JONESTOWN SURVIVOR Interview – by a High School Student
With Miss Hanson's permission, I am posting her paper about Peoples Temple and her interviews with survivors. I think she did an outstanding job presenting the background. I have not changed any of her writing, though admittedly, there are some typos and such. This is her paper. (Survivors frequently get requests for interviews from Middle school and high school students through researchers earning their doctorates.) The Jonestown Massacre MacKenzie C Hanson Rosemount High School Introduction “Jonestown did not begin and end on November 18th, 1978.” (Fielding McGehee, personal communication, May 7, 2014). Jonestown is more commonly known for its massacre that ...
» continue readingSURVIVORSHIP – by Jonestown Survivor
SURVIVORSHIP I am a survivor. I have escaped many mishaps in my life as I learned about myself and the world I live in. The one I carry around with me at all times – really part of my living and breathing – is my survival from the death of the dream of Peoples Temple. I lost 913 of my very dearest friends and adopted family members and just escaped with my own life. I know the tragic stories of the other survivors and many of the families who lost their loved ones. ...
» continue readingEntering my Third Trimester of Life
MY THIRD TRIMESTER OF LIFE Today, I begin my last third of my life. I know it will be astounding, as the others have been. My first segment was my formative time – growing up, emerging from my mother’s womb and her day-to-day nourishment. And, it included my entering into the unknown while trying to find myself – and barely surviving the deaths in Jonestown, Guyana. These were my formative years. I learned about the person my mother trained me to be, and then I learned to be strong enough to survive an unimaginable experience and keep going. The second trimester, I ...
» continue readingJONESTOWN SURVIVOR Presenting at Communal Studies Association Conference
I have been presenting my scholarly research papers at the Communal Studies Association Conference for seven years. Two years ago, I was elected to the Board of Directors of the CSA. This year, the Conference will be in Amana, Iowa on October 9-11. The conference theme this year is: “Form Follows Faith: The Influence of Belief on the Architecture and Crafts of American Communal Societies.” Papers that explore the ways in which religious and social beliefs and ideals informed the distinctive community and social organization, architecture, crafts and other products of communal societies are encouraged. Laura Johnston ...
» continue readingJONESTOWN SURVIVOR Interviewed by Sean Phipps – NOOGA.com
I was extremely impressed with Sean - he had done enough research to understand my comments and probe into depth - and then write what I said without altering my message - a wonderful, and rare quality, I've found. (LINK: http://www.nooga.com/166276/interview-jonestown-survivor-laura-johnston-kohl/) Interview: Jonestown survivor Laura Johnston Kohl By Sean Phipps Published Thursday, April 17th 2014 Chattanooga welcomed Jonestown survivor and author Laura Johnston Kohl. Kohl spoke at UTC, made an appearance at The Public Library and spoke with WRCB’s David Karnes. She is the author of the 2010 book "Jonestown Survivor: An Insider’s Look," a reflection on her experience and how she survived. In ...
» continue readingJONESTOWN SURVIVOR VISITS THE SOUTHEAST USA
JONESTOWN SURVIVOR VISITS U OF TENNESSEE-CHATTANOOGA AND THE AREA I have just returned from a wonderful Jonestown Survivor: An Insider’s Look book tour in Georgia and Tennessee. I was invited to speak to Psychology classes at University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, and I contacted other local venues to set up speaking engagements. My husband and I arrived at the Atlanta airport and drove the two hours to Athens. An Athens Quaker family provided serene housing in the countryside of Danielsville. On April 12, I spoke to a gathering of the Athens Society of Friends. I was delighted to ...
» continue readingJONESTOWN SURVIVOR Interviewed by 11th-Grader
Every few weeks, I am contacted by students who become curious about Peoples Temple - and they are eager enough to contact me with questions. Often, they have chosen the topic in a history class because it is intriguing, or horrific, and they want to understand it better. This week, an 11-th grader contacted me. She is writing for a History Competition. She asked several questions and I have listed her questions and my answers here. What was your experience in Jonestown like? I first visited Jonestown in 1975, with the Planning Commission and Jim. I fell in ...
» continue readingJONESTOWN SURVIVOR – on examiner.com
Join “Never a Niche Live” on March 13 at 8 pm Pacific time to learn more about the life inside Peoples Temple and Jonestown through Laura Johnston Kohl’s experiences. Vicki Perry will interview Laura! from examiner.com: March 9, 2014 Everyone has heard the term, "drinking the Kool-Aid." This phrase has become part of American lexicon, although most people who use the term have no idea where it began. Jonestown is a term used to describe an agricultural project and town that was being built within the triple canopy rain forest of Guyana, South America. Peoples Temple moved almost 1,000 people of the congregation ...
» continue readingJONESTOWN SURVIVOR – Has Evolving Perspective of Peoples Temple
Recently, a family member of another survivor contacted me. She said that she sensed that some of my reflections in my book have changed over these years. I published my book in March 2010. I wrote the book in 2009 and early 2010. I have changed in my understanding and feelings in several ways. Here was my response to her: When I went to PT, I was in heaven. I had already strayed enough - as you read in my book. When I went to PT, I had the integrated community, and wonderful friends ...
» continue readingJONESTOWN SURVIVOR 2014 Introductory Sheet
When 914 members of Peoples Temple and four visiting Americans died in Guyana, South America on November 18, 1978, Laura Johnston Kohl survived. She was one of 87 who lived through the trauma. After participating with the Black Panthers, and attending Woodstock, Laura moved into Peoples Temple in California in 1970, and was an active and enthusiastic member until the day it ended. She moved to Guyana in March 1977. She frequently traveled between Georgetown and Jonestown, a 24-hour boat ride, but moved into Jonestown in October 1978. Laura’s survival was a fluke. It ...
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