Death and Chocolate Story Notes by Jeri Massi
That Certain Third Doctor Fan
Story Notes (Short version)
by Jeri Massi
The Inspiration for Royalty House
NOTE: This story is not a story about First Baptist of Hammond,
Hyles-Anderson College, Jack Hyles, Dave Hyles, or any real life
entity, person, or corporate body. This story offers a commentary on
the controversy regarding the Hyles Dynasty. END NOTE
"Death and Chocolate" began as a farce about the corruption and
scandal that I have documented regarding First Baptist Church of
Hammond, IN and its associated, unaccredited Bible college,
Hyles-Anderson College. Both institutions were run for several years
by Jack Hyles with help from Hyles' son, Dave Hyles, who was made
Youth Pastor at the age of 19 or 20.
First Baptist of Hammond Indiana was, for years, ranked as the World's
largest Sunday School and church. Jack Hyles loudly and broadly
proclaimed that this church was the greatest church since the church
at Jerusalem. It must have been rather distracting for him when
stories of child molestation and charges of adultery kept popping up
in the late 80's and early 90's. Hyles was the subject of a book,
WIZARD OF GOD, that documented his years of deceiving one of his
deacons, Vic Nischik, as Hyles had an ongoing affair of the heart with
Nischik's wife, Jenny.
Here's the shortened list of documented abuses from former church
officers, members, or faculty at First Baptist Church of Hammond (FBC)
and Hyles-Anderson College (HAC):
* A.V. Ballenger, a deacon and bus route driver at Hyles' First
Baptist Church Hammond, was convicted in March of 1993 for molesting
a seven year old girl.
* Jack Hyles' protégé Earl Reeves, pastor of Lighthouse Baptist
Temple in San Diego, served eight years in prison for molesting young
women and grade school girls from his congregation.
* Hyles-Anderson Bible College graduate Jeffrey Jerrell pleaded
guilty to having sex with eleven young girls from his youth
congregation at Calvary Park Baptist Church's (Petersburg, VA)
* David Hyles, Jack Hyles' son, was expelled from the pulpit and
pastorate at Miller Road Baptist Church in Garland, Texas. He was
charged with having committd adultery with 19 different women at the
church. The story broke when a janitor found pornographic photos of
Hyles having sex with a deacon's daughter. David, whose wife divorced
him, later lived with Brenda Stevens and was charged in abusing her
year-old son, Brent. Brent was found dead in his crib at the age of
15 months. At the coroner's inquest in 1985, Brenda was a no-show,
while David Hyles pleaded the Fifth Amendment. David and Brenda Hyles
later conceived a son, and named him Jack David Hyles. In March of
1999, Brenda Hyles ran him over with the family car, killing the
5-year-old boy. Brenda claimed that Jack David had fallen out of the
car and she could not avoid running over him (3/25/99, St. Petersburg
Times).] Many IFB pulpits are still open to Dave Hyles, in spite of
his history of gross sin.
* William S. Beith, a Hyles-Anderson College grad, pastor of Liberty
Baptist Church in Lake Station (formerly East Gary), Indiana, was
arrested for soliciting a male prostitute.
* Andy Beith, William's son and a former HAC student, principal of a
Christian school tied to Liberty Baptist Church was charged and
convicted of coercing and enticing a minor (a female student at the
high school), and transporting a minor across state lines to engage
in sexual activity. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
* Jim Vineyard, former bus ministry director at First Baptist of
Hammond (FBC) has been charged by a pastor with describing lewd
sexual acts to a young lady (sexual harassment; not a crime because
Vineyard "counseled" in private, although the Scripture clearly
directs that private counseling is to be from older women to younger
women). Vineyard has yet to deny the charge, but he did call the
preacher who confronted him "buzzard puke". This story has made the
news in Oklahoma City, where Vineyard currently pastors. One young
lady has come forward to accuse him of lewd speech, claiming that he
used a counseling session to graphically describe sexual techniques to
her.
* Kerry Martin, HAC graduate and missionary who went to prison for
molesting a little girl.
* Calvin Stone, a HAC short timer sent to prison for molesting a
little girl.
* Kerry Overla, a HAC grad/pastor who pleaded guilty to molesting an
8 year old girl
* Chester Mulligan, a Jack Hyles follower (not HAC graduate) who is
charged with molesting a 14 year old girl.
* Former Pastor Joe Combs, former Bible teacher at HAC, currently
serving time for the repeated rape and abuse of his adopted daughter
(found guilty, also defended by officials from Hyles-Anderson
College)
* Former Associate Pastor Timothy Lee Leonard, HAC Grad, (charged
with child molestation but acquitted because child-witnesses unable
to testify; one child in the chuch had venereal disease, however)
* Deacon Mark Foeller, HAC Grad, (indicted for child molestation but
acquitted because witnesses refused to testify)
* * * *
Listening to Lis Sladen on Sarah Jane Smith
Last November, after Chicago TARDIS 2003, I came up with the idea of
satirizing the gross corruption I was documenting. I decided to depict
a chocolate factory--a place where one expects innocent pleasures to
abound----that claims to be the greatest Chocolate House in the world.
But bodies of dead children keep coming to the surface on the grounds.
I knew I wanted a Sarah Jane story for this, and I knew that she would
become addicted to the deadly chocolates. Right after Chicago TARDIS I
wrote the first episode, but then it became clear that the story would
fall into a "helpless companion" piece and that was not appropriate
for Sarah Jane.
In March of 2004, I attended United Fan Con and listened to Lis
Sladen speak. I had a chance to speak with her a couple times,
briefly. She impressed me, and her respect for Sarah Jane impressed
me. I realized that this had to be more than a "Doctor rescues
helpless companion" piece. And yet, in spite of everybody expecting
more proactive companions these days, the hero rescuing the fair maid
is still an integral part of adventure fiction.
So I developed it both ways. Sarah Jane is in over her head, but she
fights a desperate battle, and wins it, and then is rescued from the
part that she cannot defeat.
What I got was a pretty grim farce, though it has its lighter moments
that still point up the ironies of places like Hyles-Anderson College
and Royalty House Chocolates and their fanatical claims of being
paradise. But the evil that I depict cannot be depicted in any other
way than the way it is shown: cruel and perverted.
A more complete commentary on the story is posted at this URL: