Historic Timeline of Events in the Revelation Community
1966-1980
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| 1966 721 books distributed |
Urantia Foundation establishes formal policy regarding permission to quote passages from the book, to use the name "Urantia" and to use the concentric circles symbol. [See "Guidelines for Use of Urantia Book Materials"] March 20 -- Memorial service held for five Forum members Minnie Kulieke (Mrs. Edmond F. J. Kulieke), Lulu Steinbeck, Caroline Brown, Lee Miller Jones, Edmond F.J. Kulieke, Sr. [See "Group Memorial Service for Five Forum Members"] March 24 -- Christy sends out letter to field representatives emphasizing early warnings about discussing the origins of the book. [Read text of Christy's letter] [See PDF replica of Christy's letter] July -- Alvin Kulieke conducts six day series on astronomy for First Urantia Society of Los Angeles. August 30 -- [See Vern Grimsley's overview of his "Urantia-based radio ministry"] Oklahoma Society begins providing bookmarks with quotes to local bookstore in effort to pique interest in The Urantia Book.28 December 6 -- Vern Grimsley writes to
Emma Christensen reporting on various situations in Southern California.
[See
correspondence]
|
| 1967 1,146 books distributed |
April 28 -- Urantia Foundation approves second printing of the Jacques Weiss translation in three volumes, including footnotes, a pocket inside the front cover containing maps and diagrams of the cosmos, and Bible references added by Weiss. Dr. Sadler provided the approval with the simple condition that Weiss note in the book that these were additions made by the translator and were not part of the original text. July -- Jacques Weiss publishes "The Origin of The Urantia Book" [See Jacques Weiss' history] July -- Correspondence between Meredith Sprunger and Emma Christensen; Meredith wants to be more aggressive in outreach. Christy responds by sending Meredith a copy of "Wise Comments and Advices," a collection of paragraphs implicitly of origin in conversations with the revelators. [See correspondence between Meredith and Christy] August 4-5 -- Second Triennial Delegate Assembly of Urantia Brotherhood5 August -- Alvin Kulieke elected President of Urantia Brotherhood5 [Picture of Alvin Kulieke teaching at 533] Family of God Foundation established as a California Non-profit Corporation August -- Edith Cook finds an error in the diagrams Weiss included with the French text. Weiss had printed extra diagrams and sent them to Urantia Foundation as Christmas cards. Weiss had shown dark gravity bodies as existing in unpervaded space as well as in pervaded space. Edith pointed out that there was, according to The Urantia Book, only one belt of dark gravity bodies and that this was in pervaded space. Edith considers this to be a "major error" and reports to the trustees that "His concept would change our whole idea of the shape of the master universe." She further comments that she sees these maps as misrepresenting the teachings of The Urantia Book. August 25 -- Jacques Weiss meets with trustees in Chicago during which time the error on his diagram is reviewed. Weiss finally gave up in frustration and said he was not going to redo the maps at this point, that he would use up the ones he had, and perhaps would take up the matter at a later time. November 9 -- Jacques Weiss expresses frustration with what he sees as Urantia Foundation's hyper-vigilant concern about the spread of the revelation. Excerpt from his letter to the trustees: "Before 1955, the Forum, who held the manuscript, was centered on the waiting aspect. Several members believed that the Book would not even be published during their lifetime. Then the Hierarchy judged that the situation had matured and the time had come. They gave the green light for the publication with instructions to go slow, even very slow for the beginning. You have remained ever since in that position of first gear, without any further contact with the Hierarchy. Now they judge that the time has come to pass in second gear, not in high. But have you asked them? Obviously no. On the French side, we have constantly been helped by guardian angels and other entities who suggested and approved the passing in second gear, and furnished the corresponding opportunities. You have witnessed the results. We believe in their guidance and follow it, looking more lightly at the legal viewpoint since a spiritual, moral, mental and physical agreement exists between us."
