Lies: An Interview with Ed Dennis

Prior to December 2003, Clothesfree.com interviewed Ed Dennis for comments on Dennis's acquisition of Lupin and the creation of Lupin Naturist Club, Ltd. Here, in his own words, you can determine for yourself where the truth lies.

Those who have had "conversation" with Ed Dennis know of the difficulty in "getting a word in edgewise," as Ed dominates every conversation. In this interview, the twenty-three year old interviewer queries the sixty-five year old Dennis, but gets opportunity to ask only two questions of Dennis in the four and one-half minute interview.  Most observers of Dennis will confirm that conversations with him were almost always entirely one-sided (his). In the video of the interview (available to paying members at the Clothesfree.com web site), the interviewer tries to smile, as undoubtedly his arm tires from holding the microphone for Ed Dennis to speak.

The entire four-minute interview presented on ClothesFree.com is here (2mb, mp3 file) or you can listen to it in smaller bites - follow the "listen" links within each of the points below.

To the reader:  If you have factual proof that any of the information presented here does not represent the truth, is incomplete, or is not accurate, we ask that you forward that information via email to truth@lupintruth.com.

 

The Lie

The Truth

ClothesFree TV: This is Clothes Free TV, coming at you from Lupin Naturist Resort in sunny Los Gatos, California, in between San Jose and Santa Cruz. Sitting with me is Ed Dennis, the new owner of Lupin. Now tell me what brought you have an interest in buying such a resort?

(Listen)

Ed Dennis was never given an opportunity to purchase the property of  Lupin Naturist Club at 20600 Aldercroft Heights, Los Gatos, Calif. He had presented an unverifiable oral resume of his expertise in a number of areas of interest to Glyn Stout. At the time, the Stout family was beginning an estate planning process to ensure that the 110 acre property would be preserved in the Stout family name, that the young Stout family (wife Lori and twin daughters who were about two years age) would be assured of financial security for the future, including college funding for the children as well as ongoing retirement income for Glyn and for Lori. Ed Dennis' resume and purported expertise in areas necessary to achieve the financial independence the Stouts desired swayed the decision to enlist Dennis in the effort.

 

 

The Lie

The Truth

Ed Dennis: Well, it's simple. It started in 1958 when I went to the French Riviera to enjoy supposedly the best beaches everywhere - and it was like a meat market. It was sexual tension everywhere. I was there with my date; I wasn't looking for this kind of thing. So we left early. Then as we were going along, I saw a sign for "Le Levant du"[?] which is the port to go to "Isle du Levant". So I went to "Isle du Levant" - never been to a naturist environment before. As we got there we were wondering how many were just new to this or how many of the 50 to 60 people on the boat were really nudists. Well, when we got to the wharf within five minutes we were the only people dressed!

In 1958, Ed Dennis was 20 years of age - hardly a "man of the world" as is implied in the interview. He was known to speak French fluently - perhaps an avocation that he developed when he was in high school - and was interested in "things French" which may have led to his subsequent claim of being being a gourmet French chef. Some time in 1959 he enlisted in the U.S. Army and was stationed in Germany. By the time of his discharge five years later, he had achieved the grade of E-4 Specialist (or Corporal) as a medical technician. While stationed in Germany he met his second wife, a major in the Army Medical Corps. Reportedly, Ed writes to the Pentagon and approval is granted for their marriage.

Speaking of "sexual tension" ... there are indications that Ed Dennis operated a pornographic web site for a period of time prior to his "discovery of Lupin" in 2002. What might have been his real intentions for Lupin?

So we walked along a path and came along a grove of trees, and the grove of trees said "you're welcome to go beyond this point, but we only ask that you wear what the nudists wear." So we looked at each other, my date and I, and shrugged our shoulders and then our clothes and went onto the beach. When we got to the beach there were hundreds of people of all shapes, sizes, colors, nationalities, persuasions, and no tension. It was just like a global community of just real people. That left a mark - and so, I've been a naturist ever since.

(Listen)

Hardly an active naturist ever since his experience on the French Riviera in 1958. Together with his second wife and young son, he was a member of Riverside Ranch from 1973 to 1976, but current and previous club members do not recall him or his family.

He and another woman were members of Live Oak Ranch, a Texas nudist club for a brief period during the mid 1980's. Live Oak Ranch is no longer recognized by established nudist/naturist associations because it began openly sponsoring “swingers” events (a violation of traditional, family-friendly, naturist ethics).

No recent membership in national or international naturist organizations has been found.

 

 

 

The Lie

The Truth

I'm a native San Franciscan and came back to to California after living in a lot of different places in the world and decided to build another company. Now, I like to come to a naturist place because there I'm just a person - people don't recognize that I'm a corporate executive - and so it keeps your perspective, you see.

