Oliver J. Schoonmaker
Oliver J. Schoonmaker was a prominent leader of the Theosophical Society (Pasadena).
Mr. Schoonmaker was a graduate of Rutgers University in 1906.[1] He served in the military, and co-authored the Military Instructors Manual. That volume states his rank as a major in the 76th Division, and as Assistant Instructor 3rd Battalion, 17th Provisional Training Regiment, Plattsburg, N.Y.[2]
Theosophical work
He was active in the Fraternization Movement with F. Pierce Spinks. The two men co-authored an article called "Theosophy in the Business World" for the August 1939 issue of The Theosophical Forum. There is only one other Schoonmaker article that I was able to identify, and it was "Actions Speak Louder" in the August 1965 issue of Sunrise. The Fraternization Movement ultimately did not result in unification of the societies, although similar efforts are underway again. In August our Wheaton headquarters estate hosted the International Theosophical Conference, 2012, where "fraternization" and cooperation were big topics.
Notes
- ↑ Inventory to the Records of the Rutgers College War Service Bureau. RG33/C0. Special Collections and University Archives. Rutgers University Libraries.
- ↑ J. P. Cole and Oliver Schoonmaker. Military Instructors Manual. 1917. Available at Project Gutenberg.