|
| 1968 1,400 books distributed |
February 11 -- Letter from Vern Grimsley to Emma Christensen describing
successes with radio broadcast. [See
correspondence] March 1 -- Second printing of The Urantia Book -- 10,000 copies6 Martin Myers moves in to 533 Diversey Parkway.24 Editor's note: Martin took up residence at 533 Diversey Parkway and became a faithful companion and caretaker for both Dr. Sadler and Emma Christensen during their declining years. It seems unfortunate that Martin's long dedication to this difficult and challenging service -- significantly easing the transition of these last two members of the contact commission to the mansion worlds -- has been so largely obscured by his political misfortunes of more recent years. [Picture of Martin Myers and Emma Christensen circa 1979] August 2-3 -- Third Summer Study Session of Urantia Brotherhood [Read "Address of Welcome" by E.L. Christensen] Publication of "A Study of the Master Universe" by William S. Sadler, Jr.3
|
| 1969 2,822 books distributed |
January 25--First regional conference in Oklahoma City, conducted by Clyde Goodman28 March -- Georgia Gecht resigns from FUSLA
April 26 -- Death of Dr. William S. Sadler3 According to Meredith Sprunger:
"On Friday evening he seemed to understand that his earthly life
was about to close. With mental clarity he gave a farewell talk to those
who were close to him, in which he included the following words: "This
world is very real, but the next one is much more real. It is easy to
leave the pains of this world for the pleasures of the next. And I am
going to enjoy every moment of it. The transition from this world to
the next is very easy. There is no pain. I am very conscious of everything
that is going on. I could go on visiting with you for hours, but it
would be no use. The chapter is closed. The last lines have been written;
the book is finished." Then, turning to Christy, he said, "And
now Christy I pass the responsibilities of Urantia on to you. I know
you will do well for you have always been a good soldier. When you leave
you will pass the torch to the younger members. I'll tell them hello
up there for you." August 1-2 -- Fourth Summer Study Session of Urantia Brotherhood5 [See E.L. Christensen's welcome address -- "Our Call to Service"] October -- Robert Burton complains to Urantia Foundation regarding lack of accountability for contributed funds November 1 -- First Urantia Society of Fort Wayne, Indiana installed (Urantia Brotherhood)5
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| 1970 4,452 books distributed |
March 13--Eleven delegates from the Interseminary Movement of the Southwest meet with Clyde Goodman in Oklahoma City to find out about The Urantia Book.28 June 7 -- First Urantia Society of Wenatchee, Washington installed (Urantia Brotherhood)5 July 31-August 1 -- Third Triennial Delegate Assembly of Urantia Brotherhood5
September 29--Urantia Foundation applies for a trademark on the stylized word, "Urantia" [See Intra-Office News Memorandum of December 10, 1970]
|
| 1971 5,894 books distributed |
January 31 -- First Urantia Society of Houston installed (Urantia Brotherhood)5 February 21 -- [Letter from L.C. to Bob Burton regarding Burton organizational concerns] March 1 -- Third printing of The Urantia Book -- 15,000 copies6 May 2 -- Governing board of First Urantia Society of Los Angleles issues statement of support for Urantia Foundation in matter of charges of mishandling of funds, misconduct, and irresponsible administration of a public trust being brought by attorney Robert Burton. [See FUSLA statement of support] May 6 -- Urantia Foundation orders plates used in original printing to be destroyed. The original plates were only good for approximately 30,000 impressions on India Paper. (The 1st printing used such paper, but subsequent printings used a synthetic thin paper). There were apparently some 2,200 nickel plated lead plates (stored with a beeswax coating) of convex shape (to fit on a cylinder for printing). June 29--Urantia Foundation receives registration for the name "Urantia" as a "trademark for books." (Registration # 915734) July 30-31 -- Urantia Brotherhood Summer Study Session
July -- Urantia Foundation submits application to register the name "Urantia" as a service mark -- application is denied by trademark examiner. [See "Urantia Foundation's Trademarks: How They Got Them and What They're Doing With Them"] Martin Myers and Vern Grimsley appointed "special agents" for the Trustees of Urantia Foundation. September -- Trouble is brewing in Southern California where Burton King is attempting to start a school at which The Urantia Book will be used to supplement other teaching materials. Urantia Foundation tried to prevent Mr. King from obtaining copies of the book by cutting off supplies to his local bookstore.
October 16 -- Emma Christensen resigns as Trustee -- replaced by Jim Mills6 [See photograph of Jim Mills] [See Intra-Office News Memorandum of October 20, 1971]
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| 1972 6,242 books distributed |
April 24 -- Jacques Weiss, ready to proceed with a reprinting of Volume II for purposes of replacing the 2,000 copies damaged in 1969, is informed by Urantia Foundation that they are not likely to authorize him to proceed with this printing. On May 11, Weiss placed an order with a Paris printshop to begin a third printing of Volume II. He claimed that this printing was needed to replace 2,000 copies of Volume II of the second printing which had been damaged. However, he ordered 5,500 copies (supposedly due to economies of scale related to printing costs). Urantia Foundation declared this a contractual violation and used the opportunity to sue Weiss, thereby gaining control of the French text. July 3 -- Bob Burton writes letter to Jacques Weiss explaining why
Urantia Foundation does not have a valid copyright in The Urantia Book.
