributions to this thread, and I hope this is accurate and hits the main points you are most interested in without screwing anything up...
A RECAP OF THE ONGOING INVESTIGATION INTO JOSEPH FRANKLIN RUTHERFORD'S RELATIONSHIPS WITH BERTA TEEL PEEL & BONNIE BOYD HEATH
Background
JFR was born 8 November 1869 in Missouri to James Calvin Rutherford and Lenora Strickland. He had 7 siblings; was married to Lenora Strickland (aka Lanora, Leonora) in the early 1890s; was licensed to practice law 5 May 1892; had a son 10 November 1892; was baptised as a Bible Student in 1906; went to Bethel in 1907 and served as the Society's legal counselor under President Russell; was admitted to the US Supreme Court Bar in 1909; became President of the WTB&TS in January 1917 after Russell died (some say poisoned) with the support of MacMillan and Van Amburgh; dismissed 4 of the 7 Directors, on the disputed claim they were not legal members of the Board; raised hell for a while; in January 1930 took up winter residence at the Beth-Sarim mansion (likely paid for by his chiropractor and loyal adherent, Dr. Eckols) along with August and Blanch Balko (handyman and cook), and others of his personal attendants, including his stenographer Bonnie Boyd (age 31) who had been with him since 1923.
Enter Bonnie Boyd
We haven't yet uncovered much of Bonnie's history. In the 1930 census she said she was born in 1899 in Iowa. But her mother (whose name we don't yet know) went "home" to Texas when she left Beth-Sarim. She and Bonnie went to Bethel together in 1923 at the invitation of William E. Van Amburgh. Bonnie was to serve as his stenographer but soon was working in that capacity for JFR. That same year, Mrs. Rutherford took up residence in Monrovia, California. In Bonnie's testimony at the Moyle vs Franz trial, she claimed that she took all the dictation for all the books and WT articles JFR wrote. She also accompanied him on annual trips to Europe that lasted 6-8 weeks at a time, living the same life of luxury that he did. She claimed her relationship to him was that of an "adopted daughter." She called him "Pappy." She signed the deed to Beth-Sarim in January 1930. It was also sometime in the early 30's that she and Berta Peale became friends and attended a convention in Europe together, likely with JFR. Then, in 1937, William P. Heath, Jr. was invited to become JFR's personal secretary (they had previously met in 1934, 2 years after Heath became a baptised JW). He was thus present on the next European speaking tour and then accompanied JFR and Bonnie B to Beth-Sarim for the winter. Later that very winter, in January 1938, Heath got a divorce from his wife of 7 or 8 years (Dorothy Smith, daughter of Mendel Smith) and 1 week later married Bonnie Boyd in Las Vegas. Later that year, Berta Peale was invited to Bethel to be JFR's personal dietician and occasional nurse.
Mrs. Berta Peale, Come On Down
Berta Teel was born 30 October 1901 in Pitt County, North Carolina to William and Mary Teel who soon moved to Akron, Ohio. She was a pioneer and claimed to be one of the "anointed" after becoming a baptised Bible Student around 1918. She had no high school education, no formal training of any kind, and worked as a clerk in the Akron Post Office. In 1923 she married Alfred Peale and they were living in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio during the 1930 census. It is possible that she met JFR sometime in 1927. In the early 30's, as mentioned before, she became friends with Bonnie Boyd and they attended a convention together in Europe. In 1938 she left her husband of 15 years and went to Bethel in the official capacity of personal dietician to JFR. In 1939 her husband sued for a divorce having "made numerous efforts for a reconciliation." It was granted in 1940, citing "gross neglect of duty." Her nephew has described her as having a soft southern accent and dressing very classy. Some time after JFR's death she made a gift to her sister of some lingerie she had purchased in France during her time at Bethel and had herself worn-- crotchless panties and a bra with holes for the nipples to stick through. Before her own death in May 1973, it is reported that she confessed to the elders in her congregation that she had carried on an affair with JFR that spanned 15 years. She also told her own relatives "he was like a husband to me in every way."
Have a Cadillac and a Smile
Going back now to Bonnie Boyd Heath, other interesting relationships of a more monetary nature have been revealed. Bonnie's husband was a Coca-Cola Bottling Plant Manager (although only claiming to be a salesman in the Moyle vs Franz trial). His father, a chemist with NP Pratt Laboratory had been Vice President of a Coca-Cola franchise. His brother, Alfred T., was president of a Coca-Cola Bottling Company. His cousin was President and co-owner of the North Carolina Coca-Cola Bottling Company. And his sister, Susette, married Eugene Robert Black, Jr. who was President of the World Bank from July 1949 - December 1962 and, prior to that, Senior VP of Chase National Bank, and whose father was President of the Federal Reserve Bank from 13 Jan 1928 - 19 May 1933 and 16 Aug 1934 - 19 Dec 1934, and a Board member of the Federal Reserve in Washington, DC. It was WP Heath, Jr's father (not a Bible Student himself, but married to one) that funded the building of a second mansion (almost a fortress, really) near Beth-Sarim in 1939-- Beth Shan. And it was he who bought the Cadillacs parked in the garage at Beth-Sarim. And it was Heath Jr and Bonnie who got to live at Beth Shan.
The Princess and the Prince
Speaking of Beth-Sarim, the live-in caretakers mentioned earlier, August and Blanch Balko, came there from Texas in January 1930, bringing with them their infant daughter, Bonnie C. who came to be known as Princess Bonnie. Her brother, born in 1931, was named Prince Joseph Barak. Don't have much too say yet in that regard but didn't want to leave them out.
Questions, Anyone?
Yeah, me too. For starters...
Who was Bonnie Boyd? Was she JFR's mistress or was she just an "adopted daughter?" Or was she really his daughter? Who was her mother? Was SHE JFR's former lover? Why did she and her daughter go to Bethel together?
Did W.P Heath, Jr and his first wife have any children?
How did any of the above relationships effect the WTB&TS itself? Was the Society used to launder money? Was Rutherford the only one to benefit financially or by way of "perks?"
And so many more...
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Leolaia
MerryMagdalene....Thanks for putting that together...I might do something similar sometimes with the more technical data, to get it all in one place. It is mostly accurate, except for two things....Alfred T. Heath, the president of Carolina Coca-Cola Bottling Co., was the uncle of William Jr. -- not his brother or cousin, and the name of the company apparently did not specify "North Carolina" or "South," but simply as "Carolina Coca-Cola Bottling Co."
Thanks again for distilling the main threads on this very complex "thread"....
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MerryMagdalene
Leolaia--
Thanks for the corrections. I was a little confused about some of the Coca-Cola info. I think your idea of doing one including the more technical data is excellent and I look forward to reading it. It should be very useful!
--Merry