European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 07, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse Tracing a dark and mysterious past by Randy Pruitt staff writer it All began with the Box. Gary Deatherage s father gave him a gift in 1967. The contents of the Small Ivory coloured Box surprised him. A they re medical and adoption records about your past Quot his father told him. Until then at age 24, Deatherage did no to know of their existence. He did know he was adopted though. When he was 10, Floyd and Helen Deatherage had told him about the 18-month-old toddler they got from the children a Home society in los Angeles. They also said they loved him As much As if head been their natural child. Deatherage never doubted that. His childhood in Oxnard Calif was wonderful. Still like All adopters head wondered about his past a dark void until he opened that Box one Rainy Day. What he found raised More questions than they answered eventually leading him to Hollywood gossip columns tabloid headlines and the mafia connections of his natural father. Deatherage also Learned that for the first six months of his life he was adopted by film Star Joan Crawford. She had named him Christopher Deatherage a personnel manager for the army and air Force Exchange service in Offenbach has chronicled the search for his roots in a Book the other Side of my life. The Book is available at stars and stripes bookstores Quot i was driven by an unexplained inner Force a says Deatherage who had More to go on than most adopters. Inside the Box he found an envelope from a Law firm. Scribbled on the Back were the names Andrew and Rebecca. Also inside was Deatherage s birth name Marcus Gary Kullberg in time Deatherage discovered his Mother Rebecca Kullberg gave him up shortly after birth on june 3,1941. The father of the child was not her husband but an italian who owned a nearby liquor store. Somehow she found out that her child had been Given to Crawford plagued with guilt she wrote the actress a letter threatening Legal action suicide and negative publicity if the baby was t returned. Crawford complied. Kullberg s husband Andrew knew of her affair and the child a existence. However he was unprepared for the sudden presence of the baby with the dark complexion. Just to look at the child made Andrew Kullberg Blond and of scandinavian descent angry. A i was a constant reminder of his wife s infidelity Quot Deatherage wrote. According to accounts by a Stepsister one of the couples two natural children Kullberg turned readers action line spouse out of Luck for free trip Home q a my husband is a department of the army civilian. We have been in Germany for three years and have just extended for another two. We Are now entitled to re employment travel to the Continental United states and Back to Germany. This is great but the problem is my husband my sponsor does t want to take Home leave and we both want me to be Able to go to the states to take care of personal business and to be Able to visit. We Are under co Bremerhaven and they have stated that a John has to go Quot in order for me to be entitled to a paid round trip ticket. Why does John have to go if he does t want to just so i can go this will Cost the army an extra $1,200 at least. Into a madman when he came Home in the evenings. Deatherage said he discovered that Kullberg on several occasions tried to attack him with a Butcher knife. Each time Deatherage s Mother fought him off finally a. Drunken Kollberg grabbed him one night and slammed him against a Wall causing a hernia. The injury is recorded in Deatherager a medical records. Realizing her baby s life would continue to be endangered his Mother once again put him up for adoption. Even then she was t totally out of his life. She was arrested at Crawford s Hollywood Home by Fri agents on suspicion of attempted kidnapping on dec. 29,1944. She had mistakenly believed her son had been returned to the actress. Crawford had a newly adopted son named Christoper but it was not Deatherage. She was charged with sending abduction threats through the mail the Story and photo made the front Page of the los Angeles times on Jan. 17,1945. A jury later acquitted her. While All this was occurring Deatherage was living with his new parents. It would be nearly 45 years before Mother and son would meet again. The contents of the Box helped Deatherage find his six Stepbrother and stepsisters. Eventually he located Frank Mazzola. His natural father. Hell never forget their first meeting Quot i could see the similarities in the two of us a Deatherage wrote. Quot we have similar head shapes especially from the nose a Mazzola told his son that his family which came to the United states from Palermo Sicily in 1921, had always been in the liquor business. Mazzola said his father had known gangster Al Capone and other mafia figures during prohibition the mafia connections had come in Handy Mazzola said. Quot he does no to really like to talk about it though Quot Deatherage says. Mazzola reluctantly told him about Quot family Quot wars. Quot he said there were some occasions when his family had to bar themselves in their House for fear of some kind of reprisal Quot Deatherage says. Mazzola a father mysteriously disappeared on a trip to new York. Deatherage said his search took about 20 years. A but it was never really a big obsession Quot he says. The crucial pieces of the Puzzle were the parents names. Quot adoptions were extremely closed in those Days. I have no idea of How my Mother mrs. Deatherage obtained the names Quot he says Quot i think i had a need to find my with one exception the reception by his relatives has been Good. That exception is the woman who gave birth to him. Their relationship he says is somewhat strained. Quot i understand. It was my birth that changed her life Quot he says. Is there any possible Way that i May make use of my husband s entitlement to re employment travel without him Roberta k. Clemmons Bremerhaven Germany Jane Wilson personnel management specialist civilian personnel division office of the Deputy chief of staff personnel Usa eur replies the writer asks if there is any Way she can make use of her husbands entitlement to take renewal agreement travel rat without him As he does no to want to go but wants her to be Able to do so. The answer is no. The statutory authority for rat provides for payment of the travel expenses of an employee and his her dependents. The legislative history of this statute indicates the primary purpose was to bring the employee to the United states periodically to be general accounting office decisions on this Issue have held that Sis Kan Gaorge author qary Deatherage at Hla cafes office in of Linbach Germany. Deatherage says he Hopes his Story gives other adopters encouragement. He admits that without the Joan Crawford connection he probably would t have written the Book. Deatherager a adopted father is still living. His adopted Mother died in 1965. Quot they re my mom and dad As far As i m concerned Quot he says. He considers other new relatives As Good friends. Deatherage met with Crawford s daughter Christina during his search. She remembered her one time baby Christina wrote mommie Dearest a Best seller that portrayed the film Star As an abusive Mother. Christina and her brother Christopher were left out of Crawford a will. Deatherage now the father of three boys says he regularly visits his natural father in California. Last year Mazzola took him to the Village in Sicily where he was born and spent the first five years of his life. Quot to Call him Poppa Quot Deatherage says laughing. In Sicily Mazzola introduced Deatherage As his son. Quot All the family kept shaking the Finger at him. They could t understand Why i did t speak italian. They did t know the whole Story about him. They just knew i was his this year for his birthday Deatherage received another Box. This gift was from his natural father Mazzola. It contained a 24-disc italian language course. Deatherage smiles at the outcome of everything. Quot i Hope it the Book will make people aware of just what could happen if they open that door Quot he says. Deatherage will be signing autographs saturday at stars and stripes bookstores at the Frankfurt shopping Center from 11 . To 1 . And Rhein main air base from 2-4 . A change in legislation would be necessary to allow an employee to waive rat while the employee s dependents perform the round trip travel at government expense. We Are not aware of any legislative proposals to change the Law in this write us readers action line is the readers Quot court of last resort Quot striving to answer some of the questions about life overseas in a military environment or questions about policies and guidelines when other avenues for answers Are not readily available. If you have a question and Don t know where to turn for the answer write to readers action Une co the stars and stripes Apo a 09211. All tetters must be signed and preference will be Given to those seeking information of general interest to our readers. Page 16 b the stars and stripes saturday december 7,1991