He also indicates that he is trying to get Urantia Foundation to evaluate
his newly completed Spanish translation. [See
Burton's letter to Weiss] July 11 -- Jacques Weiss registers trademark on the words "EDITIONS Urantia" with the National Trademark Register in France. July 21-22 -- Sixth Summer Study Session of Urantia Brotherhood -- the last to be held at 533 Diversey Parkway5 [See "Urantia Foundation Assesses the Situation"] Henry Begemann begins work on a Dutch translation in Holland 3 Fall -- Dr. Philip Calabrese and Dr. Robert Hunt jointly teach a course at California State College, Bakersfield, entitled "An Introduction to The Urantia Book." Urantia Foundation submits re-written application for registration of the name "Urantia" as a service mark, receives approval "for educational purposes--namely, religious teachings." (Registration # 948104) Explusion of Robert Burton from Urantia organizations. The Executive Committee of Urantia Brotherhood led by Alvin Kulieke brough formal charges against Robert Burton and sought his expulsion from Urantia Brotherhood. Among other things, he was charged with preaching "the doctrines of the Lucifer Manifesto of unbridled liberty, and disrespect of, and rebellion against, rightfully constituted leadership . . ." Bob had grown impatient with Urantia Foundation's inability to mobilize resources for a Spanish translation of The Urantia Book. He reportedly hired a translator in Mexico and had a Spanish translation completed. Urantia Foundation apparently took possession of this manuscript but it was never published. Urantia Foundation began work on an "official" Spanish translation some ten years later.
|
| 1973 8,047 books distributed |
French
UB Text removed from circulation --
1973 announcement by Urantia Foundation Death of Alvin Kulieke [See "Memorial Service for Alvin Kulieke"] January -- Emma Christensen elected President
of Urantia Brotherhood (for completion of Alvin Kulieke's term following
his death.)5 June 29-July1 -- First Western Urantia Conference
-- held in Los Angeles under the sponsorship of First Urantia Society
of Los Angeles.5 August 4-5 -- Fourth Triennial Delegate Assembly of Urantia Brotherhood; Paul Snider elected President of Urantia Brotherhood5 August -- Fourth printing of The Urantia Book -- 25,000 copies. With this printing, Urantia Foundation began inserting a "notice" regarding copyright and trademark claims related to the name and symbol inside the cover of every book.6,28 August 21 -- Jacques Weiss contacts Paul
Snider (Brotherhood President) requesting copies of resolution passed
by the General Council at the August meeting. Letter is filed with note
stapled to it which says, "Don't Respond." [See
copy of letter] Martin Myers appointed Trustee of Urantia Foundation Thomas Kendall elected President of the Board of Trustees of Urantia Foundation. November 11 -- Urantia Foundation notifies
selected readers that lawsuit against Jacques Weiss is being initiated.
[See
copy of Urantia Foundation lawsuit announcement] November -- Urantia Foundation begins mobilization for Burton King lawsuit [See internal memo regarding Burton King and sample of his publication] December -- Urantia Foundation submits application to register the word "UrantiaN" as a trademark. Initial application denied. Application later approved after Urantia Foundation convinces trademark examiner that the word "UrantiaN" has no known meaning. [See "Urantia Foundation's Trademarks: How They Got Them and What They're Doing With Them" from CUBS newsletter]
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| 1974 9,745 books distributed |
February 9 -- Paul Snider informs Vern Grimsley that the Executive Committee of Urantia Brotherhood is contributing $500.00 to his Family of God Foundation. [See correspondence] Urantia Foundation submits "Confirmatory Agreement" to Urantia Brotherhood.
