Talk:Laurel Rose Willson

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[edit] Faked Death?

I am tempted to revert out the text added January 17, 2005, referring to the possibility that Willson/Stratford/Grabowski faked her death, as I have never seen any reference to the possibility, but would seek comments before doing so. If there is any non-Wiki discussion of the possibility, it could be cited, or perhaps the existing "theory" could be restated in a more general way? Of course, this is one story that doesn't lack for odd twists and turns, so I suppose anything is possible... Robertissimo 13:54, 18 January 2006 (UTC)

I have taken up a discussion of the "faked death" issue with the editor who added that portion of the article. I was inclined to revert it myself, but I also find the possibility intriguing, and it probably should be explored before a decision on the article is made. - Chadbryant 17:16, 18 January 2006 (UTC)

I made it "it's easy to speculate but further investigation is necessary before we can seriously consider this as a possibility." If that isn't NPOV enough I'll take it out for now. Bluejay Young 05:03, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

As a reader, I'll say that now that the possibility has been pointed out, it does seem unpleasantly likely somehow. However, as an editor, I don't see any evidence that the speculation is more than just original research. -- Antaeus Feldspar 15:58, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

How about something like "it is tempting to imagine"? —Tamfang 22:49, 13 February 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Commentary moved from article

Following is text removed from the article; I am leaving a message on the user's talk page. Robertissimo 04:23, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

For a change of pace perhaps the readers of this might like some facts. My name is Tristie Johnson and I am Lauren Stratford's - niece. First you need to know that when Rose Willson came of age - she changed here name from Rose Grabowski to Rose Grey. This was - because she was ashamed of her Polish heritage. When she got married her name changed again to Rose Willson. When Lauren - ran away from home she went to live with her father in California. - I do not understand why Cornerstone magazine has not asked to interview me since I too was horribly abused by my grandmother and - both my parents. I have the restraning order I was granted by the judge against Rose Willson and Willow Teeter after they went to - a summer camp where my son was at and tried to kidnap him. - I have the letter from the Summer Camp apolgizing for allowing them to enter the camp, they said my mother verbally - abused the camp directer until she gave in. - Although I did not meet my aunt until after the restraining order was granted we had a lot of things in common, since I was forced to spend a lot of time with my abusive grandmother, who was Lauren's adopted mother and experienced some of the same horrors. When my parents found out about the book they returned to the United States, (they had been in Israel, primarly helping the Palestinians.) They began an urgent campain to discredit Lauren. Cornerstone magazine only interviewed a few members of my family but the family did their best to generate as many lies as possible about my aunt. Why? - My grandmother was very rich, so she had plenty of money to spend in order to cover up the truth. Usually if you ask a person if they horribly abused a child, especially arranging sexual abuse they are bound to deny it. Especially since so many things that happened were against the law. - During the second world war the United States had our own - Holocaust. We not only put the Japanese into the camps, but Americans, Italians, and Germans as well. Most likely Lauren - was born when her parents were in the camps. They were fashioned - after the concentration camps in Germany, some were even set in - places that looked like Germany. I remember as a child long after the war, being strapped to a chair so I could not move and being forced to view the horrible things that happened in a Nazi German camp and was drugged so I would hallucinate while being poked with needles and other sharp things so it felt like I was in that camp. If you have ever been to Disney Land you can understand how detailed special effects can be. - Shortly after my parents came home my aunt was pushed down a large flight of cement stairs and was almost killed. Crime Victems - compensation paid for her counseling after the accident. When we - met she was quite poor but throughout the rest of her life we were close. I attended her memorial service and helped people clean out her apartment afterwards. I miss my aunt. Satans's - Underground is a true story. The name change to Lauren Stratford and the omission of my mother in the book were done out of consideration not to embarrass my mother. It's ridiculous after - all this time to be making up stories against my aunt. —Preceding unsigned comment added by RoatbEAr (talk • contribs)

[edit] Inclusion in Category:Impostor pretenders

As noted in the article and related sources, towards the end of her life, Willson pretended to be a Holocaust survivor and used the guise to have her work published. Thus, she qualifies for the category. Manager Of Champions 22:43, 25 January 2007 (UTC)

Category:Imposter pretenders describes itself as "the intersection of imposters (people impersonating someone else) and pretenders (people making claims to regal positions such as the queen or king of a country)." While Willson did claim to be, variously, a survivor of extreme child abuse, of Satanic ritual abuse, and of the Holocaust, she never, in any source I have seen, made a claim to royalty. She does indeed seem to have been a pretender (as all imposters are), in one sense of the word, but not in the technical sense that would qualify her for this category. Robertissimo 04:56, 26 January 2007 (UTC)

The category is not currently limited to persons who have pretended to be royalty (see Lou Proctor), and the category description provides that as an example, not as a distinct qualifier. Manager Of Champions 05:37, 26 January 2007 (UTC)

You're right - Lou Proctor doesn't belong there, either (I'd say, based on a quick read, he'd best be listed as a hoax, rather than even an imposter, as he doesn't seem to have actively impersonated a ball player, just listed himself as one, if it was in fact he that did so). A pretender, per WP, is "a claimant to an abolished throne or to a throne already occupied by somebody else." Had she lived, Willson might well have gotten around to that, but as it stands, she doesn't qualify. Robertissimo 05:50, 26 January 2007 (UTC)