He was always out to...
Illustration
He was always out to make a name for himself, to be someone greater and more important than he was.
His birth name was Ferdinand Waldo Demara, Jr., but it was a name he seldom used in his 60 years of life. Gifted with a remarkable mind, Demara regularly assumed roles of importance under fictitious names. He was self-impressed, and liked to use his quick-study ability to elevate himself.
In the course of his life, this imposter posed as a teacher in Maine, a deputy sheriff in Washington, dean of a Pennsylvania college, assistant warden of a Texas prison, and surgeon in the Royal Canadian Navy, to name but a few roles.
When Life magazine exposed Demara's true identity in 1952, his world of self-importance came tumbling down and he was forced to assume his own name and identity. Humbled by truth, Demara spent his last days ministering to the sick and dying in a southern California hospital. -- Saxon
His birth name was Ferdinand Waldo Demara, Jr., but it was a name he seldom used in his 60 years of life. Gifted with a remarkable mind, Demara regularly assumed roles of importance under fictitious names. He was self-impressed, and liked to use his quick-study ability to elevate himself.
In the course of his life, this imposter posed as a teacher in Maine, a deputy sheriff in Washington, dean of a Pennsylvania college, assistant warden of a Texas prison, and surgeon in the Royal Canadian Navy, to name but a few roles.
When Life magazine exposed Demara's true identity in 1952, his world of self-importance came tumbling down and he was forced to assume his own name and identity. Humbled by truth, Demara spent his last days ministering to the sick and dying in a southern California hospital. -- Saxon
