Perry Chapdelaine
| Perry Chapdelaine | |
|---|---|
| |
| Birthdate | 02/06 |
| Birthday | February 6, 1925 |
| Birth info | Perry Anthony Fabio St Paul, Minnesota |
| Deceased | Yes |
| Died on | 11/24/2015 |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Author, Educator |
| Org. Affiliation(s) | Hubbard Dianetic Research Foundation |
| Posts | Auditor |
| Spouse(s) | Ruby McCurley Chapdelaine; 1950 - 5/27/1980; Died Oct.15,1994 Lucelyn Verano Chapdelaine; August 20, 1998 - 4/2/2009 Mary Ann Hermosisima Chapdelaine; December 22, 2009 |
| Children | Perry A. Chapdelaine, Jr. (born 02/23/50) Randolph L. Chapdelaine (born 10/12/52) Cheryl E. Jacobsen (born 07/17/54) Joseph G. Chapdelaine (born 12/14/56) Michael M. Chapdelaine (born 01/20/58) Mary S. Boer (born 01/14/59) Rebecca A. Winner (born 01/07/60) |
Perry A. Chapdelaine, Sr., B.A., M.A., HDA, - student, associate and one-time auditor of L Ron Hubbard...
Early life[edit | edit source]
Perry was born February 6, 1925, in Saint Paul, Minnesota, to Anthony Louis Fabio and Beatrice Etta (née Perry). He was the only child of Anthony and Beatrice as his father was killed when Perry was six years old. His mother later remarried George Herbert Chapdelaine, a horologist (watchmaker) and engraver; a marriage that yielded no other children. When he was fourteen years old, Perry started to regularly read the magazine - Astounding Science Fiction. After graduation from Mason City, Iowa, High School, Perry's intention was to become a research chemist. He attended Mason City Junior College in his freshman year and then transferred to the University of Minnesota for his sophomore year.
In November, 1944, Perry joined the army and was sent to the University of West Virginia to be educated as a civil engineer. In August, 1945, with the war over, Perry was discharged from active service. He used his veteran's benefits to enroll in the Iowa State Teachers College (now known as the University of Northern Iowa) where he graduated in 1947 with a B.A. in mathematics, and minors in chemistry, physics, and psychology. When Perry was twenty-one he legally changed his last name to Chapdelaine. He furthered his education by attending George Peabody College for Teachers (now a part of Vanderbilt University). While there, as a graduate student, Perry met and fell in love with Ruby, an assistant librarian working at the College. He also joined the American Legion. In 1949 Perry obtained his M.A. in mathematics, with a minor in psychology.
He returned to Cedar Falls, Iowa, where he taught mathematics, for one year, at his alma mater, the Iowa State Teachers College. In 1949, Perry and Ruby were married in Mason City, where Perry then taught at Mason City Junior High School. On February 23, 1950, Perry and Ruby welcomed their first child, Perry Anthony Chapdelaine Jr. Now married with one child, he found that his was salary impossible to live on, so he first drove a taxicab nights and then, later, took part-time employment at the Sears, Roebuck Company Department Store. Perry was offered an assistant manager training position but after a few months declined the position. During all of those growth years he was still reading - Astounding Science Fiction.
Involvement with Dianetics[edit | edit source]
In the December, 1949, edition of Astounding Science Fiction editor John W. Campbell announced an upcoming article about Dianetics by L. Ron Hubbard. Perry had followed the build up to the first article, titled Dianetics, the Evolution of a Science, which was published in the May, 1950, issue of Astounding Science Fiction. Shortly after that "Dianetics, the Modern Science of Mental Health" was published, which Perry quickly ordered and read. He formed a small group, in Mason City, Iowa, to try to figure out what reverie was and how one knew when they encountered an engram. In order to better understand Dianetics, Perry made plans to take the HDA (Hubbard Dianetic Auditor) course that was being offered in Elizabeth, New Jersey.
His first action was to move his family to his wife's parent's home in Mobile, Alabama; a drive of over 1,051 miles in his Manhattan automobile. In order to pay for the course, which cost five hundred dollars, Perry sold his life insurance policy, which his parents had paid into for years. While in Mobile, Perry met a businessman, by the name of Clint McDade, who would pay Perry to audit him on the Dianetic techniques. Perry drove to Elizabeth, a journey of over 1,178 miles, where he started the six week HDA course. His course took place at the original Hubbard Dianetic Research Foundation, Inc. which had been established by L. Ron Hubbard, Don Rogers (an electrical engineer), John W. Campbell, Jr., and others.
During this time Hubbard was primarily in Los Angeles, California, but would, once a week, fly in and give lectures to the approximately forty students on the course. Of that time Perry recalls - "He had worked out this business about ARC and he started talking about that. We auditor’s were sitting there, we don’t want to hear about ARC, we wanted to hear about how to yank out engrams."[1] John Campbell also lectured once a week, primarily on how to harass the crowd that is harassing you while also explaining Dianetics. (see Perry's interview number four - "Perry gets his HDA at Elizabeth NJ" for Perry's own words about this time period) On January 15, 1951, the State of New Jersey served the Foundation with a complaint of operating a school for the treatment of disease without a license. Perry recalled that time period - "I was at Elizabeth, NJ when the service of process from the NJ attorney general’s office was served. My HDA was received, you’ll note, in January 1951 and since it was a six week course I had to be there during Xmas of 1950. They didn't exist without students. They had to shut down or folks would go to jail. Of those who started the foundation: Winter, Roger, Campbell and Hubbard, Roger was there toward the end. A PhD in chemistry who was very unstable broke down. Roger asked me to take care of him until they could haul him off to an asylum a long way away the next morning. I stayed with the guy on the third floor of an empty house. He would not sleep, but constantly dramatized his engrams with physical motions. We hauled him off. That’s the last time I saw Rogers."[2] Despite those events Perry, in the last HDA class before the New Jersey Attorney General shut the foundation down, finished his course on January 19, 1951, and headed back to Alabama. However, the place where Perry had had his engine oil changed had forgotten to replace the oil fill cap which resulted in a failed engine due to the loss of oil. Fortunately for Perry, Clint McDade wired him the money to get his car fixed.
