1. Suzie Connors. When I was in the Ft. Lauderdale Seed in 1972, I was 14 and Suzie was 19 and--like many of the boys, I think--I had a sort of masochistic crush on her. But really, she wasn't the meanest staff member then, though she was occasionally cruel.
Reading through this forum, I see that Suzie went on to be the head of the St. Pete Seed, and was pretty much a monster. I was talking about this with my wife (not an ex-Seedling, not from Florida), saying it didn't quite jibe with my memory of Suzie. My wife pointed out that Suzie probably became worse. It makes sense.
2. John Underwood. What a spooky, strange guy. Does anybody know what became of him and how long he stayed with the Seed?
3. Clay. Don't know Clay's last name. It sounded something like "Climb." He's the one I'm most interested in. He had graduated the Seed before my time, then had had to serve a jail sentence on an old rap (as in legal rap, not Seed rap), and he returned to the Seed--as a staff member--about a month before I graduated. Clay was unique. Of all the staff members, if you caught his eye during a rap, instead of glaring at you to insinuate that you should be PAYING ATTENTION TO THE RAP, he might wink or make a funny face. At least that's how he was with me.
Here comes the remarkable part. Clay pulled me aside one evening and said softly, "How would you like to go to the oldtimers' rap tonight?" meaning I had completed the program. I was thrilled of course. But asking around, I never heard of anybody else being informed that way that they had completed the program; everybody else I spoke to had gotten their name called in front of the group and there was all that celebratory applause. It is my belief to this day that Clay subverted normal channels on my behalf--that it was HIS decision that I should be finished. If any other senior Seed staff person were to have retracted that decision, this would have revealed division in the ranks, which was unthinkable.
4. Danny Ultamura, another interesting character who kinda disappeared before I was out of there. Mean to some, but very kind to me.
What became of these souls I wonder, I wonder.
When an innocent Californian millionaire gets killed by a drug squad
trying to seize his house with a bogus search warrant, people better ask themselves if they really want to turn their cops into money-makers.
--Vancouver Police Const. Gil Puder
Marijuana in its natural form is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to man. By any measure of rational analysis marijuana can be safely used within the supervised routine of medical care.
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The great object is that every man be armed. Everyone who is able may have a gun.
-- Patrick Henry
It is the absolute right of the state to supervise the formation of public opinion.
--Joseph Goebbels
In the 60's people took acid to make the world weird. Now the world is weird and people take Prozac to make it normal.
--Unknown
On 2006-04-23 21:08:00, Anonymous wrote:
"Greg,
Once, my dad was called to the Seed (at the warehouse location) to "whip" my sister, with which request he was all too willing to comply. She STILL didn't "get with the program" though. In fact, to this very day, she never has. :smile:
"
On 2006-04-24 14:53:00, GregFL wrote:
"your sister was ten and a veteran of three drug rehabs?
Would you please talk to your sister about posting her experience in detail about having the Seed's "love" beat into her at the request of staff?
Thank you so much...
"
On 2006-04-24 18:43:00, GregFL wrote:
"you are speaking of the seed "home" on SR84, also known as "the compound" and various other monikers the press used to describe it. It was a warehouse right before alligator alley on SR84 in Ft Lauderdale, and it had a big fence around it. Art had a private office. I was only there once but many here, including Ft Lauderdale, Ginger, Cleveland, and others spent many many nights of their young lives in that building.
"
On 2006-04-24 18:51:00, GregFL wrote:
"Im sorry. It really wasn't a "move" per se. Art opened the Miami location in 1973, and then closed and moved the Miami kids to the actual seed location in Ft Lauderdale. This occured in 1973, but I don't have the date with me at this moment.
It seems you were in during the heydey of the seed. So was I. I went in July of 73 in St Petersburg at the age of 14. So we were seedlings at roughly the same time.
"
On 2006-04-25 09:28:00, landyh wrote:
"
Most of the earlier members had fairly serious drug histories.
