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Mary Wernicke

'' This profile starts with an article by Hank Levin from International Viewpoints (IVy) 84, November 2007 '' 

MARY WERNICKE, a professional auditor with a prodigious practice in Santa Barbara, CA, left her body on November 22, 2006. Born on November 25, 1913, she died in Santa Barbara two days before her 93rd birthday. Mary had lived in Santa Barbara since 1972. Mary was born in England, and came to the United States in 1928, and married Bill Wernicke. Bill was a successful advertising agent, noted for having sold the first TV ad. Long-time friend Gary Douglas, the founder of a clearing therapy known as Access, says of Bill’s and Mary’s marriage that it was “the most extraordinary relationship I’ve ever seen. Bill was a Catholic, and they never shared cosmologies. She agreed not to talk about Scientology with his friends, but she’d go to Saint Hill for months at a time”. Bill passed away in 1995.

Prior to embarking on Dianetics and Scientology in 1952, Mary worked as a volunteer in schools, dealing with children with behavior problems, at times travelling back and forth to England with her husband. Later on she ran an HQS Course in New York City. Says Douglas, “Mary studied all religions,
and knew the Bible inside-out. She also studied Avatar (becoming an instructor), worked with Alan Walter, and learned Access at 88 years old from her friend and housemate Gary Douglas. Speaking about Wernicke, Douglas reports, “She said ‘there’s good in everything’ ”. She helped me through some very tough times. She actually encouraged several people to come to Access.”

Mary was known for her intensity, common sense, wry wit, and sense of propriety. He relates how, at the age of 80, at a fundraiser for David Mayo’s AAC, she had read the lyrics to “Baby Light My Fire” as a poem with a straight face. “Hysterical.”

Douglas also says, “She bemoaned the loss of the age of elegance.”

Mary survived her own daughter and last living relative, Monica West, who died at the age of 62
two years ago. Friends mentioned that Mary’s health started to go downhill after her daughter
died.

Mary audited professionally up until 5 weeks before her death. She had all the clients she wanted in Santa Barbara, though in the later years she limited her practice.

She is missed by the many whom she spiritually helped and supported through the years. ¤

&Theta;

''Hank Levin was asked if he had any further data on Mary, and sent the following by email. Anyone who can add to this account of Mary Wernicke is invited to let us have more data to add to this rather skimpy profile. '' 

Mary Wernike and I had a mutual admiration for one another, but I only met her once or twice at parties at Thea Greenberg, with whom she was a close friend. I really knew her mainly through John Bell, who would visit her often in Santa Barbara, though it was a great distance from Long Beach, CA where he lived. At one point he bought her a Clarity Meter, which she loved. John loved to gossip, and shared a number of anecdotes about Mary over the years I knew him. Most of the data in my "tribute" came from John. He passed away unexpectedly about two years ago, and with him I'm afraid we lost a lot of stories about various Scn personnel he had known.

Gary Douglas (Access Technology) lived with her for a number of years, and would undoubtedly have valuable info about Mary. I interviewed him many years ago for the FSJ [Free Spirit Journal], but have not been in touch since then.

Mary was very reclusive, and quite dismissive of anything that amounted to a personal tribute, and so I wouldn't be surprised if nothing else exists beyond that FSJ article. Let me know if you find anything---good luck!