April 1 -- John Hales becomes Resident Director of Urantia Brotherhood. April 19 -- Duane Faw contacts Urantia
Foundation for the first time. He early began development of the Paramony,
relating Biblical references to The Urantia Book. [Display
Duane's letter] May 6 -- Steve Dreier appointed Field Representative of Urantia Brotherhood. June 26 -- [See
letter from Urantia Foundation to Brotherhood President regarding use
of concentric circles symbol on Summer Study Session materials]
July -- Urantia Foundation shuts down "Urantia Produce" company in Berkeley, California [See correspondence related to the "Urantia Produce" incident] July 26-27 -- Summer Study Session of Urantia Brotherhood held at Kendall College, Evanston, Illinois.5 August -- [See
letter from Leone Sadler to Clyde Bedell thanking him for the Concordex]
September 3 -- Paul Snider, President of Urantia Brotherhood, signs "Confirmatory Agreement." October 4 -- [See internal Urantia Foundation notice regarding impending legal action against Burton King] October 24 -- [See Paul Snider's notification to members of Urantia Brotherhood re: Burton King lawsuit] November 9 -- First Urantia Society of Western Springs installed (Urantia Brotherhood).5 November -- Copies of Urantia Foundation "Confirmatory Agreement" sent to each of the eight Urantia Societies for ratification. Editor's note: Three societies signed and returned them, three raised questions about them, and two flatly refused to sign claiming they contained false statements about their having operated in the past under a license from Urantia Foundation.
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| 1975 9,924 books distributed |
January 11--Paul Snider, President of Urantia Brotherhood and Tom Kendall, President of Urantia Foundation meet with Oklahoma City readers in an attempt to calm reactions to Urantia Foundation's Confirmatory Agreement which had been signed by Paul Snider as President of the Brotherhood, and now needed the ratification of the Societies. January 16 -- Vern Grimsley writes to
Paul Snider providing ideas for restraining enthusiastic readers who
want to spread the revelation. [See
copy of correspondence] April 4-6 -- Southern California conference sponsored by First Urantia Society of Los Angeles. April 16 -- Emma Christensen confides
to Vern Grimsley that Urantia Foundation has failed to register their
name and marks in many foreign countries and seeks his help to exploit
international contacts resulting from Vern's radio broadcasts as a means
of obtaining proper registration and usage. The plan is to let Urantia
Brotherhood Corporation do the mailing for Grimsley so that Urantia
Foundatino can show it's marks as in use in the target country.[See
copy of correspondence] June 6 -- Urantia Foundation and Urantia Brotherhood sign Confirmatory Sales Agreement [See Confirmatory Sales Agreement] Paul Snider, who signed the agreements for the Brotherhood, later declared that he had signed them under false pretenses because he was told at the time that the reason was to protect the book when, as it turned out, Martin Myers and the attorneys had cooked up a mechanism to leverage control of the organizations. Paul, in effect, declared his signature morally, if not legally, null and void.3 [See letter of re-evaluation which Paul Snider wrote as President of the Glenview Society in 1990] July 27-30 -- Education Committee Summer Workshops, Kendall College August 1-2 -- Nearly 300 readers attend the first General Conference of Urantia Brotherhood at Kendall College, Evanston, Illinois5 Publication of "Appendix to a Study of The Master Universe" by William S. Sadler, Jr. -- Second Society Foundation3 Library of Congress classification for The Urantia Book changed from "Parapsychology and Occultism" category to "Other Religions" and "Other Beliefs and Movements"6 Urantia Foundation sues Bob Burton for copyright infringement.6 Bob Burton gave away photocopies of The Urmia Lectures and also mailed copies of Paper 72 -- Government on a Neighboring Planet -- to all the members of the U.S. Congress. He is also rumored to have given a copy of The Urantia Book to President Kennedy. Bob had acquired a manuscript for the first Spanish translation of the book which had been done by Marvin and Betty Tackett. Urantia Foundation ended up in possession of the manuscript and effectively prevented publication. Several sources have told me that the Trustees had some of the translated papers evaluated and as a result felt that it was a poor quality translation. It had apparently been done by a non-reader strictly on a pay-for-service basis. A Spanish translation remained unavailable until one was produced under Urantia Foundation control some eighteen years later in 1993.
