Mildred Dean Galusha 1923 - 2008
This morning, at the age of eighty-four, a cherished friend and associate, Millie Galusha, passed away.
I am sorry that she was not able to see a printed copy of the book, “Idenics: An Alternative to Therapy,” which is just days away from publication. But I am thankful that she did see the completed manuscript. In fact, her opinion of the book was more important to me than anyone else’s. It wasn’t until she told me that she loved the book and thought that John would appreciate and be proud of it that I was finally satisfied with this work. Furthermore, I was honored to have Millie’s assistance with the book’s editing. Having been a secretary and assistant to Lyndon B. Johnson and L. Ron Hubbard, she had proofread and edited both of these men’s written works.
Millie had worked for Johnson when he was a senator from Texas. Later, she worked for Hubbard in Washington, D.C. As Johnson’s political career started advancing, he contacted Millie and asked her to come back to work for him, but she chose to stay with Hubbard. It’s good that she did because by staying with Hubbard, she was able to become acquainted with John Galusha. They married, eventually moved back to John’s home state of Colorado, and had two children and a wonderful life together.
When John and I began delivering our Book One Extension Course in 1980, Millie was one of the first students to complete the training. She was a shinning example of a competent Book One auditor. Once we started delivering our Book One Congresses, Millie was invaluable as a Congress supervisor, assisting with all of the Congress trainings. Later, her contributions during the research and development of Idenics were also much appreciated.
Millie and Hubbard had a close friendship both on and off post. For fun and relaxation, they enjoyed the hobby of photography together. The classic photo of John and LRH at the 1958 Congress in D.C., where Hubbard was wearing his famous Congress suit, which I used to promote our Book One Congresses, was taken by Millie Galusha.
One of my favorite “Millie” stories was from the time she worked with Hubbard in D.C. John was on a “clearing mission” to New Orleans when Hubbard suggested to Millie that the two of them co-audit. She agreed, and after he’d done a session on her, Millie took LRH into session. This was in the days before the Bridge and Case Supervisors, when all they had was a big barrel of processes that the auditor just reached into, grabbing whatever might be appropriate in dealing with the pc. Hubbard came up with something he wanted to handle and away they went. But things quickly deteriorated in the session and Hubbard started getting pretty nasty, saying things like, “Who trained you to audit? You’re the worst auditor ever!” Not knowing where to go from there, Millie ended the session. Crushed and in tears, she immediately called John for advice. All that John told her was, “You take that pc back into session, and I’ll send you a dozen roses.”
At John’s behest, Millie collared LRH and managed to get a protesting pc into session again. Hubbard instantly began bashing her once more, saying, “I don’t know why I’ve agreed to go back in session with you. You’re the worst auditor I’ve ever met!” Not really knowing what she was going to do, Millie just asked the first question that popped into her head: “How can I help you?” Hubbard’s first response was, “You couldn’t help me tie my shoe.” But having gotten an answer to her question, Millie was smart enough to ask it again: “How can I help you?” This time, Hubbard responded by saying, “Well, maybe you could help me to tie my shoe, but not much more than that.” She continued to ask the same question repetitively and it turned out that the session went very well. The next day, LRH came out with “Help Processing.”
During her life in Colorado, Millie developed her talent at what she called “horse trading.” She regularly haunted local garage sales, searching for items of some value, which she bought and then sold through various outlets at a good profit. Decades before E-bay or Craig’s list, she had a great eye for bargains, and she made enough money to supplement John’s income quite nicely. Among other things, she was able to buy herself a brand new piano, which she played beautifully.
Millie had a lovely face all her life, and as a young woman she was not only extremely competent, but also strikingly beautiful. It would not surprise me to learn that Johnson and Hubbard both had crushes on her.
I’ll miss Millie. I’ll miss her southern drawl and her terrific laugh. I’ll miss sitting and chatting with her while eating her favorite, Chinese food. I’ll miss her keen wit and sharp intellect. I’ll miss her friendship and support. I’ll miss her as a sounding board when I need someone to bounce ideas off of. I’ll miss her genuine, unassuming and sweet nature.
Good bye, for now, my dear friend. I wish you the best on your new journey.
Until we meet again.
Mike Goldstein
9 May 2008