Once back with his family in Mobile, Perry set up a Dianetic study center there and one in Fairhope, Alabama. One member of Perry's group in Fairhope, was Marge Bridges, who would later on join the Sea Org. During that time period, paying PC's were a rare find and Perry had one in Clint. He continued to audit Clint but eventually came to a conclusion - "I worked with my preclear in Alabama for some time, one day coming to the realization that my HDA certificate did not give me the skills and knowledge necessary to bring him to a cleared state. In fact, I was doing no better with my paying preclear than had several dozen highly paid psychiatrists — and apparently no worse!"[3] By this time Ron, with help from Don Purcell, had moved the headquarters of the Hubbard Research Foundation to Wichita Kansas. Perry learned that the Foundation was going to host the First Annual Conference of Hubbard Dianetic Auditors from June 25 to June 30, 1951, so he made plans to attend. He brought Clint and two members of the Mobile and Fairhope, Alabama Dianetic club with him to Wichita. On June 28, 1951, a Thursday evening, the conferees attended a banquet given by the Foundation staff. The first limited edition copies of Science of Survival were presented at the banquet to those who had ordered the manuscript edition. Perry had his copy autographed by Hubbard. (Note from Perry in 2014: "I gave my signed manuscript of Science of Survival, along with some other early books, to the Church in California. Last I saw of it was in a display case opened to his signature. I didn’t ask any money for it."). On June 29, 1951, at the business section of the conference, the Association of Hubbard Dianetic Auditors, International was formed. Out of the one hundred and twelve HDA's that were there, Perry was elected as its secretary. While there, Perry learned that a male and a female, Ron's regular auditors at the Foundation, wanted to leave. Those two took over the auditing of Clint and Perry was hired to audit at the Foundation.
Perry drove back to Mobile and moved his wife and son to Wichita where he worked under Ross Lamoreaux, who had a PhD in psychology, in the processing section of the Foundation. All through July to October Perry audited and also attended about thirty-six lectures given by Hubbard. During that time Ron assigned Perry a specific task - "Because of my degrees in mathematics Hubbard hired me to produce axioms and logics for Dianetics. After some effort I was not able to do this satisfactorily and told him so. I did suggest, and he did accept the definition of definitions known in philosophy as intensional, extensional and operational definitions, which are still to be found in his published axioms, postulates, and logic's."[4] Ron would work mainly through the night. He would then give Perry the tapes of his work, who would then hand them to the office girls to do the transcribing. Perry would cut the transcripts up and organize, then Ron would do the same until they were satisfied with the axioms of Dianetics. On October 8 to October 12, 1951, Ron delivered ten lectures at the October Midwest Conference Lectures. Passed out to the attendees was a little paper-bound book called Dianetics: Axioms; fifty-one people were in attendance. (see Perry's interview number five - "Perry as one of the first field auditors" for Perry's own words about this time period)
During this time period Hubbard was audited every day, mostly on himself and those sessions became his lectures. Perry described Hubbard's auditing as - "Ron’s “research” consisted mainly of two types; (1) stuff he could re-write from other folks’ writings and (2) stuff he derived from his own daily auditing sessions. Of course he did other type of research by observing auditors and their preclears, but in the early days it was mainly one and two above. When Ron lectured and said (paraphrase) that to understand an apple one should study an apple, he was referring to number 2 above. To understand the mind one should study the mind. In this case, his own mind."[5] Ron invited Perry to audit him on October 25, 1951. Perry describes the session - "Ron pretty well ran himself in session. Ron went through the whole “History of Man” sequence during that period. The content in what I audited is the same as in the History of Man book."[6] On October 26, 1951, Ron delivered three lectures to HDA students in Wichita, titled Evolution of Man According to the Facsimile. According to Perry - "Hubbard was experimenting with going out, moving outside the body. We had a fellow [Bud Eubanks]... he came to the door and before he could almost walk into the house he [Hubbard] said - be three feet behind your head and this fellow was, he did and he begun acting very weird from that time on and Hubbard just laughed and laughed, he thought that was really funny."[7] Ron would occasionally audit Perry during the time he was employed at the foundation. (see Perry's interview number eight - "Auditing LRH on A History of Man" for Perry's own words about this time period)
When the Hubbard Research Foundation of Elizabeth, New Jersey, went bankrupt, Don Purcell had stepped in and bought out the assets, which meant that he owned Dianetics. He had a goal of creating for the Foundation the same image that the successful Menninger Clinic in Topeka, Kansas, had. With Ron talking about past lives, Don felt that this would discredit the Dianetic movement. He and Ron had many an argument about it as witnessed by Perry - "There was a clinic in Topeka, the Menninger clinic, Menninger brothers had set up a clinic, psychiatric clinic there that was having success and Don Purcell wanted the Foundation, in Wichita, to have success like the Menninger clinic and he felt that if Hubbard started talking about past lives it would discredit them so much that they wouldn't have any possibility of having credit, of having success. So he didn't want Hubbard to mention anything about past lives, and Hubbard, Hubbard’s whole attitude was "Well I'm a researcher and what I find is what I find, if it works this is what you use, it doesn't have anything to do with whether it is real or not, just whether it works”.... Purcell had bought out the bankruptcy in Federal Court of the first foundations and because of that he pretty well owned Dianetics and everything in it, and he offered Hubbard $100 a lecture for him to lecture and so in a sense Hubbard felt constrained because now he was owned by somebody instead of his own man."[8] (see Perry's interview number three - "LRH and Don Purcell, why past lives caused problems" for Perry's own words about this time period)