First meeting of study group in Peru (Trujillo) Brotherhood leader censured by Urantia Foundation trustee for criticizing Family of God Foundation use of Urantia gatherings for fund raising purposes. [See "Recommended Urantia Brotherhood Goals" by Meredith Sprunger, 1975] Urantia Foundation sues Urantia Universal Studios for use of the name "Urantia". Family of God Foundation broadcasts now carried by local stations in all 50 states; also now carried by American Forces Radio Network. October 10-12 -- Sacramento, California regional conference November 13 -- Judgment handed down by French court in Weiss case [See copy of Judgment] December 6 -- Regional Conference, Tampa Florida
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| 1976 10,123 books distributed |
January -- Death of Leone M. Sadler Urantia Foundation registers name "Urantia" and the concentric circles symbol as trade marks. [See "Urantia Foundation's Trademarks: How They Got Them and What They're Doing With Them"] February 8 -- San Francisco Bay Area Urantia Society installed (Urantia Brotherhood)5 There were strong political forces at play that brought about the chartering of the San Francisco Society. Vern Grimsley had maintained virtual control over Bay Area politics through his Family of God Foundation. He had never wanted a Urantia Society in which members of his Foundation would be involved because he wanted to maintain the appearance of being a separate politically independent organization. But with a triennial delegate assembly immediately on the horizon and Society ratification of the Foundation's confirmatory agreement a major burning issue, Urantia Foundation needed to muster as much support as possible. It was known that any delegate from Vern's organization could be counted on to vote for ratification so the entire process was rushed through the appropriate formalities. This in spite of the fact that a short time previous to this, Urantia Foundation, through its representatives on the Council and the Brotherhood Executive Committee, had pushed through a moratorium on the chartering of any more societies until the controversy over the confirmatory agreement was settled. This moratorium was then used to suspend the chartering process for the Dallas group (which had applied prior to the Bay Area group) because it was assumed that their vote would be against ratification. In spite of these machinations, the Societies failed to ratify the agreement.3 February -- Richard Prince appointed Field Representative of Urantia Brotherhood. March 31 -- With another major conference on the horizon outside the direct control of Chicago, (this one sponsored by the Oklahoma Society -- long viewed as a center of sedition by the Chicago office) Urantia Foundation issues strict guidelines regarding what is permissible at any conference of readers regarding how quotes may be used from the book, as well as the use of the name "Urantia" and the concentric circles symbol on any materials used in conjunction with the conference. [See "Guidelines for Holding a Urantia Conference"] Family of God Foundation begins broadcast coverage of the Middle East over Radio Jordan. April -- Fifth printing of The Urantia Book -- 25,000 copies6 April 4 -- Urantia Brotherhood submits formal protest to Urantia Foundation for attempts to control Brotherhood internal affairs, specifically, the up-coming conference in Oklahoma City.
April 24 -- Fort Wayne, Indiana regional conference May 1 -- Eastern Regional Conference, Sudbury, Mass May 21-23 -- Southern Oregon Regional Conference, Indian Mary Park, Grant's Pass, Oregon, USA June 21-22 -- Fifth Triennial Delegate Assembly5 June 25-27 -- International Forum, Oklahoma City June -- Meredith Sprunger succeeds Paul Snider as President of Urantia Brotherhood5
Urantia Foundation initiates lawsuit in state of New York to protect claims to the word "Urantia"6 First meeting of study group in Colombia (Bogotá) Urantia Foundation submits "Assignment Agreement" to the Executive Committee of Urantia Brotherhood with pressure to sign. This agreement required Urantia Brotherhood to sell all rights it had acquired during its 23 year use of the name "Urantia" and the concentric circles symbol to Urantia Foundation for $1.00. [See: Urantia Foundation's "Assignment Agreement"] June 25-27 -- Urantia International Forum of Urantia Brotherhood held at Lake Eufaula, Oklahoma, followed by major study seminar program. August -- Problems erupt related to Urantia Foundation's attempts to control the drawings published as "An Artist's Conception of the Master Universe". Jacques Weiss maintained that Jacques Dupont had created the maps as a "work for hire." Dupont maintained that Weiss had stolen the maps from him. Weiss had apparently given them to a Swiss artist for touch-up and improvements. Urantia Foundation considered Weiss to be creating the maps as a "work for hire" and that Weiss had contracted this work out to Dupont and the Swiss artist, still as "works for hire" for purposes of Foundation retention of control. The Foundation maintained that they owned the drawings because Weiss was an "agent" of Urantia Foundation and the drawings had to receive Foundation approval before printing, thereby clearly making Urantia Foundation the owner of all rights in the drawings. October 2 -- Wenatchee, Washington (USA) Regional Conference November -- Florida Regional Conference, Lakeland, Florida November 1 -- Urantia Foundation issues
final directives to Oklahoma Society regarding the use of marks, etc.