Cheers "
On 2006-04-25 09:28:00, landyh wrote:
"Hey,
I also got to do my turn on the Skipper Chuck Show. Just for the record though I went to the seed the first time voluntarily in 1970. I was nine years old. By the time I was the age you were when you went into the program it was 1972 and I was re-entering the program somewhat less voluntarily for the second time. In 1970 not only was I the first sub teen to ever go to the Seed there simply didn't exist a seedling population that was enrolled for attitude problems alone. Most of the earlier members had fairly serious drug histories.
Cheers "
As far as my sister, as soon as she was allowed to go home, she started writing "the Seed Sucks" all over the neighborhood. She was a real anomaly, entirely resistant to indoctrination.."
On 2006-04-26 10:41:00, NOT12NOW wrote:
"
As far as my sister, as soon as she was allowed to go home, she started writing "the Seed Sucks" all over the neighborhood. She was a real anomaly, entirely resistant to indoctrination.."
Interesting so they eventually gave up and let her go home? Did she graduate?
On 2006-04-25 12:32:00, GregFL wrote:
"Thanks Landy. You know, sometimes when I talk to people I see things that are almost imperceptable to the average person. An inflection maybe, a certain language style...". The only people I really talk to about this stuff are my sister, my best friend, (who doesn't really get it), and of course, you people on this forum.
"
On 2006-04-25 16:35:00, Anonymous wrote:
Oh, did you talk about the Seed on Skipper Chuck? My sis did. They really loved the novelty of a 10- or 11-year-old "druggie." Hmm, I must have seen you in 72. I went in voluntarily in 72 (well, I did whatever my dad said, "voluntarily," let's put it that way). Of course, I was a barely-noticeable, very-compliant and very-dorky little thing -- so no one even bothered to harass me! :smile: You sound more like my sister (who was also getting quite "non-compliant" at 12). "
On 2006-04-26 18:53:00, landyh wrote:
Skipper Chuck did a little mini interview with me and asked about my "druggie past". We were anomalies to be into drugs so young back then. I thought it was pretty cool in one way but I remember being a little concerned about being percieved as a narc by my old friends even though I didn't talk about anybody specifically on the show other than myself. I would think I would have had to have seen you in 72' but I can't remember anybody that young. There was one 12 year old boy that I took home with me for a night and I don't remember why he didn't stay any longer. Don't remember his name either. sigh! As to being non-compliant. Well I went in the second time very angry and rebellious but it didn't take me long (that and a failed escape) to see that I wouldn't get out of there if I didn't talk the talk. In the end though I bought back into it and that is probably what troubles me most now.
[ This Message was edited by: GregFL on 2006-04-26 19:28 ]"
Were you there when the Miami Seed moved to Ft. Lauderdale? That's the exact time frame when we were there. Like I've said, I wouldn't have been noticed much, but I think you'd remember my sister, because she'd make such scenes. Little brunette. She used to sit on her hands to avoid holding hands during singing, and the other kids would more or less "hold hands by force" with her.
As far as selling out, my sister still accuses me (lovingly) of being a sellout. We have a sense of humor about all of it. I say, "I was just playing along!" And she says, "NO, you were really INTO IT." Geez, maybe I was. It's hard to tell, at that age. I'm not hard on myself about it though. We were kids (so were you!).
"
Someone who really stood out to me was a black guy that was almost 7' tall. Seems I remember him watching the door for obvious reasons (no one would try to get past him) and that the rumor was he was going to be a pro basketball player. Can't remember if it was drugs or an injury that derailed his aspirations. "
Was that the staff member Arthur? "
On 2006-04-29 09:18:00, TRUCKER wrote:
"Yes,that was Authur. His heart was as big as he was. He was intimidating due to his size.
TRUCKER"
If you and your sister were there when I was and cute I would have noticed both of you.LOL! I keep thinking I don't remember any girls that young but maybe you didn't look that young?