Around this time Hubbard was also working on a separate project in which Perry was involved. Ron had Perry go to the library and pick up a book of civil engineering people’s addresses. Perry had the girls in the office, three of them, type all of those addresses on a little silk screen address master. Ron was starting the Allied Scientists of the World of which Perry recalled - "I also worked with a number of typists in preparing names and addresses for an organization that was to be known as the “Allied Scientists of the World,” a complex Hubbardian scheme designed to end war and to bring about the first Dianetic community. He wanted to set up a Dianetic community out in the desert. He wanted to build Hydrogen bomb proof shelters, and in those shelters he wanted to put the trade secrets of all the different industrialists, and if any nation wanted to start a war they would be denied access to those trade secrets."[9][10] The first letters were sent out from the Allied Scientists of the World on November 23, 1951, from their address at 941 17th street, Denver, Colorado. (see Perry's interview number eleven - "LRH as commander and first idea to create remote archives" for Perry's own words about this time period)
Perry, as an employee of the Foundation, performed many other duties such as; Self Analysis (published August 1951) and Handbook for Preclears (published December 1951) were completed by Hubbard in manuscript form, and Perry brought the manuscripts, along with Axioms and Postulates, to the printer for reproduction. From December 27 to December 30, 1951, Ron delivered eleven lectures at the second annual conference of Hubbard Dianetic Auditors. They were delivered in the Crystal Room of the Shirkmere Hotel, Wichita. On the Monday, following the December Conference, a group of Dianeticists met at Ron’s home for an informal discussion on auditing techniques; three recordings were taken. Perry attended both events.
Perry recalled what happened to the Allied Scientists of the World - "I was summoned to Hubbard’s house one night at 3:00 a.m. He handed me a plane ticket and described a problem he had in Denver, Colorado. He’d rented an office in Denver and purchased office furniture for it. He’d hired a young lady to travel to Denver and take control of the Allied Scientist of the World office. This lady had used him for a free ticket to Denver, and then disappeared. There was a secretary working in the office. I was to fly there and take care of it since many memberships for the Allied Scientists of the World should be now coming in the mail containing membership fees. That next morning when I opened the Denver office door I began getting hit with one-after-the-other of FBI, BBB, newspaper reporters and so on. There was no end to it, as though it was all planned to wear me down, which it did. This was the “McCarthy” era, immediately after WWII. Senator Joseph McCarthy waged relentless, unsubstantiated accusations against any and everyone he felt might be associated with communists. Since our Government through the military was still engaged in secret contracts with a major portion of industry, no engineer or scientist would be permitted to join an organization whose board of directors was not known and purposes clearly revealed. Hubbard did not want to reveal that he was the sole member behind the Allied Scientists of the World, so, therefore, the order had gone out across America to learn the hidden facts about this new organization. Our returns from thousands of names invited to become members was sparse. As I remember, it was about three out of thousands invited — and those were probably from the FBI! I talked to Ross Lamoreaux by phone briefly while at Denver and learned that Don Purcell had placed a listening device on Hubbard’s telephone. When I next talked to Hubbard I told him what I’d learned and about the scarcity of membership applications. The Allied Scientists of the World was closed and I went back to Wichita, but not to work at the Foundation."[11] Perry was pretty upset with the whole situation and had his wife drive, which was the first time his wife had ever driven on a highway, from Wichita to Denver to pick him up. Perry describes what he did next - "Now without financial support for my family, I was invited by Dianetic club members at Mobile, AL and also those in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to help them get their auditing and club in order. I accepted the Minneapolis invitation and, soon after my arrival, met Ronald B. Howes in the hospital, and began processing Ronald B. Howes."[12] (see Perry's interview number six - "Allied Scientists of the World and LRH's phone gets bugged" for Perry's own words about this time period)
Perry audited Howes at the Center, which was close to the University of Minnesota. Perry threw out what he had learned at Elizabeth and used the principles learned from being around Hubbard in Wichita. After a few sessions Perry asked Howes to re-balance all the control centers of his body and his whole left side of his body vibrated like mad. He came out with attributes that were unbelievable, and everyone who knew him were convinced that he was Clear. That event was taped. Perry described what happened next - "As soon as I was convinced that Ronald B. Howes’ new state was stable I telephoned L. Ron Hubbard who was still in Wichita, KS, but no longer associated with Don Purcell.... There was a long pause, and then Ron said, “So, it was you, Perry!” Then I remembered that long ago L. Ron Hubbard had gazed out to nothing and had predicted that in January or February something good would happen to Dianetics. It was January 20, 1952!"[13] (see Perry's interview number ten - "First Clear, not John McMaster" for Perry's own words about this time period)
