Wendy Kullman bio
Wendy Kullman was born on November 1, 1986, to Grace and Henry Kullman. She was the youngest of three children and had two older brothers.
Grace and Henry embraced the "boys will be boys" mantra, which allowed Jimmy and Billy to become local terrors. The summer the boys were 11 and 12, they kept a chart cataloging the various neighborhood pets they tormented or killed. At summer's end, they presented the red-streaked chart to their little sister. Wendy brought the chart to her first day of school for show and tell. She spent the rest of the day with the school nurse and her brothers with the local authorities.
Although only a child, Wendy soon become a vocal proponent of animal rights. In third grade, she petitioned the superintendent to add a vegetarian option to the school lunch menu. In sixth grade, she focused her attention on mascots, arguing that the objectification of animals leads to animal abuse. In high school, she organized weekly protests to highlight companies that fostered the mistreatment of animals.
Upon graduation, Wendy received access to a trust fund created by her maternal grandfather, a New Bedford whaling captain. Her financial independence enabled Wendy to devote herself to animal activism.
In 2013, she was invited to become a mentor at the Beautiful World Education Center and Camp. The BWECC offered a free year-long program for young women aged fourteen to eighteen to promote a sense of self within the framework of our membership in the animal kingdom.
As a mentor, Wendy was asked to sponsor five suitable students. Her choices, along with the rest of the BWECC's records, were lost in a fire that destroyed the camp in 2016. Arson was suspected but never proved, and the BWECC soon disbanded.
Although she made sizable donations in her grandfather's name, Wendy never joined any of the national animal rights organizations because she believes groups that form to fight a cause soon depend on the continued existence of that cause for their very survival.
Wendy traveled widely to speak with both students and business leaders. She published articles in print and online and wrote hundreds of letters to newspaper editors. She appeared on numerous talk shows and hosted a popular podcast until advertisers withdrew their support.
In April of 2018, while handcuffed to the counter at a butcher shop, Wendy met John Golden, a divorced vegetarian and locksmith. John opened the cuffs for the police and then posted her bail. The two dated for three months and then eloped. They filed for divorce six weeks later.
John, now married to his third wife, described Wendy as "intense." He continued, "I'm a slow and methodical kind of person. Wendy wasn't. She always reacted without thinking things through. Maybe it's the trust fund. She doesn't really have anything to lose and never has."
When pressed, John admitted that he ended the marriage after Wendy dislocated her stepson's shoulder. The little boy, John's son from his first marriage, apparently wouldn't let go of his dog's collar, and Wendy was determined to separate the two. "She really cares about animals," said John. "I'll give her that."
From the first announcement of the Yoknapatawpha County Literary Festival Beauty Pageant and its sponsorship by Lamar Cosmetics, Wendy Kullman led a public outcry. She played to the press to air her views and distributed awareness packages to all concerned.
Walbert Dopelson hired local private investigator Pam Thompson to shadow Wendy in the days leading up to and during the pageant to ensure that she didn't stage any publicity stunts.
