True Father's first visit to America

George Norton
1965

This is the transcription of George Norton's narration of the 1 hour 52 minute raw footage of True Father's first visit to America beginning 12 February 1965.

George and Sylvia Norton are a 43 Blessed couple, George was one of two drivers on this tour.

The numbers at left indicate Hours, Minutes and Seconds corresponding to the elapsed time on the play of the video.

The description of the People, Places and activities shown.

Location: San Francisco International Airport

0:01.00 Col. Pak, Miss Kim and David Kim waiting for the arrival of Reverend Moon.

0:01.10 Col. Pak and Mrs. Pak with Rev Moon

0:01.14 Ernie Stewart and Mrs. Robinson

0:01.18 Ora Skoon shaking hands

0:01.26 Doris Walters and John Schmidly from Mr. Kim's group shaking hands.

0:01.28 Lowell and Kathy Martin and Pearl World in line.

0:01.40 Alexa from Washington DC in line.

0:01.45 Group picture with Mrs. Lym, Pearl World, Tom Carrick, Larry Fleming, Doris Walter and (not sure Herb Kegler) in back and in the front row David Kim, Mrs. Choi Rev Moon, Miss Kim, Col. Pak.

0:01.50 Next to Doris Walter is Edwin Ang,

0:01.55 Very back standing is Lowell Martin.

0:01.57 John Schmidly, Alexa and Miss Lim, Pearl World, Lowell Martin, Tom Carrick,

0:01.59 John Schmidly is at the far left.

0:02.22 Col. Pak, Alexa, Joon Rhee.

0:02.30 David Kim, Col. Pak

0:02.39 Location: Outing to the Cow Palace

0:03.01 Joon Rhee next to Rev Moon

0:03.16 David Kim, Rev Moon, Mrs. Choi, John Schmidly, David Kim's Representative

0:03.29 Joon Rhee, Col. Pak, Rev Moon, Mrs. Choi, Alexa

0:03.35 Galen Pumphrey, Carl Rapkins, George Norton, Doris Walter, Miss Kim, Rev Moon, Mrs. Choi, John Pinkerton behind Mrs. Choi and Edwin Ang.

Since Georg Norton is in this shot, it was probably taken by Gordon Ross.

0:04.10 Location: Oakland Center. Rev Moon with other members.

0:05.00 Rev Moon Singing at the continuation of the celebration at the Oakland Center.

0:06.10 Expedition to Frashocker Zoo

0:06.14 Ernie Stuart is recognizable standing behind Doris Walter.

0:06.23 Jim Fleming moving from left into picture

0:06.59 Everybody feeding the seals.

0:07.35 Rev Moon feeding the seals.

0:08.02 Returning from the outing at Frashocker Zoo in San Francisco. Rev Moon, Jim and Mary Fleming together in the far right side.

0:08.06 Out for a stroll with Mrs. Choi on the left, Gordon Ross, Col. Pak, Mrs. Choi, Joon Rhee, David Kim.

0:09.01 Coming back from the stroll we have picked up Herb Kegler, George Norton.

0:09.19 Same group is looking at a brand new house that no one has lived in yet.

0:10.00 We're back at the Oakland center. Rev Moon is entertaining every one.

0:11.00 Jim and Mary Fleming are entertaining us.

0:11.52 Beginning to consecrate a Holy Ground on Twin Peaks (2/15/65)

0:13.40 Jim Fleming receiving the Church Flag from Rev Moon.

0:15.22 Rev Moon, Sandra Pinkerton and an un-named German member that rode with us down to Los Angeles.

0:15.30 Location: Henry J Kaiser Building in Oakland CA. Another outing with some of the members.

0:15.56 The tour guide for the Kaiser Building lecturing to Rev Moon and his group.

0:16.02 A shot of Lake Merritt from the upper floor of the Kaiser Building.

0:16.30 Location: Botanical Center in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.

0:16.52 Location: Oakland center 1139 Wellington Avenue. (not sure),

0:17.00 Faded shot of Brand New 1965 Plymouth Station wagon that the whole trip was made in.

0:17.25 Rev Moon, Mrs. Choi, Young-Oon Kim, Katherine Martin, Sandra Pinkerton.

0:17.35 The group behind Rev Moon and Mrs. Choi includes Pearl World,

0:17.57 Coming out of the Burlingame center which is also the home of Jim and Mary Flemming.

0:18.48 Ernie Stewart finally deciding to close the tailgate of the Plymouth Wagon.

0:18.59 Establishing the Holy Ground in Oakland CA

0:20.17 Back at the Oakland Center and Rev Moon is writing a calligraphy

0:22.30 followed by more songs and celebration by the Oakland members.

0:23.00 Location: Los Angeles Center. Not sure but believed Teddy Verhein was singing.

0:23.30 Note the microphones and that all meetings were recorded on a reel-to-reel recorder and all those recording were turned over to the archives in NY.

0:24.16 Los Angeles Center, This was Doris Walter's Center and George Norton doesn't remember many of the names.

0:25.23 Rev Moon cutting a cake at the celebration in the LA center.

0:27.19 Off the coast of Los Angeles on a Whale-Watching boat, all the members together. George doesn't remember seeing any whales.

0:27.35 Ascending a Hill in Griffith Park to dedicate a Holy Ground. (2/21/65)

0:28.48 John Pinkerton delivering a Unification Church message in Griffith Park to anyone that would listen.

0:34.33 Rev Moon makes a calligraphy for the Los Angeles Center.

