Starting from scratch

[Julessleuther]

Cubby I too have looked, here is all I found:


A Benjaman Garrett who lives(d) in Colorado Springs.
An amazon profile for a Benjaman Short from CO.
A man named Frank Benjaman from Denver (who volunteered for the last election)
Benjaman Shoush listed in Colorado State penitentary archives (1871-1973)

Did you know that there was a Benjamin E Powell who was the librarian of Duke University and the head of the American Library Association, and there is a memorial room and a teachers title named in honor of him.
Here is a link to a photo of him (he was librarian in the 1950's)
http://books.google.com/books?id=IT...=Benjamin E. Powell + Duke University&f=false

There was a Powells Sweet Shoppe in Boulder, CO (It did not open until 2006-2007 and they are a franchise from CA)
http://www.powellsss.com/go/index.cfm

Ah guys--I did find this from 1996 IN FLORIDA, with a Ben Powell, a report of the hotel and restaurant industry to the Florida state legislature...
http://www.oppaga.state.fl.us/reports/pdf/9624rpt.pdf
(His name is at the bottom, the project was conducted by a Benjamin Powell (with a telephone number)
However, this does not appear to be him, as he has a current email with the FL DOE (Dept of Education)

There is a Douglas Powell, who is an associate professor at Kansas State U, who has a lab called the International Food Safety Network.
http://www.foodsafety.ksu.edu/en/page.php?s=2

Doug (above) had a father, Ben Powell, who died in Kansas in 1981.
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mocemete/jackson/powell2obits.htm

Still trying to find info on Dougs brother Randy.

 

[justthinkin]

Something I can't figure out, and maybe it is my search parameters.

If BK's real first name is Benjaman, or his last name is Powell with a different first name, WHY can't I/We even find so much as an archived google news article about a restaurant grand opening, promotion of some kind, expansion to a second or more locations or something along those lines from Colorado in the 80's?

I'm thinking along the lines of this person being quoted by the media, or even named with a picture in the media. If either the name Benjaman, or Powell is correct there HAS to be something out there..... the only reason I can think we can't find it is because neither Benjaman, or Powell are correct names.

I havent given up hope, but has anyone else tried searching along the parameters I mentioned above? Maybe it is just me having no luck and someone else will have better luck with their combination of search words.

Cubby, maybe Benjaman is just an average citizen. Also, Ben has made the statement that people tire him out. That's something an introvert would say. Introverts typically don't want any lime light, and prefer to work behind the scenes. Typically, introverts have few close friends, maybe less than 5 whereas extroverts know lots of people they consider good friends.

This whole business with Ben's amnesia may have forced him to have to deal with more people than he is comfortable in dealing with. I don't know. You'd have to ask him. I just get the feeling he prefers a quiet life to one bustling with activity and people, and that may well be his nature prior to his amnesia--and why his name and face aren't popping up in any articles.

After reading about Juan in AZ, I don't think Ben's first name is necessarily Benjaman, but that name may apply to someone in his family or someone he knew well. Same with him remembering he had several brothers. It could turn out he had a friend or a relative who had several brothers or several male children or it may not apply at all as evidenced by Juan thinking he had a wife and daughters who were killed in an auto accident when indeed that wasn't true.

Certainly Ben is cordial. He's a good man, and of course knows people are trying to help him.

Also, an introvert can behave briefly like an extrovert, ie. going on the Dr. Phil Show, seemingly receptive to group interaction. There again, you'd have to ask Ben whether or not he felt energized after being on the Dr. Phil Show (extrovert response), or if he felt an overwhelming sense of relief that it was over and done with (introvert response), and he could get back to being his quiet self. Naturally he would've hoped his going on the show would be productive, but he may also have experienced some reluctance to go on the show if he is an introvert.

I'm thinking Ben could have been an only child or else all his immediate family are dead, and he was never in close contact with his cousins. Or he could be like me, a late in life baby with all his relatives, including most cousins much older than himself, and dead. I would be hard pressed to identify my cousins, near my age, that I was close to as a child since so many years have passed since I last saw them. I'm sure the reverse is true as well.

 

[Cubby]

Justthinkin very good points. Based on your description, if Mr. Kyle was more of an introvert, people might have not questioned his absense, thinking he was a quiet private man to begin with.