Up until this time Hubbard had not been able to substantially demonstrate someone who was Clear, and as a result interest in Dianetics was down-trending. In fact, at one time Hubbard had a Clear up in front of a crowd in LA and she broke off in tears, which really discredited Dianetics. Perry felt that he had accomplished the goal of someone who demonstrated the attributes of a Clear and felt that he should let the world know about it. Perry tells what he did next - "The impact on the Minneapolis Dianetic community was great but isolated, and I knew that I was going to have to take the responsibility of telling the world. I had no money, a child and wife to support, and no real knowledge or training on how to go about telling the world. But my deep conviction brought me to telephoning other Dianetic groups around the United States. One such, in Phoenix, AZ, invited me to lecture. Believing there would be a small crowd, I fearfully spent the little bit of funds I had for plane fare and headed outward, mission and zeal unabated. There was a surprisingly large crowd, including a member of the Arizona Appeals Court, Fred Struckmeyer (Fred eventually went on to become a justice of the Supreme Court and retired from there) and his attorney brother, Jim Struckmeyer. (I later became friends with both, and audited both, but that’s a different story.).... My next invitation after Phoenix came from science fiction writer, A.E. van Vogt, who later became an endearing friend. He was then married to science fiction writer who wrote under the pseudonym of E. Mayne Hull. The van Vogts invited me to spend a couple of weeks living with them and lecturing at their non-bankrupted Hubbard Dianetic Research Foundation in Hollywood. Again the crowds were huge, and I communicated the best I could. At one of these evening lectures I was approached by Volney Mathison who had a box with two electrical terminals attached that the preclear was to hold in his or her two hands. This device, Mathison claimed, would identify engrams. He offered to provide me with fifty percent of the proceeds if I’d sell them during my lectures. I turned down the offer."[14]
Undaunted, Mathison approached Hubbard who was still in Wichita, Kansas, where Hubbard began experimenting with the device. When Perry got back to Wichita, Hubbard had invited all the auditors into a school auditorium and there sitting on stage was Hubbard with Volney’s box. On February 2, 1952, Ron delivered the lecture Psychogalvanometer, Mysticism Groups. Perry describes this event - "When I returned to Wichita, Kansas, Hubbard called a meeting for all auditors. Since he and Don Purcell were now at loggerheads our meeting took place in a school auditorium. Here Hubbard described some of the things he’d learned by using the Mathison meter."[15] (see Perry's interview number nine - "Volney Mathison has a fake patent" for Perry's own words about this time period)
From there Perry visited and lectured at other groups near Los Angeles (one lecture occurred on March 2 and one on April 8, 1952), San Francisco and Berkeley, California, Vancouver, Canada, the states of Oregon and Washington, Norwalk, Connecticut, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, New York, New York and back to his original home base of Mobile, Alabama. The last time that Perry saw of his old friend and mentor was as he sat on his porch at his home, there fielding questions from a handful of visitors. After the touring, Perry recounts what he did - "I accepted a request to start a center near Berkeley, California, where my wife and our first born moved. One of those on my board, George Seidel, is now considered the longest running first book auditor."[16] He named his Dianetic Center - "Health and Happiness, Incorporated", which was up and running by June 1952.
On October 12, 1952, the Chapdelaine's welcomed the arrival of their second child - Randolph. Later on Ross Lamoreaux invited Perry to audit at his new, independent Dianetic center in Phoenix, Arizona. Perry accepted the offer and closed his center in Berkeley. Eventually Perry left Ross’s organization and purchased a house in Phoenix, with the intent of auditing for a living. By the end of 1953 his wife was pregnant with their third child. In 1954, faced with an ever growing family and the shortage of paying PC's, Perry gave up his career as a Dianetic auditor and left Dianetics and Scientology behind. In 2014 he gave the reason for his decision - "The main reason I left was to support a constantly growing family. Paying preclears were few and far between. Also I felt that the technology was not there as yet".[17] Perry's wife, Ruby, was just fine with his decision to give up auditing as she only gave lip service to being interested in Dianetics, and it was like pulling teeth to get her to one of Ron's lectures. She was never interested.
Life after Dianetics[edit | edit source]
In 1954 Perry moved his family back to Mobile, Alabama, where he took a job with the U.S. Air Force. While at the Mobile Air Material Area, a United States Air Force supply and aircraft repair depot for airplanes and their ground support equipment, he worked as a professional psychometrist. On July 17, 1954, the Chapdelaine's welcomed their first daughter - Cheryl Elaine. Even though Perry was advancing rapidly in pay grade, having been promoted from GS-5 entry level to GS-9, he was also acquiring an increasing number of children which pushed him to earn more. One of his opportunities was teaching evening school at the Jesuit Spring Hill College in Mobile. On December 14, 1956, the Chapdelaine's welcomed their fourth child - Joseph G and on January 20, 1958, the Chapdelaine's welcomed their fifth child - Michael M.
One day Perry and the top ranking civilian in the Air Material Area, one who sat next to the General’s office, were walking together after lunch when he mentioned that Perry should look into the coming profession of computers, including programmer and system design specialties. The computer field was indeed beginning to boil into visibility because the US Air Force was the primary money bags for the industry, stimulating International Business Machines (IBM) and other organizations to build larger and faster computers. The air force was then paying IBM millions of dollars to develop big scale computers – long before civilians knew of them. They had two jobs, one was programmer which is primarily a coder, and the other was systems analyst, the guy who designs the necessary systems. Perry's degrees in mathematics qualified him, according to various US Civil Service standards, to apply for several positions, namely that of “Programmer” or “Systems Development Analyst.” Perry transferred into a new unit whose goals were to pull the US Air Force logistics systems out from bulky, costly, time-consuming punch cards to electronic computers. As a systems analyst he was able to recommend some programs that were endorsed by higher commands. Perry also designed a system which was supposed to automatically identify probable aircraft and ground support equipment component failure, a program that was accepted by the air force. On January 14, 1959, the Chapdelaine's welcomed their second daughter - Mary S.
