My Library

Among these were Dr. William (Bill) Bennitt, then Dean of the School of Electrical Engineering at Columbia University, and his fabulous wife Vy. The Bennitts were utterly fascinated with psychics and psychic phenomena. Indeed, Vy "collected" psychics, presented them at dinner parties, and generally facilitated their sittings and demonstrations. Vy favored British psychics and mediums of which there seemed to be an endless supply. The Bennitts brought a good selection of them to the States were they could strut their stuff through readings and seances. Thus, I met a whole lot of British psychics. Through the excellent social auspices of the Bennitts and especially of Buell Mullen, most of the psychics were funneled toward individuals of standing and wealth very many of whom paid for psychic readings and advice. And for the first time in my life, I was able to witness the actual but hidden extent of the demand for psychics among the wealthy, among politicians, Wall-street types, culture gurus, and even among the very powerful. I, of course, was not yet a "noted psychic," and indeed such had never dawned on me or on anyone else. I was an artist, but one who was socially acceptable because I could dress well, was comfortable among high-society types, and knew which fork to use at dinner. But it was actually only as Buell's protégé that I was accepted at all among her social set.