Thank-you Jonathan & Janeen,
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Jonathan in 2011
We all have our stories. This is a profoundly significant part of mine. To the best of my memory, it unfolded as follows:
In the spring of ’69 I was in charge of ‘Property’ at 3444 West Congress Parkway, looking after 122 units of housing, with their plumbing, electricity and locks. It was very exciting to lend an Order vehicle to Gene Beasley and have to steal it back from him the following week! JWM was on ‘sabbatical’, the public story being that he was getting his teeth fixed. Slicker was in charge.
I had some Property issues I wanted to discuss with him and made an appointment to see him. He gruffly sat me down and stopped me, before I could get out my list of property issues. “Here’s a book of airline tickets. I want you to go to Canada and set up RS1s across the country.”
I was shocked and astounded, but immediately began to envisage a trip across my country covering 1000s of miles.
Before coming to Chicago in early May of ’68, I had graduated from Queens’ University in Kingston, Ontario; I was an S.C.M. (Student Christian Movement) staff person and national executive member; and on the national executive of the Student Union for Peace Action (Canada’s Student’s for a Democratic Society). I had also been a candidate for the ministry in the Anglican Church of Canada. Some of my colleagues at that time were Duncan Holmes and Faith Johnson (Vance); and off course, Paige Cousineau.
With those networks, I began calling my contacts. I also connected with early RS1 grads that I had never met, such as Bev & Hugh Parker, prominent lawyer in Winnipeg; and Stan & Mary Gibson in Peterborough, leftist student activists at Trent University.
Within two weeks I flew to Calgary, Vancouver, Kelowna B.C., Yellowknife N.W.T., Saskatoon, Regina and Winnipeg - all of Western Canada then back to Chicago. By phone, I set up events in Ottawa, and I believe in Peterborough, Toronto, Montreal and Halifax; 22 RS1s in all.
After more than a year in the unending grey of the West Side Ghetto, I recall the shock of pastel suburbs, flying into my first stop - Calgary! (Pete Seeger’s 'Little Boxes')
During July and August, Don Cramer led a team of myself, Paige and for parts of it with Bev & Hugh Parker, from coast-to-coast, delivering those 22 RS1s, setting the stage for the Local Church Experiment and Religious Houses to come.
What a fabulous adventure!
Ken
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With Pat, taken by Don Bushman in Lenoir N.C. a year ago.