In late 1959 Perry left the air force position and went to work briefly at the Western Electric Company (then still part of the giant AT&T system) in Winston Salem, North Carolina. On January 7, 1960, the Chapdelaine's welcomed twins, Rebecca A. and John T., to their family.
Later in 1960 Perry returned to the Air Force, with a promise of a GS-13 level position (equivalent to a major), back again to the Air Material Command, this time to work at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. This position was to ride herd on the program he had designed. Perry's ideas were still endorsed and he was assigned to work in a unit that was supposed to place these new programs on a computer, thus allowing for statistical evaluation of aircraft and ground support failed items worldwide. Part of Perry's evolution into computers would also encompass virtually 60% of the total Air Material Command’s management system. On March 15, 1961, the Chapdelaine's welcomed their ninth child - Patricia T, and on May 21, 1962, the Chapdelaine's welcomed their tenth child - Candace C.
Perry quit the air force position for a better job at the Department of Agriculture in New Orleans, Louisiana, but left there before he had hardly started because he couldn’t find a decent, affordable place to park his ten kids and his wife. In 1964 Perry moved his family to Nashville, Tennessee, where he went to work at the Father Ryan High School, teaching math for two years. He also spent evenings teaching math at the University of Tennessee at Nashville. Perry then applied for a position as Assistant Professor of Mathematics at the Tennessee Agricultural and Industrial University (now known as the Tennessee State University). On 27 May 1966, Perry was notified by a letter, signed by the Dean of Faculty, that he was being recommended to the Tennessee State Board of Education for employment effective 15 September 1966. Perry quit teaching at the high school and went to work at the university. The next year one of his short stories, "To Serve the Masters", was published in the September edition of If, a science fiction magazine. In 1968 Perry wrote to Dr. Patrick Suppes regarding the status of the mathematics education at Tennessee A & I State University. Dr. Suppes invited Perry to Stanford University and in follow ups helped him to obtain a half million dollar grant from the National Science Foundation. Perry became the Project Director of a Computer Assisted Instruction laboratory at Tennessee A & I State University. He was also teaching nightly at University of Tennessee at Nashville, respectively all black and all white Universities, becoming the only “integrated” teacher during the Black fight to control all higher education in Nashville. If magazine published another of Perry's short stories, "We Fused Ones", in its July, 1968, edition. In 1969 If published two of Perry's novelettes; "Spork of the Ayor", in its April edition and "To The Last Rite!" in its October edition.
Perry completed his three year probationary period, at the Tennessee State University, in June 1969, and was employed for the school year 1969-1970. Each year his salary had been increased. During the time the National Science Foundation grant (grant number GY-5308) was in effect, lots of jealousy had originated from among Perry's fellow Afro-American instructors. From the time the grant was received, everything, short of shooting Perry with a bullet, was used against him to either control the money in the grant or to distort any possible report that he might write.
In 1970, Perry advised the National Science Foundation to discontinue the grant because the school authorities had not been cooperating and he felt that the Federal Government’s money was being wasted. The National Science Foundation notified the University that they would withdraw its funding effective 30 September, 1970. On 18 August 1970, Dr. Andrew Torrence advised Chapdelaine that his service at the Tennessee State University would terminate on 30 September, 1970. On 8 September, 1970, Chapdelaine made a written formal request for a hearing before the Tennessee State Board of Education on the dismissal action, a meeting he was never granted. Perry was also released from his night job at the University of Tennessee at Nashville.
After his dismissal from the Universities Perry tried other things to make a living; he started a surveying business, together with his ten children and wife operated a mom and pop record and tape store, ran a small farm, created the City of Fairview’s first decent newspaper, then worked as the city manager of Fairview for a short time, got a residential contractor’s license and built houses for resale, and other survival activities. After selling three novels ("Swampworld West", published April 18, 1974, "Swampworld West", Italian edition, published November 1976, and "The Laughing Terran", published September 22, 1977), several novellas and short stories, Perry decided to become a full-time science fiction writer. This was not to be. By the 1980's his life had hit rock bottom. So-called “incurable” arthritis had descended upon Perry with a frightening vigor. Not only did he have a hard time turning door knobs, but the act of typing was impossible and his little finger was beginning to twist; Perry was depressed and his world was shattering.