[See
Tom Kendall's letter to Berkeley Elliott] November 23 -- Urantia Foundation files to register the stylized word "Urantia" as a collective membership mark to indicate "membership in Urantia Brotherhood." Duane Faw comments: Since Urantia Foundation was not a membership organization it could not file on its own behalf, therefore it had to ride piggy-back on the Brotherhood. It bought for $1.00 whatever interest the Brotherhood had developed in a membership organization and applied as "successors-in-title." It alleged Urantia Brotherhood was "a related company" which was partly true but inadequate to justify registration, therefore the application was amended to read "a social and fraternal organization" and "members of a related association, namely Urantia Brotherhood."' (True.) It also swore "..and the use of the mark to indicate membership in said related company (association) is supervised and controlled by Applicant..." which was patently false. There is nothing in the Declaration of Trust or the Brotherhood Constitution authorizing such a relationship. Late 1976 -- Harold Sherman, a member of the Forum, publishes a book titled, "How to Know What to Believe" containing a chapter called, "Pipeline to God." This is Sherman's account of a conversation with Dr. Sadler in which the way in which The Urantia Book came into being was discussed. Sherman also provides details concerning his disagreement with Dr. Sadler regarding the inclusion of material about psychic and paranormal phenomena in the Urantia Papers. [See materials related to the publication of Sherman's book]
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| 1977 10,874 books distributed |
First regional conference in Kansas City; visit by members of the Oklahoma City Urantia Society (Urantia Brotherhood.) March -- Urantia Foundation wins lawsuit against Burton King and Urantian Research. Burton King ordered to turn over all study aids and study materials containing the word "Urantia" or the concentric circles symbol to Urantia Foundation for destruction.6 March 5-6 -- Urantia Brotherhood Field Representative's workshop Jim Mills makes tour of California study groups giving series of lectures on the Foreword. Meredith Sprunger begins outreach effort which eventually sends brochures and offers of loaner books to nearly 8,000 UCC Ministers in North America, as well as some 5,000 members of the American Philosophical Association. [See: A Personal History of Interface Ministry] Urantia Foundation announces it will no longer allow readers to purchase case lots of books at wholesale prices. [See Urantia Foundation letter to Chairman of FUSLA's successful book distribution program] May 14 -- Spring Eastern Regional Conference, Pascoag, Rhode Island, USA [See transcript of Dan Massey's presentation, "Growth--Supreme, Ultimate, and Absolute"] May 20-22 -- Third Oregon Regional Conference, Grant's Pass, Oregon, USA July 12-14 -- Southwest Regional Forum, Lake Eufaula, Oklahoma July 23-24 -- First Canadian Conference, Victoria, B.C., Canada Mr. and Mrs. Henry Begemann from the Netherlands visit Urantia Foundation to discuss problems in Europe resulting from the Foundation's withdrawal of the French translation from circulation as well as issues related to Henry's work on the Dutch translation.6 Second Lake Eufaula Conference, Oklahoma Houston Society splits in two -- one portion aligned with Foundation principles and the other declaring itself an independent organization -- "First Urantia Society of Houston, Inc." September 3-5 -- 180 readers attend Third Western Conference, sponsored by First Urantia Society of Los Angeles, held at Irvine, California. [See "Some Thoughts on the Philosophy of Foundation/Brotherhood Relationships" by Meredith Sprunger] September 22 -- [See letter from Mark Kulieke to Trustees of Urantia Foundation regarding issues related to deteriorating printing plates for The Urantia Book] October 1 -- Urantia Foundation Special Agent, Vern Grimsley, submits
quarterly report on suspicious persons, organizations and activities
in the Western region. [See
report] October 1-2 -- Northwest Regional Conference, Wenatchee, Washington, USA November 3 -- Fall Eastern Regional Conference, Clinton, Connecticuit, USA November 12-13 -- Ohio Valley Conference, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
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| 1978 9,622 books distributed |
In 1978, a gentleman named Lorian "Rocky" Melchizedek showed up in San Francisco seeking converts from local study groups for his "Earth Order of Melchizedek" headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. February 1 -- Urantia Foundation submits application to expand trademark registration of the stylized word "Urantia" to include "printed publications--namely, books, booklets, brochures, pamphlets, newsletters, bulletins, and leaflets concerning educational, religious, or philosophical subjects." February 21 -- Urantia Foundation raises issues about the Concordex:
March 17-19 -- Tampa Florida Regional Conference April 9 -- Portland, Oregon regional conference April 18 -- Urantia Foundation granted registration of the stylized word "Urantia" as a collective membership mark "Indicating membership in a Social and Fraternal Organization."' (Reg. # 1089942) Second regional conference in Kansas City; visit by members of the Oklahoma City Urantia Society (Urantia Brotherhood). May 13 -- Spring Eastern Regional Conference, Worchester, Mass., USA May 13-14 -- Midwest Regional Conference, Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA May 13-14 -- Bowen Island gathering, B.C., Canada May 18 -- Jim Kimmel floats proposal for setting up The Commonwealth Government of the Spiritual Brotherhood of All Mankind in Hawaii to be developed by principles derived from the fifth epochal revelation. [See Jim's proposal] June 3 -- Central Atlantic Conference, Washington, D.C., USA July 1 -- Urantia Foundation Special Agent,
Vern Grimsley, submits quarterly report to Urantia Foundation regarding
suspicious people, organizations and businesses in the Western region.
