CA CA - Rose Cole, 16, Oakland, 1972 - #1

[Shadow205]

Sorry, I tried to enlarge the cropped picture from the wedding picture but it was to blury.

 

[HeartofTexas]

Well, I guess that takes care of that... she wasn't in the wedding party of 1972. It didn't make sense that she was. Thanks, Christine, for all of your efforts.

 

[christine2448]

I have gotten a few emails today, haven't had a chance to go through them all, I'll mail them out to everyone tonight, ya'll decide what is good and what is not to post.


I did post the one email because it was directed specifically at what I had posted earlier.

Anyone else need on the list? Email me at [email protected] to be added. (Shadow, not sure if I have you on there, do I?..if not email me and I'll add you and send out the emails I sent yesterday to everyone)

 

[IsabelaPR]

Hi! Could this get more heart-breaking?

I spoke to Claire today. She told me about her childhood friend Rose and how she tells Rose's story about running away from home. She often tells kids what a bad idea it is to run away and how she lost a friend because of that situation. I asked her the tough questions and I think she answered truly.

She swears Rose was NOT doing drugs! When she ran way, she had seen her earlier in the day and things seem normal. She was surprised to hear she had run away.

I asked her about the day Rose was taking to the hospital, she was high on something. Claire swears that they were hanging out with some guys and one of them slipped something in Rose's drink. Claire panicked and took Rose to the ER. She said Rose spent most her time with her and that she would have known if she was using any drugs.

I told her that Rose told the judge that she would stop using but not selling. She thinks Rose just said that to be a smart #$@. She said Rose felt she was never good enough when she talked about home. I think Claire is telling me the truth about the drugs. When someone her age has done drugs in her early years, their answer to "the question" is usually; "it was the '70, everybody did". She gave me her mom's number in Florida.

I called her and she pretty much told me the same story about Rose & Claire. Their relationship, the hospital deal, the boys, etc. She also said that Rose felt she was ugly. She thought Rose was very pretty, with her long dark hair and she had beatiful skin.

She was Emerson's nurse at the time. I asked her if Rose ever came to her. She said that Rose spent time at her place but she was very shy. She never understood but Rose was afraid of her husband. She wouldn't sit at the table with him. She said, "I don't know why she felt that way, I had 6 children and they were all fine".

She said to always wanting to know why was she afraid of him, so when a couple of teachers came to her concerned about Rose's mood she referred Rose to the social worker. He interviewed Rose. A few days later Rose was sent to Jackson Juv. facility.

She said that when kids got in drugs or had deep problems at home, some people from the faculty would meet and determine what to do. They couldn't understand why was she taking, why was not taking care thru the school system. The soc worker thought that Rose had very minor problems at home and was going to recommend a couple more visits. No one understood why she was gone.

The soc worker of course passed away a few years ago.

Isn't this absolutely awful? I don't understand! Why?

 

[julieL]

and have been posting offline to several of you on the list to give you some clarity to the whole synanon story and what was going on in 1972 etc during that timeframe. I hope some of my responses in recent week were helpful to some of you sleuthers.

Julie

 

[julieL]

and I left on my own in 1976 at age 14. My mom was in that first wedding that you are all writing about in 1972. More if you want to know but Christine has been posting my responses to the list with my permission.

 

[IsabelaPR]

Hi. I am Rose's sister in law. . .Thank you!!

 

[julieL]

who died in her 40s actually fairly recently....these were all young children in the community in 1973 living in the Ranch on Tomales Bay. Many of these kids were born there or moved in as young children and thought of the place as an utopia. I was different and was always rebellious and always in trouble.

 

[julieL]

Ruthie was my stepmom. She nevered moved in . She was married to my real dad and the ycame to visit. Separately you talk about her knowing a Ruth in Oakland who she writes she is friends with but no one seems to remember Ruth. Some women think they remember Rose however but she wasn't in Oakland very long. Most of the people who moved in for drug or whatever problems were transferred to Tomales usually to bootcamp within 6 months of arrival.

 

[julieL]

Pop sheet was the computerized printouot (we actually had a donated UNIVAC from the Rand Corporation) which tracked arrival and departure dates. Literally the population sheet for all who were there. Several people maintain copies of the pop sheets but none apparently from that timeframe.