Perry describes what he did to better himself - "I knew that psychiatry was useless so I searched around for an answer when I suddenly remembered that Ron taught me that, while messing around with engrams sans an auditor was dangerous, one could run emotion and counter-emotion with safe impunity. My office was a converted tractor barn away from prying eyes and ears and so, one day I lay down on the rug and began running emotion and counter-emotion without an auditor. Much to my surprise I began discharging line charges some of which lasted for hours, quite literally. Because of my knowledge of the tone scale and also the engrammic things like bouncers, deniers and so on, I was able to observe myself starting at apathy and coming up the tone scale. What’s the use? Grief, Lie to self, Overt anger over what others had done to me, boredom, and then the laughter would start again. This situation went on for literally weeks and at the end of each line charge I’d suddenly have the realization of which phrases I’d used in my life to operate under (service facsimiles) and I’d finally know what I’d done to myself. These realizations, of course, got refiled and now I couldn’t tell you what they were – unimportant. My personality changed and I became, in my view, what we used to call a “release. I’d get physically exhausted and have to quit for the day. To extrovert I went dancing, handling MEST and motion. I danced every night for years, 365 days and even taught east and west coast swing and country and western two step I became so good. 365 days a year, year in and year out. I excitedly wrote Hubbard to tell him all about it. He wrote back and said that I shouldn’t audit myself, but by then the “damage” had been done and the outcome had been decidedly favorable. Besides, Hubbard always audited himself! Hubbard then invited me to come and join him again and partake of all he’d built.”"[18] (Note: By 1980 Hubbard was in hiding[19])
Perry also researched for a medical remedy. He found a doctor, Jack Blount, who was able to help Perry get well by way of theories based on the work of Roger Wyburn-Mason, M.D., Ph.D. of England. By 1982, through the combination of self auditing and medical treatment, Perry had recovered. Then he, along with over 200 doctors, created the Arthritis Trust of America, whose purpose is - "To eradicate Rheumatoid arthritis from this earth". Perry has been its CEO and secretary since its inception.
Perry did try to get involved with the Church of Scientology, but was disappointed by how he was treated. He describes that time - Later a mission was established in Nashville, its first home was a closet in someone’s apartment bldg. I and a close friend took some courses there and later on we went to Washington, DC for some auditing. I was extremely disappointed with the auditing from several viewpoints. I went to celebrity center in Hollywood for some auditing, which was a wee bit better, but only a wee bit. I took a course on Freewinds. My last connection was at the Nashville COS where, to get on the Bridge, I’d have to take stuff so far beneath me it disgusted me, and since have only sent my wife [Mary Ann] and a granddaughter to take some courses and my wife to get a wee bit of first book auditing.[20]
As of late 2014, with Perry nearing ninety years of age, he continues to run the Arthritis Trust of America and publishing his writings.
A look back[edit | edit source]
I wanted to finish Perry's bio with a look back at the years he was totally invested in the Dianetics experience. Ever the writer, he had much to say - Perry's reflections about Dianetics
Bibliography[edit | edit source]
Perry Chapdelaine, Sr. writes for the Arthritis Trust of America under the pseudonym of Anthony di Fabio.
Chapdelaine/di Fabio has both a BA and MA in mathematics with minors in chemistry, physics and psychology. He taught mathematics at college level for a number of years, and he's proudly worked for the Air Force as a civilian. Later he established a number of private businesses, but is now retired, except for his work for a charity organization.
His early and long-running love of science fiction and fantasy started him on the path of writing science fiction full time until he developed so-called "incurable" rheumatoid arthritis. While seeking and at last finding the cure to this horrible disease, he began work for the non-private, tax-exempt charity, the Arthritis Trust of America. It is for the Arthritis Trust that he's written a number of medical books and articles dedicated to helping folks, all under his pseudonym of "Anthony di Fabio." Found on Kindle are the following:
Perry's books are available at Amazon/Kindle and Barnes & Noble/Nook
fiction - science fiction - letters[edit | edit source]
Perry A. Chapdelaine, Sr/Anthony di Fabio bibliography as of November 6, 2014
1. That Old Fashion Science Fiction (anthology)
a. Breathe! Breathe! God How I Would Breathe!
b. Brood World Barbarian
c. Charley
d. Dear Weirdo Magazine
e. Devilish Gifts (with Ceuga Loomis)
f. The Everywhere Key
g. Fundamental Creation
h. The Good Padre
i. IItYou
j. Initial Contact
k. Just Like a Real Boy (with Perry A. Chapdelaine, Jr.)
l. The Law and Darby Clanahan (with Mike Glyer)
m. Letter to Congressman (John W. Campbell, Jr., commemorative stamp sponsorship)
n. Well -- Maybe Again!
o. My Life as Machine (with Ceuga Loomis)
p. Point of View (with Perry A.Chapdelaine, Jr.)
q. Profile of Courage
r. Quair Fer PolCats
s. The Return of John Israel McWayizeni Shaka
t. Sales Engineering
u. Sigh One, You’re Out!
v. Someday You’ll Be Rich!
w. Survival’s Song (with Gloria Nugent)
x. Tain't Human Lessen It Eergles
y. To Serve The Masters
z. To The Last Rite!