After working on the Rick Wieting case, it was brought up that taking heart medications has a strong possibility of causing depression. Juan Doe was on heart medication, or had recent heart surgery or something that I recall. If he had a bad reaction to the medication causing depression, I can see his thinking his wife and children had died. Depression is a crazy thing, it can make something think of the worst and perhaps that is part of what happened with Juan Doe. I do not however see any correlation with Mr. Kyle in the depression as a result of medications.... I think we need to keep in mind the medical issues Juan was facing versus Mr. Kyle when we compare the two. I've never read or heard that Mr. Kyle takes any medications regularly that may cause depression..... I realize this is only a small part of the comparison between the cases, but I think it is an important difference to point out.

I know that Mr. Kyle appreciates all we have done for him, and I am not comfortable, nor is it any of my business to press him on why he does or does not participate further. It's just a non issue for me personally. I see it as he will get here and do what he can when he can. He has a life to live, and certainly his life can not be 24/7 trying to find out his identity. I think he probably has come to some acceptance that he may never know those answers and he has to find a way to make peace with and move on in his life with that possibility. We are blessed he participates here at all, so I am only going to ask any questions of him that I think are relevent to his identificaction or narrowing locations which might assist that identification. I want Mr. Kyle to know that I personally respect his boundaries and whatever it is he wishes.

I hope my post that you qouted was not misinterpreted. There are pictures of myself, and my sisters in very small local newspapers and we are very average every day citizens. Sometimes the average joe gets quoted for various reasons. I was just thinking that perhaps we might get lucky enough to find one for Mr. Kyle and I was hoping other eyes might have better or different search idea's than I. I was in no way intending to question Mr. Kyles memories, or to dismiss the information he has provided, or why he does or does not participate here more frequently. My intention again, was solely to ask the other 'eyes' here if they had the same idea's and what they have found..... I still believe it is possible there is a newspaper article that might help us identify Mr. Kyle and I am hoping others might have that interest to search as well. The more eyes we have looking the better. One of us might think of something another has not. that is the whole point of this forum and sleuthing for Mr. Kyles identity.

thanks!
:blowkiss:

 

[Cubby]

Cubby I too have looked, here is all I found:


A Benjaman Garrett who lives(d) in Colorado Springs.
An amazon profile for a Benjaman Short from CO.
A man named Frank Benjaman from Denver (who volunteered for the last election)
Benjaman Shoush listed in Colorado State penitentary archives (1871-1973)

Did you know that there was a Benjamin E Powell who was the librarian of Duke University and the head of the American Library Association, and there is a memorial room and a teachers title named in honor of him.
Here is a link to a photo of him (he was librarian in the 1950's)
http://books.google.com/books?id=ITcEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA33&lpg=PA33&dq=Benjamin+E.+Powell+%2B+Duke+University&source=bl&ots=WmpwrljDdt&sig=VtsD8sOU_TVDCatjY7cJYXXw8Bs&hl=en&ei=CG2HS_zvFJScsgOq58iEAw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CAsQ6AEwAjge#v=onepage&q=Benjamin%20E.%20Powell%20%2B%20Duke%20University&f=false

There was a Powells Sweet Shoppe in Boulder, CO (It did not open until 2006-2007 and they are a franchise from CA)
http://www.powellsss.com/go/index.cfm

Ah guys--I did find this from 1996 IN FLORIDA, with a Ben Powell, a report of the hotel and restaurant industry to the Florida state legislature...
http://www.oppaga.state.fl.us/reports/pdf/9624rpt.pdf
(His name is at the bottom, the project was conducted by a Benjamin Powell (with a telephone number)
However, this does not appear to be him, as he has a current email with the FL DOE (Dept of Education)

There is a Douglas Powell, who is an associate professor at Kansas State U, who has a lab called the International Food Safety Network.
http://www.foodsafety.ksu.edu/en/page.php?s=2

Doug (above) had a father, Ben Powell, who died in Kansas in 1981.
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mocemete/jackson/powell2obits.htm

Still trying to find info on Dougs brother Randy.

I've found the sweets shoppe in the past and also the Food Safety Network Douglas Powell. For some reason I am remembering Douglas being from the UK, which is why I eliminated him as a possible relative, but I would have to go back and look to be sure. The others don't ring a bell but I will have a look at them as I have time, hopefully in the next few days.

thanks Jules! Glad to see we are thinking along the same lines here.

 

[justthinkin]

Justthinkin very good points. Based on your description, if Mr. Kyle was more of an introvert, people might have not questioned his absense, thinking he was a quiet private man to begin with.

