Dear Mr Haulman,
I apologise for the lateness of this email, but I have only just come out of hospital to find that the memorial may be delayed still further, so am writing to add my voice to those who hope to see it opened before the end of the month.
Although I myself would be unable to attend the ceremony, I would hope to visit it when I next visit California.
I have both a professional and a personal reason for this – the latter being due to my friendship with the Moore family who have done so much over the years to keep alive the memory of those, including their dear ones, who died in 1978.
My professional reason stems from my being an academic who has studied minority religions since the early 1970s, and who was profoundly affected by the tragedy when it occurred. Indeed, I could say that it shaped my future life in that I have striven hard throughout the years to try to understand and prevent such tragedies occurring in the future.
I profoundly believe that the opening of the memorial could contribute towards a fitting closure for those affected by the tragedy, and that the inclusion of Jim Jones’ name is an important part of the memorial.
Yours sincerely,
Eileen Barker
Professor Emeritus of Sociology with Special Reference to the Study of Religion
London School of Economics
Houghton St
London WC2A 2AE
England