Hello Sleuthies:
I have retired after 36 years as a teacher, and am no longer concerned about this site impacting my career. Why would I be concerned you ask? One of the comments asked how I found out about this website. Very simple- I had a student who made a practice of googling the teachers she was taking classes from. Lo and behold, this webpage turned up about me, she read it, and I was asked what it was about. So yes, I was defensive and pissed off, and was amazed at how accusatory people could be. Lets make some clarifications and see if we can keep things straight this time.
1) I did not just show up at the Ellisons home. No. The detective told me that they had requested to meet with me. What do I do? Do I tell them what Roger had written? The detective told me to just let them talk- and not to mention what Roger had written. For whatever reason, people hear you teach psychology and the vast majority think you are a psychologist. So maybe they thought I had talked with Roger, and had some knowledge. I have had students ask me why I was teaching and didnt have my own practice. And it didnt matter when I told them I majored in history, they would continue to ask. But the most interesting situations were when there would be teacher meetings about a student where the school psychologist would attend, and after the meeting was over, the school psychologist would begin discussing the psychological issues for that student with me. I would have to explain that I majored in history, and only had 2 psych courses. At that point the school psychologist would get red from embarrassment, quickly close the folder, and leave. I never talked to Roger about anything. I was not trained to be a counselor or therapist, nor did it interest me to act in that way.
2) I never suggested that Roger committed suicide. The parents/family may have asked if I thought he did, but as I stated, I was not a trained psychologist, therefore I would not have known what behaviors to look for, or how to explain such a thing. But there is another more important reason why I would never have said such a thing. Its something that very few people know about me. I had an older brother who committed suicide. It devastated me, my parents and my grandfather. It was something that we never discussed after the funeral was over. There was no note explaining why- it seemed to be an impulsive act on his part, not something thought out and planned as some are. And knowing the impact it had on my family, it is not something I would visit upon another family. So thank you for making me re-experience that time once again.
3) The only thing I gave the detective was the class assignment. The notebook that I alluded to belonged to the detective- that is the notebook I asked the sheriff about in 1997; I knew what the detective told me as he read from his notebook (again, did he think I was a psychologist) about his investigation, that it seemed to corroborate what Roger had written. I wanted to make sure that that information was still accessible to this new investigator, since it was relevant. I do not know of any notebook belonging to Roger that was ever taken/found by the original detective. And as far as I know, there never was one. I do not even remember the the length of time between when the assignment was given and when Roger ran away. Everybody seems to think the 2 issues (assignment/running away) were closely linked in time. I dont think they were because I didnt even think about the papers until almost at the end of my initial meeting with the detective. Had it been only a matter of a few days, I probably would have thought about them much sooner. So the assignment may not have even been an issue- something else may have been the causal factor. Since it is known that he went to a ski event, he seemed to be going about his usual business. But after returning, he runs away the next day. So what happened during the hours after his returned home from the ski event, and the next morning?
Im not sure how many of you grew up/lived in in a very small town; one where the political and socio-economic hierarchy can be dominated by certain generational families. Would it be likely that any information that might be negative about one of those families or a person from such a family would be kept under wraps? Just think about it.
I am amazed at how innuendo and rumor have somehow become established fact. I have not read anything that can verify the report about the 2 poachers. Do you want to demonstrate your investigative skills? When was it first reported; where was it reported-Delta County, Mesa County, Denver); how was it reported- newspaper, television newscast? And then consider the story itself. Lets just assume that it has some validity. We have 2 admitted poachers- Im thinking deer or elk, not marmot or coyote. That means they had high-powered rifles. They come upon one man, with a shotgun, holding another person hostage. Apparently, they were not seen by the man holding the shotgun. If they have any hunting skills, and with their rifles, they could have easily separated, encircled the man and force him to give up the shotgun. Then they could determine what was going on. But they were more concerned about being cited for poaching than saving a person from possible death? Oh, but they felt guilty over the years, and one gave a deathbed proclamation and passed a lie detector test. Sounds a little too pat. Did they verify it was Roger? What was the time span between the Rogers disappearance and this incident and then the deathbed proclamation. Until that can be determined, its merely a web-based rumor that has taken on a life of its own.
So, what was the assignment you ask? Well, the detective told me not to discuss what I had asked, and what Roger had written. He never said I couldnt discuss the type of assignment. We were discussing Freud. I was explaining the techniques used by Freud on his patients- hypnosis, Freudian slips, free association, dream interpretation, use of defense mechanisms, etc. On the first day we discussed the first 3, finishing up with the free association. I made up a list of 10 words/phrases- randomly selected, yet categorized. Im not even sure of the other 8, but I will provide examples. Lets say I chose red and green as 2 of the words, because they would elicit a variety of responses- a color, a fire engine, blood, a book, grass, a tree, etc. Then some natural occurrences such as tree, grass, water, sky, etc. Then I picked types of people- mom/dad, brother/sister, boy/girl friend, best friend, student, teacher, policeman, etc. And I think I may have ended with a couple social institutions- religion/church, education/school, etc. Again, I no longer remember the exact words/phrases I used except for 2 of them- the 2 that the detective asked me what they were and which he focused on. And then he showed me what Roger had written, and I was shocked. It was the same answer for both. For the next 32 years, I never did that exercise the same way again. Had I seen what he wrote, could I have prevented the whole situation? Not being a trained psychologist, it may not have raised any red flags for me, or I may have given it a different interpretation. I will never know. The next day I told the students we could continue with the list or begin looking at dream interpretation; the dream interpretations were something they seemed more interested in. So the stapled papers remained in my bottom drawer, and were never given another thought until the detective asked if I had any type of work from Roger. And as I stated previously, this all occurred during the wrestling season, we were doing excellent (the teams first undefeated season) and that was my focus. So nothing else was really on my radar.
Will I ever divulge what I asked and/or what he wrote? Not unless I am required to as a legal matter. So giving out that information is something I will leave up to the sheriffs department. Now think about it. If those words and/or response in anyway implicated me in some nefarious way, do you really think the sheriffs would keep it covered-up and buried for 35 years? Hell no, it would have been blasted across all the news channels and newspapers. Plus, I challenged the poster who claimed to be Rogers sister (and theres no way for me to know if this person is or isnt) to divulge that information. If Im not mistaken, the response was that this person would only discuss those things she wanted to discuss. Why? Either this person doesnt know and doesnt want to admit it, or, doesnt want to make it public and is willing to continue the cover-up. That way the focus gets to stay on me. Unfortunately, it does not help lead in the quest for the truth in a necessary direction. Nor can I tell you what the detective told me. Now I could give you the specifics in the assignment and the responses, but that might open me up to some legal consequence- i.e., not following a legal directive, interfering in the course of an investigation, etc. So whos ready to begin establishing a legal fund for me so I can have a lawyer? When youre ready to do that, let me know.
I realize how much people enjoy playing Clue, and this may seem like an excellent website to do that. However, it involves real people in real situations. But the key to playing the game is that you get verifiable clues that lead you to the final solution. However in this case, I know you do not have all necessary clues, nor will you until the suppressed information is released. So as much as you want to believe its Col. Mustard, in the library, with a wrench, it may actually be Prof. Plum in the study with a candlestick- but you would never consider that conclusion since information is being withheld. Or it could be something as simple as Mr. Green just decided to open the front door, walk out and leave the building.
