|
December 5, 1984 RONALD
GODWIN, a witness, called on behalf of the plaintiff, after having
first been
duly sworn, testified as follows: DIRECT
EXAMINATION Q. How
would you describe the amount of engery
[sic] and time that is spent by Jerry Falwell in the many, many
activities in
which he is engaged in his many ministries? A. Well,
it is an exhausting schedule. Q. How
many hours a day would you say Jerry
Falwell works at these ministries? A. It
might vary, but seldom would it ever be
under twelve (12) hours a day. Q. How
many days a week? A. Just
seven (7) days a week. Q. Are
you familiar with Jerry Falwell's
extensive traveling around this country? A. I
am. Q. Do
you sometimes travel with him? A. Frequently. Q. On
a day-to-day operational basis, Dr.
Godwin, how much time do you spend daily with Jerry Falwell? A. Well,
it varies, but I spend anywhere from an
hour or so a day to most of the day. *
* * Q. Did
you see what his reaction was when he
read that ad over? A. I
was not present when Dr. Falwell saw the
ad. I was with Dr. Falwell shortly after
he had seen the ad. Q. What
did you observe about Dr. Falwell, Jerry
Falwell, shortly after he had seen that ad? A. He
was more troubled, more serious, more
concerned than I had ever seen him on any other issue, crisis or
otherwise. Q. Did
he appear to be angry? A. Yes,
and deeply hurt, offended, I think. Q. In
all of the years of your intense
association in working with Jerry Falwell had you ever seen him as
hurt, despaired
or upset? A. No,
sir, never. Q. About
anything? A. No,
sir. Q. In
the time that has gone on, in the
approximate year that has transpired since he first became aware of
that ad,
have you noticed any change or difference about Dr. Falwell, Jerry
Falwell? A. There
was a great deal of preoccupation and
it was more difficult for me as an administrator to get Dr. Falwell's
attention
and to get him to be able to focus on the details of the organization
we
administer. Q. Is
that something that has continued since
the fall or October or November of '83, even up to the present? A. Generally
so, yes, sir. * * * CROSS
EXAMINATION Q. Thank
you; after this ad parody appeared, Dr.
Godwin, did you notice any decrease in the quantity of Mr. Falwell's
activities
in terms of preaching and speaking at different things?
Did he cut back his schedule in any way? A. Not
to my knowledge. I believe he has kept his
commitments. Q. Did
you notice any effect on the quality of
his performance, as you watch the Old Time Gospel Hour and you see him
speak? Did he seem to lose his dynamism
in speaking, objectively? A. I
don't -- I have seen Dr. Falwell's general
demeanor and behavior in subtle ways and in ways which are apparent to
me,
which may or may not be apparent to national audiences, affected over
the last
period of months. Q. Would
you describe exactly what you observed
in terms of qualitative effect on his abilities? A. Dr.
Falwell is a very enthusiastic,
optimistic individual. I often describe
him as a person to whom the glass is always half full and never half
empty. A certain degree of that enthusiasm
and optimism, ability to concentrate, to focus on the myriad details of
organizations such as ours, in my opinion, was
diminished. Q. You
say it did impair his performance? A. In
my opinion, yes. * * * Q. When
you first saw him after he had been
exposed to it, did you notice any overt emotion on his part? A. Well,
yes; I have already described the fact
that he was more troubled, more serious.
He is not a very -- if you are asking me about overt
emotion, was he out
of control, no. * * * |