0:35.00 Rev Moon creating the holy ground in Phoenix Arizona. (2/27/65) Canto Park

0:35.42 At the Phoenix Center

0:35.55 Maybe holy ground being created in Oklahoma City

0:36.46 Oklahoma members meeting with Rev Moon.

0:39.07 Establishing Holy Ground in Oklahoma City OK. (3/2/65) Lincoln Park.

0:40.13 At the Indian village near Oklahoma city. Rev Moon spent a good part of the day there. Probably about 40 miles West of Oklahoma city.

0:41.00 After Creating the Holy Ground in Kansas City this is the Kansas City group with the Rear Couple and the Oswald couple.

0:41.39 In Key West Florida at the furthest tip of the USA. Rev Moon writes in the sand.

0:43:20 Still at Key West, The group drove down to Key West in 2 cars and this is the Florida group with us.

0:44.00 This is the causeway headed back up to Miami.

0:45.01 Location: Miami

0:47.03 Establishing the Holy Ground in Savannah, Georgia (3/10/65) Forsythe Park

0:47.53 Traffic accident on the highway somewhere in the Carolinas. A truck had turned over and caught fire.

0:50,30 Establishing the Holy Ground in the Carolinas or Richmond Virginia. George doesn't remember all the locations and many were established at night when there was no light for filming.

0:52.10 Members from Col. Pak's center in Williamsburg Virginia welcoming Father.

0:53.37 In Washington DC at Col. Pak's home.

0:55.32 Meeting at the Washington DC center (George doesn't remember names, maybe Dr. Pak does?)

0:59.53 At the Joon Rhee Institute with the tour given by Joon Rhee himself.

1:02:00 Blessing the Holy Ground in Baltimore MD (3/18/65) Druid Park.

1:03.00 Double exposure of holy grounds being established. Film from the Southern part of the tour was re-exposed during the Northern part so this may include the Carolinas, Pennsylvania, and some New England.

1:07.52 Niagara Falls. It was very Cold.

1:09.00 Cleveland Center, Ken Pope coming out.

1:09.38 Consecrating the Holy Ground in Cleveland (3/21/65) Wade park, at University Circle.

1:12.41 Eileen Welsh in Chicago Previous scenes at her townhouse and going through Chicago.

01:14.22 Establishing Holy Ground in Madison Wisconsin. (3/22/65) Hoyt Park, on Regent St. Next to Hoyt School.

1:17.30 Holy Ground in Lincoln Nebraska (3/24/65) Antelope Park.

1:18.09 At the Pumphrey center in Denver Colorado. (3/25/65)

1:18.50 Looking at the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City.

1:19.20 Establishing the Holy Ground in Salt Lake City. (3/26/65) Ensign Park

1:19.54 Boise Center in Boise Idaho Next scene is every one got out of the car to walk in the snow in the Rockies about 40-50 miles north of Boise. The snow was above peoples heads.

1:20.29 Naming everyone in the car, George Norton driver and camera man, from the left Mr. Choi, Rev Moon, Mrs. Won-Pak Choi, Behind Mrs. Choi is Miss Young-Oon Kim, Further right is Gordon Ross, and David Kim.

1:21.35 Previous scene was blessing Holy Ground in Seattle, Washington (3/28/65) Seward park. This Scene is in Mr. David Kim's center in Seattle Washington.

1:23.40 Establishing Holy Ground Portland, Oregon (3/29/65) Mt. Tabor Park

1:25.00 At the Portland Center

1:28.21 A view from Hendricks Park in Eugene Oregon

1:28.31 Establishing Holy Ground Eugene, Oregon (3/29/65) Hendrick's Park.

1:30.00 This is the house where Miss Kim first stayed when she came from Korea to the United States and started her work or mission at the University of Oregon.

1:31.57 Back at Oakland California at the Oakland Center.

1:33.40 On the way to the Airport for Rev Moon to catch the plane to Washington DC. He has finished a 40 day trip around the country.

1:35.00 Waiting for the departure of Rev Moon from San Francisco Airport. Rev Moon is saying good by to everybody.

THE FOLLOWING SHOTS ARE OUT OF SEQUENCE AND SHOULD BE NEAR THE BEGINNING. They are probably from a different camera, a 16 mm wind-up camera.

1:37.00 This is another shot of Rev Moon's arrival in the USA.

Next Shot back at the botanical gardens in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.

1:39.57 Back at Frashocker Zoo in San Francisco

Another shot of Holy Ground in Twin Peaks in San Francisco. Another shot from the Wale Watching Boat off of LA coast.

1:42.40 Creating Holy Ground Los Angeles, California (2/21/65) Griffith Park

A shot from Mt. Whitney, California (2/25/65) At entrance to peak Creating Holy Ground. At the 9000 foot level.

Next Shot taken from the lowest point in the US in Death Valley, California (2/25/65) 280 feet below sea level.

1:44.00 Holy Ground being created at the lowest point. In front of the sign we saw earlier.

1:46.00 A scene out in the desert around Death Valley.

1:47.40 At the grand Canyon

1:48.17 Here we are back at Oklahoma Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (3/2/65)

1:49.42 Kansas City during a snow storm (3/3/65).

1:50.37 Back in St. Louis MO. (3/4/65) The Oswald Couple, and the Weir Couple were present.

Most of the footage is from one 8 mm camera and some of the later shots are from a 18 mm camera. The sequence is not all in proper order. This explained in the narration. George explained that there was very little money available so the less expensive 8 mm camera was used mostly. The camera would fit in a jacket pocket, The 16 mm Camera was an old Keystone brand camera that had to be wound up every five minutes; it was larger and more complicated to use.

George explained that he did the best that he could with what he had. He later worked with a professional photographer and realized that he could have done better.