[197], While covering the suicides, several media outlets focused on Applewhite's sexuality;[198] the New York Post dubbed him "the Gay Guru". Recruited from Catholic High School in Baton Rouge, Louisiana by then Texas coach John Mackovic, he was later coached by Mack Brown. News reports of the time attempted to unravel the thinking of the cult, and explain the philosophies espoused by its leader. His father was a Presbyterian Church minister. [176] Lewis speculates that Applewhite settled on suicide because he had said that the group would ascend during his lifetime, so appointing a successor was unfeasible. [1] That was followed by losses to Nebraska in the Big 12 Championship Game and to Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl. [111] They initially had difficulty finding a willing surgeon, but eventually found one in Mexico. In 1985, Nettles died, leaving Applewhite distraught and challenging his views on physical ascension. [23] He had initially been hired for the same positions at Arkansas State,[24] but elected to join South Alabama. [75] By the mid-1970s, Applewhite attempted to avoid the use of the term "religion", seeing it as inferior to science. [112] They further relaxed their control in 1983, permitting their followers to visit relatives on Mother's Day. [124] He emphasized that Jesus, whom he believed was an extraterrestrial, came to Earth, was killed, and bodily rose from the dead before being transported onto a spaceship. Peristiwa ini adalah bunuh diri massal terbesar yang pernah terjadi . He was birthing students into the next level., Marshall Applewhite, the leader of the Heaven's Gate cult, was a former music instructor at the University of Alabama. It was a one-time occurrence and was a personal matter. [191] Applewhite's students had made a long-term commitment to him, and Balch and Taylor infer that this is why his interpretations of events appeared coherent to them. At various points in cult history, Applewhite and Nettles were known as the Two, Bo and Peep, and Do and Ti. The names Do and Ti were linked to their fondness for musical theater and in particular, Nettles admiration for The Sound of Music. The show includes the song Do-Re-Mi, performed as the main character, the free-spirited governess Maria, teaches her young charges about the musical scale. (The docuseries compares this to a caterpillar becoming a butterfly.) [54] Applewhite described his role as a "lab instructor"[55] and served as the primary speaker, while Nettles occasionally interjected clarifying remarks or corrections. I am regretful for my mistake and humbled by this experience. Before he got into religion and spirituality, it was music.. Custom boutique photography for newborns, children, families, seniors, and weddings They published advertisements for meetings, where they recruited disciples, whom they called "crew". [37] By June 1974, Applewhite and Nettles' beliefs had solidified into a basic outline. [8] He married Anne Pearce around that time, and they later had two children, Mark and Lane. To prompt their exit, Applewhite and 38 followers ingested a lethal concoction of phenobarbital and vodka, mixed into applesauce or pudding. Marshall Applewhite Children/Kids. Applewhite was not the original mastermind of the Heavens Gate cult. [16] Briles had left Houston for Baylor University. This is the story that I heard: He was going to attempt a career on the opera stage in Houston Grand Opera. Wrong username or password. Getty Images Heaven's Gate leader Marshall Applewhite and Bonnie Nettles in August 1974. Together with his three siblings, Applewhite grew up in a strong Christian background. Major Lee Applewhite (born July 26, 1978) is an American football coach and former player who is currently the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the South Alabama Jaguars.He served as head coach at the University of Houston from 2017 to 2018, where he previously served as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. He led his group to commit . [82][d] Balch and Taylor believe that Applewhite's prison experience and early rejection by audiences contributed to this fear. Applewhite, the cults guru, was a former music teacher at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. [180] An anonymous tip led the sheriff's department to search the mansion;[181] they found 39 bodies there on March26. I am deeply sorry for the embarrassment it has caused my friends, family, and the University. Members of the Heaven's Gate cult considered themselves to be students in a class led by Bonnie Nettles and Marshall Applewhite, and later by Applewhite alone. Sensuality and sexual contact were outlawed, because Next Level aliens were said to be asexual. In practice, this made their followers completely dependent upon them. So when Herff Applewhite came to the