[See
copy of report] July 8 -- [See letter from Brotherhood President regarding licensing agreement] July 10 -- Urantia Foundation wins court injunction against "NUrantia HEALTH MASSAGE" of Long Beach, California in Federal District Court. This had originally been "Urantia HEALTH MASSAGE" but when the Foundation complained, an "N" was added to the beginning of the name. The court considered this a "colorable imitation" of the registered trademark of Urantia Foundation. August 13 -- Field Representative's meeting held in conjunction with General Conference. August 13-18 -- Second General Conference of Urantia Brotherhood held at George William's College, William's Bay, Wisconsin
September -- Sixth printing of The Urantia Book -- 25,000 copies6 September 23-24 -- Colorado Regional Conference September 23-25 -- Pacific Regional Conference, Hilo, Hawaii, USA September 30-October 1 -- Northwest Regional Gathering, Wenatchee, Washington, USA Urantia Foundation sues reader Arnold Zakow for copyright enfringement. French readers working on corrections to the Weiss translation begin publication of "La Lettre" newsletter. Unable to get the Urantia Societies to ratify the "confirmatory agreement" signed by the President of Urantia Brotherhood, Urantia Foundation submits a highly restrictive "licensing agreement" to the individual Societies for purposes of licensing them to use the Foundation's registered marks.6
Urantia Foundation sues Don Pettrie October 1 -- Urantia Foundation "Special
Agent," Vern Grimsley, submits quarterly report on suspicious people
and organizations in the Western U.S. [See
copy of report] October 7-8 -- Regional meeting, Anchorage, Alaska, USA October 28 -- Central Atlantic Conference, Rockville, Maryland, USA November 4 -- Northeast Regional Meeting, Pawling, New York, USA
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| 1979 9,727 books distributed |
January -- Julia Fenderson writes Meredith Sprunger about issues related
to Meredith's vision of outreach. [See
Julia's letter to Meredith] February 1, 1979 -- Martin Myers reviews issues related to the Concordex in a letter to Duane Faw. [Display copy of February 1, 1979 letter] February -- Henry Begemann begins a series of 17 talks in Paris on the Foreword. Henry traveled from Holland to Paris for each of these sessions which ended in May of 1980, by which time a substantial group of readers had developed in Paris. February 6 -- Urantia Foundation receives expanded trademark registration for the stylized name "Urantia" to include "printed publications--namely, books, booklets, brochures, pamphlets, newsletters, bulletins, and leaflets concerning educational, religious, or philosophical subjects." (Reg, # 1112713) February 23 -- [See
correspondence from Meredith Sprunger to Julia Fenderson discussing
his conversation with Dr. Sadler regarding secrecy] March 10 -- Kansas City Regional Conference; "Jesus: God and Man," and "Personality." March 16-18 -- Tampa-Bradenton Florida Regional Conference April 28 -- Central Atlantic Conference, Washington, D.C., USA May 12 -- Urantia Society of Central Connecticut installed (Urantia Brotherhood)5 May 18-19 -- Fifth Southern Oregon Regional Conference, Grants Pass, Oregon, USA June 9-10 -- Midwest Regional Conference, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA June 16 -- Urantia Society of Dallas installed (Urantia Brotherhood)5 July 16-29 -- Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Regional Conference July 28-30 -- Pacific Northwest Regional Gathering, Vancouver, B.C., Canada August 13-16 -- Urantia Brotherhood Education and Fraternal Relations Committees workshops, Lake Forest, Illinois, USA August 17-18 -- Sixth Triennial Delegate Assembly of Urantia Brotherhood5 TDA refuses to seat delegates of First Urantia Society of Houston, Inc. and seats delegates of First Urantia Society of Houston instead.3 [See correspondence related to Houston affair] John Hales elected President of Urantia Brotherhood5 [See "Meredith Sprunger Declines Second Term"] Dr. Richard Prince and Douglas Frazer tour Latin America, discussing issues with Spanish speaking readers related to a Spanish translation of the Urantia Book.3 September 7-8 -- Oklahoma Regional Forum, Lake Eufaula, Oklahoma, USA September 12 -- Marian Rowley lets Dick