After working on the Rick Wieting case, it was brought up that taking heart medications has a strong possibility of causing depression. Juan Doe was on heart medication, or had recent heart surgery or something that I recall. If he had a bad reaction to the medication causing depression, I can see his thinking his wife and children had died. Depression is a crazy thing, it can make something think of the worst and perhaps that is part of what happened with Juan Doe. I do not however see any correlation with Mr. Kyle in the depression as a result of medications.... I think we need to keep in mind the medical issues Juan was facing versus Mr. Kyle when we compare the two. I've never read or heard that Mr. Kyle takes any medications regularly that may cause depression..... I realize this is only a small part of the comparison between the cases, but I think it is an important difference to point out.

I know that Mr. Kyle appreciates all we have done for him, and I am not comfortable, nor is it any of my business to press him on why he does or does not participate further. It's just a non issue for me personally. I see it as he will get here and do what he can when he can. He has a life to live, and certainly his life can not be 24/7 trying to find out his identity. I think he probably has come to some acceptance that he may never know those answers and he has to find a way to make peace with and move on in his life with that possibility. We are blessed he participates here at all, so I am only going to ask any questions of him that I think are relevent to his identificaction or narrowing locations which might assist that identification. I want Mr. Kyle to know that I personally respect his boundaries and whatever it is he wishes.

I hope my post that you qouted was not misinterpreted. There are pictures of myself, and my sisters in very small local newspapers and we are very average every day citizens. Sometimes the average joe gets quoted for various reasons. I was just thinking that perhaps we might get lucky enough to find one for Mr. Kyle and I was hoping other eyes might have better or different search idea's than I. I was in no way intending to question Mr. Kyles memories, or to dismiss the information he has provided, or why he does or does not participate here more frequently. My intention again, was solely to ask the other 'eyes' here if they had the same idea's and what they have found..... I still believe it is possible there is a newspaper article that might help us identify Mr. Kyle and I am hoping others might have that interest to search as well. The more eyes we have looking the better. One of us might think of something another has not. that is the whole point of this forum and sleuthing for Mr. Kyles identity.

thanks!
:blowkiss:

Oh Cubby, now I feel bad because I hadn't really noticed the part about you and your sisters appearing in a newspaper. I've lived in a small town, and gotten my picture in the local paper too, but for the avg. person in an urban setting it is unlikely they will make it into a paper with a large circulation. There's always the chance though. My late husband was featured on the front page of a large paper for a comical reason only. He wasn't too pleased, but the rest of the family thought it was funny.

I'm with you 100% in stating what Benjaman does with his time is his perrogative. :waitasec: I'm thinking you may have misunderstood me.
My points had nothing to do with Ben's proclivity for posting or not posting. Also, if you think the questions I posed to Benjaman on the Q and A thread were frivolous ones, they were just another tact, if Ben wanted to go there, to help further the search for his identity or offer other avenues for us to check out. If Ben had it in his head a Harley was his idea of fun, then who knows, maybe he actually had one in his past, and we should be checking out Harley clubs. If he liked jet skis or boats, we could/should be questioning marina owners in certain areas. I realize these questions might not be pointed enough to lead us in a directed way, but his answers might offer us something, a new direction to consider, at the very least. Nothing silly about my questions at all. At least I don't think so. I'm not saying that's what you're thinking, but I'm wondering why you felt it necessary to say you'd only ask Ben certain kinds of questions. Obviously Ben's private stuff is off limits. I wouldn't dream of asking him questions that would invade his privacy. So I'm just not sure where you are coming from.

On the topic of depression, as people age depression becomes more and more common. Certainly some heart meds can cause depression, but there are, of course, other causes. A good number of men have trouble with depression after they retire because men, as a general rule, tend to associate their line of work with who they are, much more so than women. In retirement these men don't know what to do with themselves, and feel lost. While they may bear a little resemblance to Ben in that regard, Ben's situation IS different, and I would venture to say for anyone in Ben's situation a certain amount of depression would be expected and normal. IIRC, Juan seemed to be dealing with depressive issues before his amnesia, and likely clinically depressed since it seemed to be of a serious nature. OTOH, if Ben has dealt with any depression brought on by his amnesia, he seems to have been able to handle it on his own. I"m just saying, I wouldn't categorically separate the ability of one amnesiac to recall his past over the other due to the one being depressed. I'm kind of struggling here to express my thoughts, so if it's clear as mud just tell me and I'll have a go at it again.
:blowkiss:

 

[Cubby]

no worries justthinkin. I thought you misunderstood my post as venting about why Mr. Kyle wasn't found in any newspapers. I didn't include the info about my sisters and I (when we were tiny tots) being in the paper a few times earlier. I just used that as an example when I replied to your post.