aa. We Fused Ones
2. America! The Land of Symptom Sellers
3. Breathe! Breathe! God How I Would Breathe!
4. Brood World Barbarian
5. Charley
6. Dear Weirdo Magazine
7. Devilish Gifts, (Ceuga Loomis)
8. During the Dawn of Dianetics and Scientology
9. Exteriorization
10. Extraterrestrials Are Us!
11. Famous People I Met -- Or Almost Met!
12. Fundamental Creation
13. Hot Buttered Soul!
14. IItYou
15. Initial Contact
16. In Memoriam
17. Just Like a Real Boy (with Perry A. Chapdelaine, Jr.)
18. Medical and Psychiatric Lifebelts
19. Michael Coffey's Jewish Leprechaun
20. My Life as Machine (with Ceuga Loomis)
21. Nigerian Scams
22. Philippine Culture
23. Point of View (With Perry A. Chapdelaine, Jr.)
24, Profiles in Courage
25. Quair fer Polcats
26. Radiant Energy
27. Robert Moore Williams
28. Obscure Radiation
29. Silver Orb, The
30. Space Time
31. Spork of the Ayor
32. Swampworld West
33. Swampworld West (L'inferno Nelle Paludi, Italian translation)
34. That Out of Body Experience
35. The Everywhere Key
36. The Good Padre
37. The Greatest Thief!
38. The Laughing Terran
39. The John W. Campbell Letters (with Perry A. Chapdelaine, Jr. and George Hay)
40. The John W. Campbell Letters with Isaac Asimov and A.E. van Vogt
41. The John W. Campbell Letters with Isaac Asimov 1950-1956 (pdf searchables)
42. The John W. Campbell Letters with Isaac Asimov 1956-1994 (pdf searchables)
43. The John W. Campbell Letters with L.Ron Hubbard 1938-1971 (pdf searchables)
44. The Law and Darby Clanahan (with Mike Glyer)
45. There's No Such Thing as a Free Lunch -- Or is there?
46. Will to Kill
47. Withering Gods
48. Extraterrestrials are Us
health - medical[edit | edit source]
Perry Chapdelaine bibliography under pseudonym of Anthony di Fabio as of November 6, 2014
1 Absolutely Phenomenal Medical Treatments (with Dr. Curt Maxwell)
2. Ankylosing Spondilitis Was Cured!
3. Arthritis: Little Known Treatment
4. Arthritis: Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Disease Including Rheumatoid Arthritis
5. Arthritis: Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Disease Including Rheumatoid Arthritis in Japanese (translated by Nobuo Tanaka)
6. Bees Are Necessary for Health (with Royden Brown)
7. Biofeedback & Computerized Electrodermal Testing (with Hector Solorzano del Rio, M.D., D.Sc.)
8. Boron, Also A Necessary Supplement (with Rex Newnham, D.O., D.Sc., Ph.D., & Gus J. Prosch, Jr. M.D.)
9. Candida Albicans, the Great Disease Mimicker (with Gus J. Prosch, Jr., M.D.)
10. Causation of Rheumatoid Disease Including Human Cancers (Roger Wyburn-Mason, M.D.)
11. Causation of Rheumatoid Disease Including Human Cancers Precis (Roger Wyburn-Mason, M.D., Ph.D. with Anthony di Fabio)
12. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (with Charles Weber)
13. Cleaning Out Your Plumbing -- Chelation Therapy
14. Come guarire reumatoide (Adele Basile Translator)
15. Cure Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Progressive Systemic Sclerosis (With Harold Davis, M.D.)
16. Curing Rheumatoid Arthritis
17. Dedication, Love and Humour -- My Life With Profesor Roger Wyburn-Mason (Joan Wyburn-Mason with Anthony di Fabio)
18. Dr. Christ's Psoriasis Treatment (With Helmut Christ, M.D.)
19. Gout is Curable
20. How to Spot and Handle Suppression in Medicine: Identical Medical and Relgious Patterns in the Late Twentieth Century
21. How to Kill Any Untreatable Bacteria With Hydrochloric Acid
22. Intraneural Injections (Dr. Paul K. Pybus with Anthony di Fabio)
23. L'artte Gottosa (Adele Basile Translator)
24. Life Robbing Poison Approved by the United States Government
25. Linus Pauling, PhD was Right, as ned by Dr. Robert F. Cathcart III
26. Little Known Arthritis Treatments
27. Lyme Arthritis Disease
28. Magic of Magnetic Healing -- The Real Magic Bullet (William Philpott, M.D., Anthony Fabio, editor)
29. Magnesium: A Truly Essential Supplement (With Raul Vergini, M.D.)
30. Memorias Del Seminario Sobre La Enfermedad Reumatoidea (with Dr. Gus J. Prosch, Dr. Hector Solarzano del Rio, Anthony di Fabio)
31. Mycoplasmic Theory of Rheumatoid Disease According to Thomas McPherson Brown, M.D. (Harold Brown, Ph.D., Joseph Mercola, D.O., with Anthony di Fabio)
32. Osteoarthritis
33. Prevenzione E Trattamento Dell'osteartrite -- Artrosi (Adele Basile Translator)
34. Prolo Therapy by Structural Diagnostic Photography (Dr. James Carlson)
35. Rheumatoid Diseases Cured at Last
36. Soft Tissue Arthritis (with Dr. Paul Jaconello)
37. Suggestions for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (with Charles Weber)
38. Suggestions for Treating Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
39. Tendinits And Tenosynovitiis
40. The Art of Getting Well
41. The Carl Reich Papers (Carl Reich, M.D., Anthony di Fabio, editor)
42. The Good Guys Bacteria -- Lactobacillus acidophilus & Bifido bacterium
43. The Healing Fever -- Herxheimer
44. The Magic of Magnetic Healing -- The Real Magic Bullet (William Philpott, M.D., Anthony di Fabio, Editor)
45. The Miracle of Hydrogen Peroxide Therapy
46. The Truth About Allergies and Alcoholism (Warren Levin, MD, Anthony Chapdelaine)
47. Thyroid Hormone Therapy
48. Two Methods of Lymphatic Drainage (Thomas Gervais, Courtland Reeves, Bruno Chikly, M.D., D.O.)
49. Ubiquitous Oral Vaccine -- Safe and Cheap
50. Your Health & Stress (With Gus. J. Prosch, Jr., M.D.)
51. What's Right/Wrong About Nutritional Guidelines?
52. History of Secret Experimentation on American Citizens
Perry's interview videos[edit | edit source]
On July 20, 2014, Dave LaCroix, Rocky Hammond and Kitty James visited Perry at his home and recorded their interview with him. The interview was then edited into eleven smaller segments for easier viewing.
