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. |