I am of course thinking along the lines of a needle in a haystack here, and the idea of the newspaper article for grand openings, or new locations opening, was just an idea.

Of course there are varieties of depression and varieties of reasons. Some needing treatment, others not. I only used the example of Juan in that his related partially to being on heart medication, and likely the medications caused some of it as a side effect. I wanted to point out the one known difference (outside of type of amnesia) between the two cases-other than memories- being the side effect of medication likely causing depression. I was not familiar with that until recently, because another WS member mentioned it in a different thread for a different case. So, it was just on the medication side effect note kind of thing.

I hope that clarifies... I too am sometimes not too good with using written words or the right words to express what I am trying to say.

No worries, I appreciate your comments and insight! :blowkiss:

 

[Cubby]

Also, if I am going to vent about anything with regards to this case, I would have to say the biggest one would be lack of national media. We've got hit and miss with some local media but nothing nationally.... and I think it sucks. I think it is totally unfair and I want to throw a major temper tantrum about it! (physically, not written, lol).

I think if those who have the means to do so, would just run this story on say CNN, HLN, National Fox, etc. Mr. Kyle could have had his identity back a long time ago. Every time I see some stupider than crap story about some hollywood celeb like Tiger Woods or whats his face ( from the brat pack) that just got in trouble again, or something stupid like Octomom, I ask myself why the hmpf is that more important than someone who is experiencing the struggles Mr. Kyle is facing?

end of vent.

Thanks, that felt good!

 

[justthinkin]

LOL. I did misunderstand your post. :truce:

 

[justthinkin]

Well I can offer something on heart meds causing depression. My Significant Other is on strong heart meds as he had a coronary and a stent put in place. It must not be a given that these meds always cause depression because my SO does not exhibit any signs of depression. He rides his bike, works in our garden, talks to his computer friends, kids, former work buds etc. I guess the heart meds are more likely to cause depression in those who are prone to depression in the first place possibly. But whadda I know? I can promise you I didn't write a single word in any of the DSMs.

Dang, you write and think so much faster than I do. I'm almost old as dirt. Hey, I can sure join in your rant. If we knew someone who knew someone who could get Ben's name on the major stations I believe you are right, we'd have Ben's identity in no time.

 

[Cubby]

I agree. I don't think everyone who takes heart med's suffers from the side effect of depression, just like people don't always suffer from various side effects to any med.
thanks for joining my vent/temper tantrum, lol. I almost really could throw one like a little kid. In that sometimes I want to stomp up and down about this, but just think about it, don't actually do it, lol.

 

[justthinkin]

Do it, it will relax you afterwards. Besides that, you can then have a good laugh at yourself. Helps keep us in check for taking ourselves too seriously.:Jumpie:

 

[nerosleuth]

If either the name Benjaman, or Powell is correct there HAS to be something out there..... the only reason I can think we can't find it is because neither Benjaman, or Powell are correct names.

I did some thinking about the Benjaman and Powell names. There are some possibilities here.

Benjaman could have been a middle name or a nickname for BK. Benjaman also could have been the name of a relative or friend that BK knew.

I found this link here that gives the meaning of a person's names. It has the meaning, orgins, and variations of the Benjaman name.

http://www.thinkbabynames.com/meaning/1/Benjaman

I'm thinking that BK's mother had the Powell surname when she was born, and had a different surname after she was married.

It is possible that BK could have been born under a different surname and possibly a different first name as well when he was born.

BK could have been born in a different state and his family moved to a different state after he was born.

Another possibility is that either Benjaman or Powell could be a place name. It could be the name of a city or a county, a street name, a school name, a restaurant name, or a name of a lake, mountain, river, or valley.

I'm sure there is something out there. We just haven't figured out what that something is. :waitasec:

 

[Cubby]

Do we have any WS'rs working this case who are in or near Indianapolis? I ask because I wonder if any of the polk directories, or anything available at the library (genealogy section) that is not available online might help us in our search.

 

[nerosleuth]

I searched the name Kyle Powell tonight to see if anything of interest would come up.

