Ronald DeWolf

Ronald DeWolf
DeWolf during an interview in 1982.
Born	Lafayette Ronald Hubbard, Jr. May 5, 1934(1934-05-05) Encinitas, California, United States
Died	September 16, 1991(1991-09-16) (aged 57) Carson City, Nevada, United States
Other names	"Nibs" Hubbard
Citizenship	American
Notable works	L. Ron Hubbard: Messiah or Madman? - co-author
Parents	L. Ron Hubbard and Margaret Grubb
Relatives	Jamie DeWolf - grandson

Ronald Edward DeWolf (May 7, 1934 – September 16, 1991), born Lafayette Ronald 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.

Early life

In his 1983 interview with Penthouse magazine, DeWolf 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, California court, DeWolf sued for control of his father's estate, saying that his father was either deceased or incompetent.^[3] His father was proved to still be alive.^[4]

Comments about his father

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]

Biography of L. Ron Hubbard

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?.

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

Scientology portal

• Paulette Cooper
• Quentin Hubbard

References

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Ronald DeWolf

• The 1982 Clearwater Hearings - video clips^{[dead link]}
• 20/20 1982^{[dead link]}
• Morning Break 1982^{[dead link]}
• PBS Late Night May 24, 1983^{[dead link]}, appearance with Robert Vaughn Young
• The Fifth Estate November 1985^{[dead link]}