Heinlein Tarzan theme and Stranger in a Strange land[edit | edit source]
Interview #1
Synopsis: Perry spends the afternoon at home with Robert Heinlein. Heinlein's "Tarzan Theme" becomes Stranger in a Strange Land.
Video length: 3:56
John W Campbell and The Campbell Letters[edit | edit source]
Interview #2
Synopsis: Perry reminisces about John W. Campbell and the John W. Campbell letters.
Video length: 3:13
LRH and Don Purcell, why past lives caused problems[edit | edit source]
Interview #3
Synopsis: Perry reminisces about Don Purcell. He describes why talking about past lives caused problems and what happened when Hubbard and Purcell parted ways.
Video length: 6:47
Perry gets his HDA at Elizabeth NJ[edit | edit source]
Interview #4
Synopsis: Perry reminisces about his time on the HDA (Hubbard Dianetic Auditor) course in Elizabeth, New Jersey. He relates stories about LRH and Campbell, especially Ron lecturing about ARC.
Video length: 3:43
Perry as one of the first field auditors[edit | edit source]
Interview #5
Synopsis: Perry talks about his time in Dianetics from the winter of 1950 to the summer of 1951. At that time paying PC's were very rare and Perry audited one. He also relates how he helped LRH on the Dianetic postulates and axioms.
Video length: 8:18
Allied Scientists of the World and LRH's phone gets bugged[edit | edit source]
Interview #6
Synopsis: Perry reminisces about how he helped Hubbard with the Allied Scientists of the World and how Purcell bugged Ron's phone.
Video length: 3:21
LRH meets Mary Sue Whipp[edit | edit source]
Interview #7
Synopsis: Perry talks about how LRH met Mary Sue Whipp and how Ron was also experimenting with exteriorization.
Video length: 2:50
Auditing LRH on A History of Man[edit | edit source]
Interview #8
Synopsis: Perry relates how he audited Hubbard, in an unmetered session, where Ron ran through the incidents that later became the subject of the LRH book "History of Man".
Video length: 3:21
Volney Mathison has a fake patent[edit | edit source]
Interview #9
Synopsis: Perry relates how, during the time when Dianetics was almost dead, he toured and lectured that it was possible to create a Clear because he had done so. During the tour he met Volney Mathison whose e-meter, it turned out later, had a fake patent number on it.
Video length: 3:50
First Clear, not John McMaster[edit | edit source]
Interview #10
Synopsis: Perry describes how he helped Ron Howes become the first Clear. Perry also talks about his 1952 tour, around the country, delivering the message "A Clear is Possible".
Video length: 13:14
LRH as commander and first idea to create remote archives[edit | edit source]
Interview #11
Synopsis: Perry talks about Hubbard functioning as a Commander, and his ideas for the Allied Scientists of the World project, including a remote safe archive.
Video length: 2:55
webcast[edit | edit source]
MEET PERRY LIVE ONLINE
We hosted a Webcast with Perry on Sunday November 16, 2014 at 2:00 pm EST (New York time). He told stories and answered questions over our Internet video webcast service.
Available on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJCOrASpRiY
comments[edit | edit source]
Use the comments feature below. Perry will respond to questions as he can. To have your discussion with Perry made a permanent record of this biography - use the DISCUSSION FORUM for this page. ("Discussion" tab at top of page)
comments powered by DisqusNote[edit | edit source]
This biography was created by Dave LaCroix and Howard Dickman.
Video recording and editing: Rocky Hammond - Editorial assistance: Kitty James.
references[edit | edit source]
- ^ David LaCroix's interview with Perry, July 20, 2014
- ^ email note from Perry on September 6, 2014
- ^ File:During the Dawn of Dianetics and Scientology - Perry A. Chapdelaine, Sr .pdf
- ^ File:During the Dawn of Dianetics and Scientology - Perry A. Chapdelaine, Sr .pdf
- ^ email note from Perry on September 6, 2014
- ^ email note from Perry on July 22, 2014
- ^ David LaCroix's interview with Perry, July 20, 2014
- ^ David LaCroix's interview with Perry, July 20, 2014
- ^ File:During the Dawn of Dianetics and Scientology - Perry A. Chapdelaine, Sr .pdf
- ^ David LaCroix's interview with Perry, July 20, 2014
- ^ File:During the Dawn of Dianetics and Scientology - Perry A. Chapdelaine, Sr .pdf
- ^ File:During the Dawn of Dianetics and Scientology - Perry A. Chapdelaine, Sr .pdf
- ^ File:During the Dawn of Dianetics and Scientology - Perry A. Chapdelaine, Sr .pdf
- ^ File:During the Dawn of Dianetics and Scientology - Perry A. Chapdelaine, Sr .pdf
- ^ File:During the Dawn of Dianetics and Scientology - Perry A. Chapdelaine, Sr .pdf
- ^ File:During the Dawn of Dianetics and Scientology - Perry A. Chapdelaine, Sr .pdf
- ^ email note from Perry on September 7, 2014
- ^ email note from Perry on September 8, 2014
- ^ Jon Atack, 1990, A Piece of Blue Sky, Chapter 2
- ^ email note from Perry on September 8, 2014