Eric Butterworth Chronology

1916-2003

Sept. 12, 1916 Wilfred Eric Butterworth is born at 402 Agnes St., Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, to Wilfred Butterworth and May Worsley Butterworth.  The couple emigrated from Blackpool, Lancashire, England to Canada with their son, Fredrick Sidney, in 1913.  (1916 Canada Census of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta)
1921 Family returns England. May helps manage her father’s Worsley Hotel.
1922 Family returns to Canada.
1923 Family emigrates to the United States and settles in Inglewood, California.
1927 Family moves to McClintock Avenue, Los Angeles, California.
1929 Family moves to West Adams Street, Los Angeles, California.
1930 Wilfred (43), May (45), Fredrick S. (18), Margaret E. (16), Wilfred E. (13), Thomas W. Butterworth (7) live in a rented home on South Western Avenue, Los Angeles.  (1930 United States Census, Los Angeles, California).  Family moves to Long Beach, California.
1933 Family moves to Compton, California.
1933-1935 Attends Compton Junior College, Compton, California.
1935-1937 Attends Fresno State University, Fresno, California.
1937-1938 Studies music at Capital University, Columbus, Ohio.
1938-1941 Attends Unity School of Christianity Training School, Unity Village, Missouri.
1940 Elected president of Youth of Unity, Unity Village, Missouri.
June 1941 His mother, May Butterworth, is ordained.
Nov. 5, 1941 Marries Myrtle Catherine Jones, a Wyoming native (Jackson County, Missouri, marriage record).
Dec. 1941 Joins the United States Army and enters the officer candidate school. As a lieutenant in the medical corps, he trained medical personnel and also served as chaplain and counselor. 
May 1, 1943 Naturalized as a United States citizen at Camp Barkeley, Abilene, Texas.
1944 Stationed at Fort Lewis, near Tacoma, Washington. Son Tom Butterworth is born.
1946 Attends Unity School of Christianity Training School, Unity Village, Missouri.
1946-1947 Serves Unity Society of Practical Christianity, Kansas City, Missouri, as associate minister.
1947 Serves Unity Center of Rockford, Illinois.
1948 Ordained as a Unity minister. Eric’s mother, May Butterworth, dies.
1949-1950 Serves the Unity Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
1950-1960 Serves the Detroit Unity Temple with Catherine Butterworth and builds the largest Unity church building at that time.
1951 His sister, May Butterworth, is ordained.
1952 Son Alan is born. Adopts Charles (age 14).
1955 His wife, Catherine Butterworth, is ordained.
1961-2003 Serves the Unity Center of New York, New York City. He lectures at Carnegie Hall and Town Hall. He begins his radio program with CBS. The family lives in New Jersey and then in a 58th Street apartment.
1965 Publishes Unity: A Quest for Truth.
1965 Publishes Life is for Living.
1968 Publishes Discover the Power Within You.
1969 Publishes Unity of All Life.
1971 Divorces Catherine Butterworth in December.
June 2, 1972 Marries Olga Bacco, a Connecticut native, and moves to Greenwich, Connecticut.
1973 Publishes Life is for Loving.
1975 Publishes In the Flow of Life.
1976 He lectures at Avery Fisher Hall in Lincoln Center, New York City.
1977 Publishes How to Break the Ten Commandments.
1983 Publishes Spiritual Economics: The Principles and Process of True Prosperity.
1984 Publishes Celebrate Yourself! and Other Inspirational Essays.
1984 Publishes You Make the Difference.
1987 Publishes Metamorality: A Metaphysical Approach to the Ten Commandments (revised edition of How to Break the Ten Commandments).
1988 Appeared on Oprah program in Chicago.
1989 Publishes The Concentric Perspective: What’s In It From Me?
1991 John Strickland serves as associate minister (6 months).
1993 Publishes The Universe Is Calling: Opening to the Divine Through Prayer.
1996-1999 Paul Tenaglia serves as associate minister.
1998 Publishes Positrends or Negatrends: Dealing Positively With the Third Millennium.
1999-2003 Justin Epstein serves as associate minister.
2001 Publishes The Creative Life: Seven Keys to your Inner Genius.
April 17, 2003 Butterworth dies in a New York City hospital.