(Listen)

Though he might have lived there at some point in his life, Ed Dennis is NOT a native of San Francisco. He lived most of his formative years and graduated from High School in Daly City, California. He worked in a Daly City Real Estate office during 1957, quite likely prior to entering the Army. Reportedly, his father was mayor of Daly in 1959 and 1960.

He lived in a lot of different places in the world: Daly City, Germany, San Antonio, Georgia, New York, Fort Worth, Irving, TX.

Following the birth of his son in 1967, he worked as a shoe salesman

 

 

The Lie

The Truth

Well, I noticed that this club was aging and it was sort of threatened; I wanted to re-establish a community that had that kind of environment that I saw in 1958 because, you know, there's a lot of tension in people in terms of taking off their pants the first time. But, once you've done it publicly, and you find out it's really a great place to be, then what you do [then] really [is] to cement the relationship. It's a question of having a place where you have the freedom - as long as you don't step on someone else's freedom - to create a community environment - that becomes an attractive nucleus.

(Listen)

Lupin Naturist Club has "always" been in a precarious position; but that was not particularly the situation when Ed Dennis presented himself as an expert. Again, the Stout's purpose for a handshake agreement with Ed Dennis was to preserve the assets and to develop a long-term and reliable financial base for the future.

The rhetoric that he uses is nothing more than bluster that the naturist press has used for years to promote the "wholesomeness" and "natural" nature of naturism.

Don't step on someone else's freedom - but it's OK to ostracize, ridicule, demean, snub, disgrace, deride, and mock publicly your members, and turn them over to collection agencies for barely late payment on accounts?

 

 

The Lie

The Truth

So what we're trying to do here at Lupin, we're doubling the size to 250 acres here, we're putting in a fourteen-acre lake, we're putting in a 2000-seat amphitheater to bring people in to see name acts in a clothing optional environment. So, by getting that little look then maybe they'll cross over and actually come in and be able to play volleyball on our Olympic-quality court and be able to join this community of forward-looking people of all ages, with tolerance for everything. With that kind of a global community-like microcosm, and in a place that has more than three hundred sunny days a year, it's hard not to buy something like this.

(Listen)

Doubling the size of Lupin property? Indeed! Though the property farther up Myrtle Creek Canyon, known as "Sal's place" has been for sale from time to time, there would have been insurmountable opposition to developing the property "back there." The Bay Area Open Space Preserve had first dibs on the property (Sal had accepted a sum of money some years ago from them to give them the right of first refusal if the property was to be sold.). Additionally, it is unlikely that Santa Clara County would have given permits to develop the "back canyon" due to the inability to provide alternative exit (one way in - one way out) in the event of fire.

Ed had started excavation to develop the amphitheater he referenced in the interview, but he failed to get the required permits from Santa Clara County to build it! Mud from the excavation flowed into Myrtle Creek, which was discovered by the San Jose Water District officials, and the project was shut down.

Lupin's 110 acres are rolling hills, some of them rugged and steep terrain. Where could a lake be created without damming the creek that is part of the San Jose Water District watershed, and feeds into the Lexington Reservoir - one source of drinking water for the cities of the San Jose area. Never in a thousand years would such development have been permitted.

 

 

ClothesFree TV: Now, to you, what's the most special part about Lupin?

The ClothesFree TV interviewer waited a long time to ask his second question!

 

 

The Lie

The Truth

Ed Dennis: The most special part about Lupin is that I've had the opportunity to first acquire it and then I set up a corporation and put my interest into the corporation - at the present time, I'm the sole stockholder. But my intention (I'm sixty-five years old - so, talk about the graying of the nudist industry ...) I'm concerned about building a self-perpetuating club that will go on and will get generations of young people like you getting involved; that's why I'm so glad to see INA and what it's doing to make people aware of an alternative lifestyle that is a healthy alternative.

(Listen)

Again, Dennis did NOT "acquire" the property. As part of the financial planning, Dennis was expected to create a for-profit business (Lupin Naturist Club, Ltd.). It's questionable whether the handshake agreement between Dennis and Stout would have permitted Dennis to be the sole shareholder - most likely part of his general plan to scam the Stout Family and to eventually assume control of the entire property.

Set up a corporation, indeed you did - and it's a sham. The corporation hasn't paid the taxes that have been due, either State of California or Federal. So, what did your corporation do for Lupin?

And, of course, we all would like to have broader acceptance of the naturist lifestyle (my mom makes apple pie too) from the perspective of those who enjoy the lifestyle.

But two things Dennis does get right: he really WAS sixty-five years old at the time of the interview and he IS turning gray!

 

 

Clothesfree TV: That it is! Thank you. You're watching ClothesFree TV with Ed Dennis.

 

 

4/7/2006