As I flipped thru the table of contents of this book, I was hoping to find Ruth Norman (aka Uriel, high priestess of Unarius Academy of Science in El Cajon, CA. Jackpot!!! Mrs. Norman has an entire section dedicated to her in the beginning of the book, but this author calls her "Spaceship Ruthie". I dont think I knew her by that name. As a matter of fact, I don't remember knowing her by any particular name other than her own. She was just the woman from Unarius with the entourage of well-muscled tanned boys who accompanied her everywhere she went.
I saw her often in the late '70s and early '80s-- she was a very visible character in town. Her Unarius Academy of Science was across the street from where I was going to school. (In fact, Unarius took up lodgings in the very same shop that my grandmother used to shop for her nicer dresses.) You can Google Unarius for a more in-depth look at just how colorful the Unarians (?) were.
One night while having coffee with friends at El Vaqueros on 2nd St., I specifically recall Mrs. Norman making her entrance with a handsome young man on each arm. She was dressed like Glenda the Good Witch, complete with crown and scepter, and at this point she had to have been in her 70s. She was all smiles (I would have been too...the queen of la la land with a hunk on each arm). Awesome.
The rest of the book was entertaining, but honestly, I read it just because it included Mrs. Norman. Many of the other characters in the book seemed to be blasé compared to her. And my territorial prejudice my be showing up a bit, but I was not that interested in areas outside of my home town area. I read a little bit of every profile, but if I lost interest, I moved on to the next one.