 

[HeartofTexas]

Julie, thanks so much for joining us. Your recent responses are the most information we've learned about Synanon, and your openess and honesty are appreciated. We're just trying to piece together what happened to a young girl who only wanted someone, anyone to "love her love her love her". As I'm sure you've read, she hasn't been heard from since February, 1973.

I have two questions. Do you think there is any possibility that is Rose in the picture for the Synanon ad? There are certain parts of it that do resemble Rose, but it doesn't make sense that it would be her.

And secondly, what would hve been the biggest adjustment arriving at Synanon in the summer of 1972 (as a 15 year old). Was it the rules, cruelty, punishment, loneliness, etc. I've read that you've said CHristmas was a very hard time for many of the kids and that there were more runaways during that time. Where did these kids run to? Did they stay in Oakland, or head over to San Francisco? Or do you even know?

Thanks again, Julie. You really cannot imagine how helpful your input has been. And I'm sorry about your childhood spent at Synanon. And GOOD FOR YOU for getting the hell out!

 

[Shadow205]

Welcome JulieL! It is very nice to have you here and if I may speak for all of Web Sleuth's, thank you for answering our questions. I hope that we don't overwhelm you with to many questions.

 

[HeartofTexas]

Ohhh, Isabela, I feel almost ill hearing that Rose didn't even have a drug problem and yet was sent to Synanon for recovery. She must have felt so alone and betrayed by everyone. And all of her letters went to her father who never shared them with a damn soul. I so much wish she knew how much she was missed.

Isabela, in your phone call with Claire, did you ask her if she heard from Rose while Rose was in Synanon and, if so, did she write her back?

 

[julieL]

The clumps was a term used for an apartment building located several miles from the Oakland club building which used to be the Athletics club. Similarly, there was the Santa Monica clumps , again an apartment building that then Synanon owned about 1.5 miles from the SM club. Her letter simply is saying that she traveled to the clumps probably on an assignment to clean a room or do gardening or something like that.

 

[HeartofTexas]

Most of the people who moved in for drug or whatever problems were transferred to Tomales usually to bootcamp within 6 months of arrival.

Rose would have just barely made the 6 month mark at Synanon, from the best of our guesstimates. We think she went there after school, either the end of May or beginning of June, 1972, and she was gone by her birthday (December 23, 1972). She wrote about visiting Tamales Bay, but didn't want to go stay there. I'm not sure why. More than likely, she ran away from Oakland and not any of the other Synanon locations.

 

[julieL]

Christine,


Is this email from a former Synanon member? Where is she talking about posting several times?

We have several lists made up of former members of synanon where people can share stories etc. Many people who live there hide the fact that they did in their current life and it leaves a relative void . for example. I was there most of my childhood. How do I explain the wierdo place that my parents chose to bring us, why I never went to high school but went directlyu to college when I left etc. so we go to these lists and share memories; good, bad, horrifying or simpy memories....

 

[julieL]

Ladyhawk, Rose left Synanon 12/72

Lots of people would leave each year between thanksgiving and christmas. Especially the newcomers as we called them. I always assumed it was due to memories of family and wanting to go back home.

 

[HeartofTexas]

We have several lists made up of former members of synanon where people can share stories etc. Many people who live there hide the fact that they did in their current life and it leaves a relative void . for example. I was there most of my childhood. How do I explain the wierdo place that my parents chose to bring us, why I never went to high school but went directlyu to college when I left etc. so we go to these lists and share memories; good, bad, horrifying or simpy memories....

Are you talking about George Farnsworth's site? Lordy, that place is locked up tighter than Ft. Knox! It's good, though, that you have a place to go and commisserate with people who understand. Unless you lived there, it would be hard to understand what it was like.

 

[IsabelaPR]

Isabela, in your phone call with Claire, did you ask her if she heard from Rose while Rose was in Synanon and, if so, did she write her back?

She said she received one letter. From the bus station, she said someone had stolen everything she had. She doesn't have the letter. I didn't ask if she wrote back but she may not have had an address to write back to. . .BTW she doesn't have pictures either.

 

[Shadow205]

Julie,

At the Synanon website(or I should say where you resgister to enter the website) I saw this and thought it peculiar:

First name(s) you used when you were in Synanon:

Last name(s) you used when you were in Synanon:

Did some people change there names upon entering synanon?
I just thought the wording is strange.


http://www.synanon.org/Synanon/MemberApply3.cfm