University of Alabama, he didnt look at all like a professor. News reports of the time attempted to unravel the thinking of the cult, and explain the philosophies espoused by its leader. [80] Applewhite and Nettles ceased having public meetings in April 1975,[44] and spent little time teaching doctrine to their converts. Marshall Applewhite Parents. Julie's Twitter bio describes her as the CEO/CFO/COO of Applewhite Household, but her posts are set to private. Marshall Applewhite, was a music professor at first known for his musical and dramatic talents, he sang opera, and was a very good public speaker. The project, directed by Clay Tweel, relies on the testimony of former cult members -- some of whom still believe in the concepts Heavens Gate espoused -- as well as family members and friends of those who died, sociologists, researchers who specialize in alternative religious movements and more. [7] He earned a bachelor's degree in philosophy in 1952 and subsequently enrolled at Union Presbyterian Seminary to study theology, hoping to become a minister. [19] He also became a locally popular singer, serving as the choral director of an Episcopal church and performing with the Houston Grand Opera. 5. (AL.com file photo). His second pass was completed for a 79-yard touchdown and he baited the University of Colorado bench in an attempt to rally the Texas fans. [88] On one occasion in Texas, they told their followers of a forthcoming visitation from extraterrestrials and instructed them to wait outside all night, at which point they informed them that this had been merely a test. The correct answer, it turned out, was a wedding ring -- a simple gold band that symbolized commitment and devotion. Other articles where Marshall H. Applewhite is discussed: Heaven's Gate: Founders Marshall H. Applewhite (1932-1997) and Bonnie Nettles (1927-1985) met in 1972 and soon became convinced that they were the two "endtime" witnesses mentioned in Revelation 11. When Nettles died in 1985, Applewhite took over sole leadership of the cult, making it more reclusive and becoming convinced that the Hale-Bopp Comet contained the secret to their ascendance into . [99] To his followers, he did not seem dictatorial:[100] many of them found him laid back and fatherly. Applewhite, however, officially announced on December 4, 2006, that he would not leave Rice for Iowa State. [170] He told his followers that the vessel would transport them to an empyrean destination, and that a government conspiracy was attempting to suppress word of the craft. The next day, Mack Brown announced that the primary play caller and other co-offensive coordinator would be Bryan Harsin from Boise State. HOUSTON (AP) Major Applewhite was hired to replace Tom Herman as coach at Houston on Friday. [196] Urban posits that Applewhite found no way other than suicide to escape the society that surrounded him and states that death offered him a way to escape its "endless circle of seduction and consumption". . 251-445-4004. [3], Applewhite was the backup for Simms for the entirety of the 2001 regular season and Simms led Texas to a #3 ranking and a trip to the Big 12 Championship against #10 Colorado. During the 2007 season, Applewhite was mentioned as a possible replacement for Art Briles as head coach at the University of Houston. [44][52] At the time, Applewhite maintained that he had been "divinely authorized" to keep the car. [100] Applewhite organized seemingly arbitrary rituals that were intended to instill a sense of discipline in his followers; he referred to these tasks as "games". [78] He emphasized that students were free to disobey if they chose, in what Lalich dubs the "illusion of choice". [27] Applewhite and Nettles began to place greater demands on their followers' heretofore loosely structured lives, which improved membership retention. It is the largest mass suicide to occur inside the U.S. As a young man, Applewhite attended several universities and served in the United States Army. [142] He specifically cited sexual urges as the work of Lucifer. [14] Given his ties to the Lone Star State, Applewhite targeted a couple of Texas high school prospects, including Lennon Creer. American religious leader who founded what became known as the Heaven's Gate religious group and organized their mass suicide in 1997, Born on May 17, 1931 Marshall Herff Applewhite Jr., better known as Do, was a religious figure in the United States who lived from May 17, 1931, to March 26, 1997. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. [7] He left the military in 1956 and enrolled at the University of Colorado, where he earned a master's degree in music[11] and focused on musical theater. [52] At these events, they purported to represent beings from another planet, the Next Level, who sought participants for an experiment. Also find out how he got rich at the age of 43. Major Applewhite returns to South Alabama for his second year as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Former record-setting quarterback at the University of Texas who joined the team as an assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach in 2011. [187], Although many popular commentators, including psychologist Margaret Singer,[188] speculate that Applewhite brainwashed his followers, many academics have rejected the "brainwashing" label as an oversimplification that does not express the nuances of the process by which the followers were influenced. We were all devastated, most of all Do, recalls Frank Lyford, a former member known as ANDODY. After former Texas defensive coordinator Gene Chizik was hired as head coach at Iowa State University in December 2006, Applewhite was rumored to be joining his coaching staff. [30] Nettles told Applewhite their meeting had been foretold to her by extraterrestrials, persuading him that he had a divine assignment. [109], In 1980, Applewhite and Nettles had about 80followers,[110] many of whom held jobs, often working with computers or as car mechanics. This crucial shift in thinking, the docuseries says, led to the mass suicide in 1997. Cult", "Cult Leader's Son Apologizes to Families Who Lost Loved Ones", INFORM (Information Network Focus on Religious Movements), Academic study of new religious movements, Religious discrimination against Neopagans, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Marshall_Applewhite&oldid=1128076623, American members of the clergy convicted of crimes, Converts to new religious movements from Christianity, People extradited within the United States, Short description is different from Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Use shortened footnotes from November 2022, Pages using infobox person with multiple parents, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 18 December 2022, at 07:12. [54] Furthermore, they were at first required to adopt biblical names. Thomas Fletcher (born October 1, 1998) is an American football long snapper for the Seattle Sea Dragons of the XFL.He played college football at Alabama, where he won the Patrick Mannelly Award in 2020. [27], In August 1974, Applewhite was arrested in Harlingen, Texas, for failing to return a car that he had rented in Missouri. The concept was heightened after Applewhite took control of the cult -- so much so that he said the men of Heavens Gate should consider castration. Marshall Applewhite, madeofants. [27][44] He was extradited to St.Louis and jailed for six months. [136][156], In the early 1990s, Applewhite posted some of his teachings on the Internet, but he was stung by the resulting criticism. [178] A bag that contained a few dollars and a form of identification was placed beside most bodies. [77] Members were consequently instructed to renounce: friends, family, media, drugs, alcohol, jewelry, facial hair, and sexuality. The owner loved the hand scraped hardwood floors paired with the wrought iron stair railings. A longtime member of the Heaven's Gate cult, known as Sawyer, talks about his experiences in the cult in "Heaven's Gate: The Cult of Cults," a docuseries on HBO Max. Learn how your comment data is processed. "[10] At Rice, Applewhite moved the team away from the wishbone offense and moved them to a more modern, one-running-back formation[11] similar to that used by Texas. [116] Zeller states that the group's previous focus on individual choice was replaced with an emphasis on Applewhite's role as a mediator. [4] Meanwhile, Major was seen attempting to rally the offense before they took to the field, even as the restless Texas fans booed Simms. Marshall Applewhite was the leader of the Heaven's Gate religious cult in Texas. A native of Texas, Applewhite attended . June 30, 2017. foxsports. (Courtesy of HBO Max), 3. [160] Davis speculates that this rejection may have encouraged him to attempt to leave Earth. Following a 41-17 blowout win over SEC rival Tennessee on October 20, Applewhite was named "Offensive Coordinator of the Week. The group needed a sign from above, however, and found it in comet Hale-Bopp, which appeared in the sky in 1996 and burned brightly overhead in early 1997. Applewhite attended Corpus Christi High School and Austin College; at the latter school, he was active in several student organizations and was moderately religious. At this point, the docuseries indicates, Applewhite had his fateful encounter with Nettles. [189] Lalich speculates that they were willing to follow Applewhite in suicide because they had become totally dependent upon him, hence were poorly suited for life in his absence. Early rejection by audiences contributed to this fear his views on physical.! 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