>> >>ANGELA: NO ONE ENTERS
RON'S ROOM WITHOUT SIGNING THE GUEST BOOK.
>> >>ANGELA: RON, IS L.RON HUBBARD, AND THE CENTRAL FIGURE IN EDWARD MARSH'S MULTIMILLION
DOLLAR SCIENCE FICTION COLLECTION.
MARSH KEEPS HIS COLLECTION HERE IN WHAT HE CALLS THE MARSH LIBRARY, IT'S A STAND ALONE
BUILD ON HIS GATED ESTATE.
DOWN THE HALL FROM RON'S ROOM IS THE GOLDEN AGE OF SCIENCE FICTION ROOM.
HERE MARSH HAS THE COMPLETE SIGNED WORKS OF AUTHORS LIKE H.G.WELLS, FRANK HUBERT, AND
JULES VERNE.
MARSH HAS GIVEN A RARE JULES VERNE TO SDSU.
>> >>GUEST SPEAKER: THEY HAVE A BOOK THAT ARE ONLY TWO COPIES KNOWN TO EXIST.
A CHINAMAN'S ADVENTURES, PHENOMENAL.
YEAH, JULY VERNE.
>> >>ANGELA: MARSH IS 61 AND RETIRED FROM THE REAL ESTATE BUSINESS.
HE SPENT OVER 30 YEARS BUILDING HIS COLLECTION OF BOOKS, LETTERS, MAGAZINES AND FILM SCRIPTS.
AN INITIAL APPRAISAL PUTS THE COLLECTION'S WORTH AT BETWEEN 10 AND 15ÊMILLION DOLLARS.
MARSH COMMISSIONED GOLD BUSTS OF MANY OF THE AUTHORS.
HE KEEPS EACH BOOK IN HIS ITS OWN HAND CRAFTED GOLD EMBOSSED PRESERVATION BOX.
>> >>GUEST SPEAKER: I'M A SNOB, I DON'T READ BOOKS THAT ARE NOT SIGNED BY AN AUTHOR, BUT
IF YOU CAN'T HANDLE IT, YOU CAN'T ENJOY IT, WHY SHOULD YOU EVEN HAVE IT?
>> >>ANGELA: THE LIBRARY IS CLIMATE CONTROLLED.
MARSH IS A HEAVY SMOKER, BUT HE USES SMOKELESS CIGARETTES IN THE LIBRARY AND ON AIRPLANES.
MARSH ADMIRES EACH OF THE 50 SOME AUTHORS IN HIS COLLECTION.
HIS REFERENCE FOR L.RON HUBBARD GOES BACK TO AGE 17.
MARSH GREW UP IN LA MESA, HIS DAD WAS A WELL TO DO ATTORNEY AND HIS MOTHER A SOCIALITE.
>> >>GUEST SPEAKER: WHEN I TOLD THEM IT GOT ME OFF THE DRUGS I HAD BEEN TAKING AND MOM
SAID SEE, ED, I TOLD YOU.
MY FATHER'S NAME IS ED ALSO.
I SAID I KNOW, I FIBBED TO YOU ALL THESE YEARS.
>> >>ANGELA: TODAY MARSH HAS REACHED THE HIGHEST LEVELS OF THE CHURCH WHICH MEANS HE'S PAID
FOR THOUSANDS OF WHAT THE CHURCH CALLS AUDITING SESSION, SIMILAR TO COUNSELING SESSIONS.
>> >>GUEST SPEAKER: AS A YOUNG MAN, I WAS VERY TROUBLED, EXTREMELY TROUBLED.
TODAY I HAVEN'T AN UNHEALTHY CARE IN THE WORLD.
>> >>ANGELA: IT'S ALMOST AN UNDER STATEMENT TO SAY HUBBARD AND THE CHURCH OF SIGN TAWLG
ARE CONTROVERSIAL BOTH HAVE BEEN THE SUBJECT OF NEGATIVE PRESS GOING BACK TO THE 1950S.
>> >>GUEST SPEAKER: WE'RE ABOUT TO ENTER WHAT I CALL RON'S ROOM.
>> >>ANGELA: IT WAS L.RON HUBBARD THAT INSPIRED MARSH TO BEGIN COLLECTING.
HE WAS A PROLIFIC SCIENCE FICTION WRITER.
IT'S HIS NON FICTION BOOKS THAT ARE MOST WELL KNOWN IN WHICH HE OUT LINED THE SELF IMPROVEMENT
TECHNIQUES THAT FORM THE BASIS OF SCIENTOLOGY.
>> >>GUEST SPEAKER: THIS IS JUST ONE SET OF THE SCIENTOLOGY BOOKS.
>> >>ANGELA: ALSO IN RON'S ROOM, A COLLECTION OF E METERS DATING BACK TO THE 1950S.
THOSE ARE MACHINES USED IN SCIENTOLOGY'S AUDITING SESSIONS TO MEASURE EMOTIONAL STATE.
THE TECHNOLOGY IS SIMILAR TO LIE DETECTERS.
>> >>GUEST SPEAKER: IF YOU LOOK CLOSELY HERE, YOU'LL SEE A NEEDLE.
THE NEEDLE MOVES WHEN IT'S ALL IN OPERATION AND THERE ARE 28 DIFFERENT NEEDLE CHARACTERISTICS
OF AN E METER.
ONE, FOR EXAMPLE, LOOKS LIKE THIS.
THAT MEANS I WANT OUT OF HERE.
I WANT OUT.
OR I AM OUT, MY BODY'S STILL HERE.
>> >>ANGELA: MARSH IS STILL DECIDING WHERE THE REMAINDER OF HIS COLLECTION WILL GO, BUT
SDSU AND THE CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY ARE THE CANDIDATES.
THE RECENT GIFTS TO SAN DIEGO STATE WORTH 2.5ÊMILLION INCLUDE SIGNED BOOKS BY RAY BRADBURY,
MARSH IS GOING TO KEEP BUILDING HIS COLLECTION, THERE ARE STILL HUNDREDS OF BOXES IN HIS GARAGE
TO SORT THROUGH.
>> >>GUEST SPEAKER: THE COLLECTION IS A BIG THING TO ME.
IT'S BEEN MY HOBBY HORSE FOR 10 YEARS, SINCE I'VE HAD ANY MONEY.
I'VE PLOWED IT INTO PAYING OFF THE MORTGAGE, INVESTING IT IN PRESERVING WHAT I CONSIDER
TO BE IMPORTANT THINGS.
>> >>ANGELA: ANGELA CARONE, KPBS NEWS.