Prince know that the Triennial Delegate Assembly has passed a resolution
regarding a Spanish translation. [See
correspondence] September 14-15 -- Regional Conference, Sevierville, Tennessee, USA October 2 -- Dick Prince writes to Martin
Myers about the potential difficulties involved in Martin simultaneously
being a trustee of Urantia Foundation and Chair of the International
Fellowship Committee of Urantia Brotherhood. October 5-7 -- Southern California conference, the Los Angeles Society hosting the Urantia Society from Oklahoma City. October 21 -- Duane Faw writes to Urantia Brotherhood regarding the establishment of a more business-like book distribution plan. [Display Duane's letter] December -- Henry Begemann declares Urantia Foundation in default. [See: "The Situation in France" -- a history of the French translation and a stinging indictment of Urantia Foundation's mismanagement of same.] Dr. Meredith Sprunger organizes and incorporates "The Christian Fellowship of Students of The Urantia Book" (not to be confused with "The Urantia Book Fellowship"). Purpose is to provide interface with mainstream Christian clergy.
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| 1980 7,866 books distributed |
January -- 100,000th copy of The Urantia Book distributed5 April -- Begin 10 year controversey over a multi-media production on readership history -- In October of 1979, the Brotherhood Publications Committee endorsed a proposal to create a multi-media "official" history of the movement. Ten years later there were still problems getting permission to show the presentation; it never attained a state of usability.
May 2 -- Meredith Sprunger responds to some criticisms by Martin Myers of Meredith's approach to evangelism. [Display] May 9-11 -- Southeast Regional Conference, Palm Beach, Florida, USA May 16-18 -- Kansas City regional conference; "Spiritual Lifestyles for a New Age." May 24-26 -- Sixth Southern Oregon Regional Conference, Grants Pass, Oregon, USA May 27 -- Dick Prince writes to Tom Kendall providing comprehensive
overview of some translation issues related to both French and Spanish
translations. [See
correspondence] May 31-June 1 -- Northeast Regional Conference, Cape Cod June 6-8 -- Midwest Conference, Lake Forest, Illinois, USA June 14 -- First Idaho Gathering, Jerome, Idaho, USA June 14 -- Central Atlantic Conference, Washington, D.C., USA June 27 -- Urantia Foundation sues First Urantia Society of Houston, Inc. for using the word "Urantia" in their name and publications; Urantia Foundation denied preliminary injunction.6 Court in Houston remands matter to the Brotherhood Judicial Committee which ruled that the group aligned with Foundation principles was the legitimate group. On this basis the court ruled in favor of Urantia Foundation.3 [See "Findings of Fact, Conclusions and Recommendations" in the Houston matter] July 9-13 -- Ontario Conference, Lake Couchiching, Canada July 11-13 -- Rocky Mountain Regional Conference, Sedalia, Colorado, USA August 3-8 -- Urantia Brotherhood Summer Workshops at Lake Forest Academy. August 29 -- U.S. District Court in Michigan upholds Urantia Foundation claims against Bob Burton6 [See public documents of Urantia Foundation vs. Robert Burton] September 12-14 -- Southwest Forum, Lake Eufaula, Oklahoma; sponsored by Dallas-Ft. Worth readers October -- Representatives of readers from Bogotá, Colombia, visit offices of Urantia Brotherhood to discuss matters related to producing a Spanish translation.6 October 11 -- Northeast Regional Conference, Natick, Mass., USA November -- Urantia Foundation begins search for English-French translators who can continue their effort to create a new French translation. Nigel Hornby, who had been working on this task in Paris had dropped out of the effort after partial completion of only ten papers. [See Nigel Hornby's comments to Tom Kendall regarding some of the related problems] December 29-31 -- Second Pacific Conference, Kamuela, Hawaii
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