William G. Roll 1926-2012
2012; Rhine Research Center; Volume: 76; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
ISSN
0022-3387
Autores Tópico(s)Paranormal Experiences and Beliefs
ResumoWhen Bill Roll passed away on January 9, 2012, at age 85, the field of parapsychology lost a very great man of vision and integrity. William G. Roll II was born on July 3, 1926, in Bremen, Germany, and he grew up in Denmark, where, as part of the Danish resistance to the Nazis, he helped Jews escape to Sweden. Bill earned a BA degree from the University of California, Berkeley, a master's degree from Oxford University, and a PhD degree from Lund University. In 1957, Bill and his wife Muriel moved back to the US, where he accepted a position in J. B. Rhine's Parapsychology Laboratory at Duke University, Durham, NC. In 1961, he became head of the Durham-based Psychical Research Foundation (PRF), with the mission to explore the possibility of life after death of the body. In 1986, Bill moved from Durham to Georgia and accepted the position of Professor of Psychology and Psychical Research at West Georgia College. But it was during his time in Durham that he made most of his major contributions to the field of parapsychology. Besides exploring the survival question, including out-of-body experiences, hauntings, and mediumship, Bill had a very keen interest in activity. And it is for the investigation of this activity that Bill will long be remembered. With the publication of two books and numerous scientific articles on poltergeists (a few are listed at the end), Bill became the world's leading authority on activity. In his writings, Bill also popularized some names and phrases that parapsychologists continue to find useful. Because poltergeist means noisy ghost, which may be inaccurate, Bill instead used the terra Recurrent Spontaneous Psychokinesis (RSPK) instead, and he used the term psi to refer to all psychical activity. I first met Bill Roll in 1966, after I left Bell Laboratories to teach and do research at Duke University. Bill was Director of the PRF. I had a great interest in the topics Bill was investigating, so he and I became close associates and close friends. As a volunteer and consultant at the PRF, I was led into many awesome (to me) experiences during my years of association with Bill. How can I best honor my good friend who worked so diligently in this life to further our knowledge and awareness of psychical phenomena? What better way than to describe a few of these experiences that Bill led me into--some you may never have heard of before? The first awesome experience occurred in the summer of 1967. Bill encouraged me to visit a spiritualist camp that I had heard about (Camp Chesterfield in Indiana). Since the stated purpose of the PRF was to determine whether or not there is life after death, such a visit could serve that purpose. While at Camp Chesterfield, I attended a materialization seance conducted by a medium named Charles Swan. There were a dozen sitters like myself on one side of the table in the darkened seance room. One small red light bulb was left on. Charles Swan addressed us for some time on spiritual matters before the seance was started. This gave us time to be fully dark-adapted. I could clearly see detailed features of all objects and people within the room. Charles Swan instructed us that the prophet Amos (Old Testament) would materialize and deliver to us a spiritual message. Swan said that he did not go into a trance during the materialization, but would remain fully conscious. He asked us to observe a spot on the floor that was just across the table from me and the other sitters. After a short time a smoke-like substance started from this spot and slowly spiraled toward the ceiling. The substance then filled out in diameter and took on the well-defined features of a man. He was as solid looking as anyone else in the room. He was dressed rather like my vision of a genie, in a manner that I would not have guessed for an Old Testament character. He was dressed in a turban and a rather fancy shirt or tunic with three red, ruby-like jewels down the front where buttons would be today. …
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