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Quoting Death in Early Modern England: The Poetics of Epitaphs Beyond the Tomb By Scott L. Newstok
An innovative study of the Renaissance practice of making epitaphic gestures within other English genres. A poetics of quotation uncovers the ways in which writers including Shakespeare, Marlowe, Holinshed, Sidney, Jonson, Donne, and Elizabeth I have recited these texts within new contexts. Visit Palgrave Macmillan and purchase your copy today!
Living by the Dead By Ellen Ashdown with illustrations by Mary Liz Moody.
A memoir about living beside a cemetery--and about the members of my family who came to rest at Roselawn Cemetery in Tallahassee, Florida. Please visit Kitsune Books for more information.
Graveyards of Chicago: The People, History, Art, and Lore of Cook County Cemeteries By Matt Hucke And Ursula Bielski.
Discover a Chicago That Exists Just Beneath the Surface - About Six Feet Under! Take a tour of Chicago's permanent residents! Please visit the Lake Claremont Press website to purchase your copy of Graveyards of Chicago today!
Epitaphs: The Magazine for Cemetery Lovers By Cemetery Lovers
For information regarding subscriptions, single issues, submission guidelines, deadlines, classifieds or advertising for future issues, please visit The Cemetery Club.
Guardians of the Soul: Angels and Innocents, Mourners and Saints with photography by John Bower and foreword by Claude Cookman
Indiana's remarkable cemetery sculpture is now available. Please visit Studio Indiana for more information.
West Springfield Massachusetts: Stories Carved in Stone by Rusty Clark
Features information on early New England gravestone carvers with more than two hundred photos and illustrations. Please visit the Dog Pond Press website.
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Complaints lead to suit for casket fraud |
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Written by DeadGirl
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Sunday, 05 September 2004 |
Woman wrote to officials, including Bush, to have company closed.
The Associated Press
September 5, 2004
BATON ROUGE (AP) — Answering an advertisement in the American Legion magazine four years ago, Adelaide Keesing believed she found a bargain: an 18-gauge steel casket for $1,100 plus $450 shipping and handling.
But her bargain was too good to be true. When she needed the casket delivered, it never arrived.
So, the feisty 81-year-old Baton Rouge resident has spent the past year writing letters and talking to every government official she could think of, including mailing a letter to President Bush, in an attempt to shut down Celestial Life Planning Inc.
“Dishonesty is not something I like to expect,†Keesing said.
On Aug. 20, her efforts paid off. The Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office filed a civil suit there seeking to force Celestial Life Planning Inc. to stop advertising and entering into new contracts with customers. The suit also seeks at least $45,000 restitution for 28 known victims, including Keesing.
The suit alleges Celestial failed to deliver purchased caskets, never paid refunds and did not deposit the legal minimum into trust accounts for consumers prepaying for funerals.
“In our view, this is outrageous,†said Barbara Petito, spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania attorney general. “They are not waiting on a washing machine. They are waiting for a casket.â€
The suit against Celestial also alleges the company falsely claimed a relationship between itself and fraternal and veterans’ organizations, including the Fraternal Order of Police and the Veteran’s of Foreign Wars.
“If national organizations trust us, it goes without saying you can, too!†the company posted on its Web site.
Celestial lost its licensing agreement with those groups two years ago, according to the lawsuit. Keesing bought a casket from the Pennsylvania-based Celestial Life Planning Inc. for herself in 2000 bearing the emblem of the Army Air Corps because she served as an Army nurse at a mental hospital during World War II.
Her best friend, Marie Touchet, and aunt, Catherine Lewis, also purchased similar caskets honoring their war service. The three women were to receive their caskets from Celestial when they died. When Touchet died last year, her casket never arrived. Keesing then asked for refunds for the two other caskets purchased for herself and aunt.
“I’m still waiting on it,†she said.
Keesing and Rabenhorst Funeral Home East Manager Wayne Laird said that Celestial’s president, Joseph Stabile, claimed the casket was delayed in Atlanta and asked the funeral home to supply a casket. Stabile directed Rabenhorst to supply the casket and promised to reimburse the funeral home, according to an invoice Stabile faxed to Laird.
With the written confirmation in hand, Rabenhorst supplied the casket for Touchet’s funeral, Laird said. Rabenhorst never received payment for the casket, Laird said.
“This man has no conscience,†Laird said. “It’s a scam. He’s preying on the elderly.â€
Celestial’s lawyer, Paul Elias, released a statement at the time the suit was filed saying his office was still reviewing the complaint. He said the complaints represent 1 percent of the company’s total business.
Keesing said preying on veterans and their families is a tactic that especially offends her.
“We lost $1,500,†Keesing said. “It hurts your feelings, but we’re not destitute like some veterans.â€
Keesing has asked to speak to the American Legion’s national leaders, she said. She wrote letters to Veterans Affairs and spoke to them again when they answered the letter she mailed to Bush.
She also visited Rep. Richard Baker, R-Baton Rouge, who wrote a letter to Celestial asking for payment and contacted the Pennsylvania attorney general on Keesing’s behalf.
“I want to do something about all the veterans involved,†Keesing said.
Keesing also said she feels responsible for the casket Rabenhorst provided for Touchet. Rabenhorst has refused to bill Keesing for the casket, she said.
“I’m still willing to pay for the casket,†Keesing said. “I know it’s what she would have wanted. That’s not the way we paid bills in life.â€
Funeral-services scams are not prevalent in Louisiana or Pennsylvania, said spokeswomen for the Louisiana and Pennsylvania attorney generals. Most funeral businesses are legitimate, they said.
“Typically, it’s not something we get a whole lot of complaints on,†said Jennifer Clark, spokeswoman for the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office.
Anyone with a complaint against Celestial Life can contact the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office at (800) 441-2555.
Complaints about other companies can be filed with the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office by calling (225) 326-6465 in Baton Rouge or (800) 351-4889.
http://www.theadvertiser.com/news/html/FC650A68-515F-468E-BA04-B224443D0068.shtml |
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