| Ronald Edward DeWolf | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 5, 1934 Encinitas, California, United States |
| Died | September 16, 1991 (aged 57) Carson City, Nevada, United States |
| Occupation | Co-Author, L. Ron Hubbard: Messiah or Madman? |
Ronald Edward DeWolf (May 7, 1934 - September 16, 1991), born Lafayette Ron Hubbard, Jr., also known as Nibs Hubbard, was the eldest child of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard and Hubbard's first wife, Margaret Louise Grubb.
Contents |
Early life
In his 1983 interview with Penthouse magazine, Hubbard Jr. said he was born prematurely; his father constructed a makeshift incubator with a shoe box, later a cupboard drawer, and used blankets and an electric light bulb to keep the baby warm.[1][2]
Relationship with his father
Hubbard Jr. claimed to have helped his father in the early days of Scientology but later rejected his father and Scientology, changing his name to Ronald DeWolf. On November 6, 1982, in a Riverside, Calif., court, DeWolf sued for control of his father's estate, saying that his father was either dead or incompetent.[3] His father was proved to still be alive.[4]
Comments about Hubbard Sr.
In the lengthy 1983 interview with Penthouse magazine, DeWolf claimed that "99% of anything my father ever wrote or said about himself is untrue." In the same interview, he alleged that his father had claimed to be Satan incarnate, a con man, a KGB accomplice, and a drug addict. In his opinion Scientology was little more than a cult that existed to make money.
Sued by Mary Sue Hubbard
In 1984, Mary Sue Hubbard filed a $5 million suit for fraud against DeWolf for his 1982 suit to gain control of L. Ron Hubbard's estate.[5]
Co-author of Hubbard biography, retracted
DeWolf was named as co-author (with Bent Corydon) of the 1987 edition of a highly critical book about Hubbard and the Church of Scientology titled "L. Ron Hubbard: Messiah or Madman?".
The critics' explanation of the retraction
In A Piece of Blue Sky former Scientologist Jon Atack writes:
| “ | Nibs [L. Ron Hubbard Jr.] accepted a financial settlement from the Scientologists after his father's death in 1986, agreeing not to make further comment.[6] | ” |
In the updated revision of L. Ron Hubbard: Messiah or Madman?, Bent Corydon comments:
| “ | In the case of L. Ron Hubbard Jr.'s 1986 "legal settlement" with Scientology, he had accumulated sizable hospital bills due to recent emergency surgery. This left him weakened and heavily in debt. Concerned about the welfare of his family he finally agreed to a "settlement". This included his signing various prepared documents. I don't believe for a moment that Ron Jr. ever considered these prepared statements to be accurate representations of his thoughts and beliefs. The man was under duress.[7] | ” |
Death
DeWolf died of diabetes complications in 1991.
See also
References
- ^ Russell Miller, Bare-Faced Messiah, Chapter 4
- ^ "Inside The Church of Scientology: An Exclusive Interview with L. Ron Hubbard, Jr.". Penthouse. June 1983.
- ^ Philadelphia Daily News, December 6, 1982.
- ^ Miller, Russell (1987). Bare-faced Messiah, The True Story of L. Ron Hubbard. Henry Holt & Co. ISBN 0-8050-0654-0. http://www.clambake.org/archive/books/bfm/bfmconte.htm. Page 369.
- ^ Associated Press (1984-10-24). "Son of Church Founder Is Sued by Stepmother". New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9503E6DC1539F937A15753C1A962948260. Retrieved 2008-01-24.
- ^ Atack, Jon, A Piece of Blue Sky (NY: Carol Publ. Group, 1990), ISBN 0-8184-0499-X, p. 147.
- ^ Corydon, Bent, L. Ron Hubbard: Messiah or Madman? (Barricade Books, 1992), p. 423.
External links
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Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Ronald DeWolf |
- The 1982 Clearwater Hearings - video clips
- 20/20 1982
- Morning Break 1982
- PBS Late Night May 24, 1983, appears with Robert Vaughn Young
- The Fifth Estate November 1985
- Ancestry Database Records
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