I found an obituary for Kyle Wesley Powell who was from Colorado. He lived in Aurora and Colorado Springs. The obituary had a picture of Kyle Powell, but I'm not sure if has any resemblence to BK.


http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/gazette/obituary.aspx?n=kyle-wesley-powell&pid=19894109


http://www.americasmemorials.com/memorials/43


This is a long shot, but I was thinking that perhaps BK had family members who were in the military when BK lived in Indianapolis and in Colorado.

 

[nerosleuth]

Do we have any WS'rs working this case who are in or near Indianapolis? I ask because I wonder if any of the polk directories, or anything available at the library (genealogy section) that is not available online might help us in our search.

Cubby,

The Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne,Indiana has the largest collection of genealogy materials for folks doing genealogy research.


http://www.acpl.lib.in.us/genealogy/


It is my understanding that they have a vast collection of city directories and other genealogical materials.

 

[LovinTK]

I'm not really sure if this is the right place to post this but I'm just wondering if anyone has ever looked into Steven Damman?

http://charleyproject.org/cases/d/damman_steven.html

I know it's doubtful but at this point you never know right? What stuck out to me was the left arm. Does anyone know if Mr. Kyle has a birthmark resembling a mole on the back of his left calf?

 

[Cubby]

Cubby,

The Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne,Indiana has the largest collection of genealogy materials for folks doing genealogy research.


http://www.acpl.lib.in.us/genealogy/


It is my understanding that they have a vast collection of city directories and other genealogical materials.

Thank you. Off the top of my head I can't think of where FT. Wayne is in relation to Indianapolis, but since Mr. Kyle has the specific memories of Indianapolis I thought that would be a good start.

Something that is of benefit to a local library with a good collection of ancestry info is they also often have old high school year books, some grammer school year books.... just a bunch of info that would have to be done at a library and a local one at best.

For example, if Mr Kyle remembers a catholic school, even a visit to the library, perhaps scanning or uploading older photos for him to review.... Even older news articles from back then would be great. The internet is great, but I don't believe it beats a hands on good old library...

I can't help but think not having access to an easy avenue for Mr. Kyle to explore those older memories, ie... spending time in a local library himself or a WS'r who is local doing so is somewhat of a hinderance.

definately on the right track! It wouldn't hurt for others in Indiana with local libraries that might have more extensive collections to take a few hours and see what they can find.

thanks!

 

[Cubby]

I'm not really sure if this is the right place to post this but I'm just wondering if anyone has ever looked into Steven Damman?

http://charleyproject.org/cases/d/damman_steven.html

I know it's doubtful but at this point you never know right? What stuck out to me was the left arm. Does anyone know if Mr. Kyle has a birthmark resembling a mole on the back of his left calf?

Thank you for the suggestion. It wouldn't be impossible, but since Stevens DNA was tested recently, I assume his is in CODIS the national database. Mr Kyles is as well. When we know both have DNA in codis we know that is an 'automatic' rule out because they've already been checked for comparison.

hth

 

[Sable]

I don't know if this has been mentioned before, but maybe a search of unclaimed property websites for states BK has memories of could turn up a name and address?

 

[nerosleuth]

Thank you. Off the top of my head I can't think of where FT. Wayne is in relation to Indianapolis, but since Mr. Kyle has the specific memories of Indianapolis I thought that would be a good start.

Something that is of benefit to a local library with a good collection of ancestry info is they also often have old high school year books, some grammer school year books.... just a bunch of info that would have to be done at a library and a local one at best.

For example, if Mr Kyle remembers a catholic school, even a visit to the library, perhaps scanning or uploading older photos for him to review.... Even older news articles from back then would be great. The internet is great, but I don't believe it beats a hands on good old library...

I can't help but think not having access to an easy avenue for Mr. Kyle to explore those older memories, ie... spending time in a local library himself or a WS'r who is local doing so is somewhat of a hinderance.

definately on the right track! It wouldn't hurt for others in Indiana with local libraries that might have more extensive collections to take a few hours and see what they can find.

thanks!

I agree with what you're saying. The best place to start looking first would be the public library in Indianapolis.

I would look at the genealogy department, the newspaper archives, and city directories and telephone directories in the reference department.

Other great places to look at could be the local and or state historical societies and perhaps college libraries.

I recall on the Doe Network that a linguist believes that BK's accent had traces of Northern Indiana and Oklahoma. Now it could be possible that BK may had family that lived North of Indianapolis.

Has BK ever had the opportunity to visit a public library in Indianapolis or Denver to see if there were anything that could jog his memory?