JT - awesome and very revealing info.
Thank you. Like Path, I give credit to any who can walk away from such "perks." And to all others who took a stand on injustices in any way shape or form.
True story (that backs up what you have revealed):
Back in the mid-'50's my mother an I went to the Baltimore assembly with "brother and sister annointed." On Saturday night, after the program was over, he took us to a very fine seafood establishment. (The prices left me speachless.) Three Bethelites joined us, one of them being MacMillan. At some point during the dinner, 'Brother
Annointed' handed each $500 in cash! There was a lot of 'boozin' going on that night (I can't honestly say whether MacMillan was a partaker, but probably). At somepoint 'bro annointed' put me in a cab to go back to our hotel. He asked the cabbie the fare and added a 5-cent tip! The cabbie groused all the way back said all JW's were really cheap from his experience - well maybe some of them had to be, but not 'bro annointed' he owned his own very successful business, brought a new Caddy every two years, had a huge wine cellar and belonged to an exclusive country club (for business purposes he claimed). Also, Mom and I sat with the rank-and-file, but
'anointed and wife' were up in one of those boxes you spoke of. Although 'dogma' was what eventually got to me and lead to disassociation - I think that night was a stepping-stone to questioning in general. P.S. My very beautiful mother, stayed with the 'boys' and came back to our room quite three sheets-to-the wind. Didn't even get up the next morning for the assembly, nor did 'annointeds' - I took busfare from Mom's purse and went on my own.