The Mail-Journal, Volume 12, Number 23, Milford, Kosciusko County, 2 July 1975 — Page 8

8

THE MAIL-JOURNAL — Wed., July 2,1975

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Institutions were ‘home’ for Ray Frost

This week’s summer page focuses on one individual — Ray Frost of Syracuse. The item which follows was taken from an article in the Fort Wayne NewsSentinel The article was written by staff writer Debby Brian with photos by Argil Shock. In the mid 1950 s more than 2.000 patients lived behind the walls of the old state school for the retarded on East State street in Fort Wayne. One of them was a child named Ray Frost; Kay spent six years confined in the aging red brick buildings before, at the age of 15, he was released ... for good. Today. Ray is married and owns his own business in Syracuse. Nobody knows why Ray was placed in the state facility. But. it was all a mistake he never should have been. “I was bom out of wedlock when my mother was 15,” Ray explained Shortly after his birth, he was placed in the Allen Coimty Children’s home, suffering from malnutrition “I was four months old when J was placed here at the children's home." the now 30-year-old Frost said He was sitting in the lobby of the home with his wife Sherry. “When I was about seven,” Ray continued. “I stole $5 from a foster familj I spent some time with They (personnel at the welfare department) told me that’s why I was sent to the state school.” The only test Rar was given before entering the school was a hearing test He never received tests to measure intelligence Throughout his younger years, Ray never knew his mother or where she lived It wasn’t until years later, when he was 23. that he found her Ray disliked life at the state school ■ “I ran away a lot.” he said, remembering times as a small child in the facility. “And I got kits of pimishment." For Ray. punishment usually mea|nt

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AT THE HOME - This photo shows Ray all alone at the home some 25 years ago. He was left there shortly after his birth. beatings, being locked up or. in some cases, being placed in the cottages of the most severely retarded for two weeks And often, when he ran away, he would run to the children’s home. "He had very much a mind of his own,” Mrs. Ona Moor, who was Ray’s cottage houseparent at the children s home said. ‘‘He’d get homesick for it,” she con- \ tinned, "because it was the only place he’d ever known Mrs. Moor, who worked at the home for many years until her retirement at 81, said she was on vacation the day Ray was taken away from the children’s home “When I came back, I asked Mr W’alker (then superintendent of the home) about it. but he told me he had nothing to do with it. “But." Aunt Ona, as Ray still calls her, said. “1 missed Ray terribly. You couldn't help but like him.” “Whoever had hint put there (the state school) just didn’t know.” Mrs. Moor said. “He

never had anything wrong with him. Except,” she remembered, “he had that malnutrition when he came here.” Mrs. Moor kept in touch with Ray at the state school and she said several persons she knew who worked at the school agreed Ray didn't belong there. She added she didn't know why he was sent there and she said: “I couldn't do anything to get him out.” She did encourage Ray not to run away. “But,” she said, “he’d get so homesick. All he knew was what we’d taught him.” Ray said he “never dreamed” he’d get out of the state school. He had resigned himself to the fact he would always be there. “You had to be mean to make it.” Ray said of his life at the school. “I was considered a leader there.” Ray was not alone in being wrongly-placed in the facility. Many other orphans lived there, too, “I saw guys come in there, and in six months they’d start acting retarded.” Ray constantly fought authority at the facility, and that, he said, kept him going. "I never thought I was crazy. I just kept plugging.” Ray continued “But sometimes, you’d get so you just didn't care.” The man who was head of the school when Ray first entered is now deceased. Bernard Dolnick, now a professor in Chicago. 111., came to the school as its top administrator in 1956. three years after Ray had been placed there. “We did away with the dark ages that existed when this lad came,” Dolnick said in a telephone interview. “We had a different philosophy. We gradually tore down the used for runaways and many persons known for mistreating patients were fired.” At that time there was one social worker employed for the 2,000 patients. Dolnick said. "In 1957-58 we started testing everybody,” Dolnick added, “and we got dozens and dozens of kids out of there. "Corporal punishment was an accepted form of punishment at that time." Dolnick said. “We tried to change that." But Dolnick added: “We couldn’peStVh them all.” In 1956 was put on trial for beating a!3-year-old boy The threat of sterilization also hung over Ray’s head, although he did escape it. “Prior to my coming here,” Dolnick said, “sterilization was very heavily practiced. My policies abolished it. “People then felt it was a preventive measure to keep society clean,” he added. However, many of the orphans, who later were released were victims of the procedure Jerry Henry, director of Catholic Social Services, was hired by the school in 1956 He later became director of the social services department. “We re-evaluated every patient in the place," Henry said. “And some should have been pia out But." he added, “where were xNext week at -l»~Epworth tFollowing is the schedule for Epworth Forest for the coming week: Senior high institute — July 612 for Calumet, South Bend, Elkhart districts. Sponsored by North Indiana conference United Methodist church. Deans for the week are Bob Dungy, Sheldon Grame, Lamar Imes. John Hopkins and Jay Morris At Epworth Heights — Junior high Camp Adventure, Fort Wayne district. Deans for the week are Richard Steiner and Russell Dawson 10:30 am. Sunday worship service in auditorium is open to the public. Speaker: Rev. Michael A. Snyder, associate pastor High street United Methodist church. Muncie..

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OFTEN VISITS HOME — In this News-Sentinel photo Ray Frost of Syracuse is shown at the Allen County Children’s home as he enjoys a meal with youngsters there. Frost, left at the home when he was four months old, often returns for visits.

they going to go? “Take Ray,” he continued, “he didn’t need to be there. But there was no place to put him. He didn’t have a soul." Henry explained, in those days,

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DONATION MADE —Ray Frett is ahswaos the rwf of the Alien County Children's home at Fort Wayne checking a portion of the equipment he recently donated to the home. Frost gave a total of ILSS® worth of equipment for the useof the children at the home. Since its Installation he often stops at the home to check h. often with the help of the youngsters who reside there.

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when students were underachievers,'as Ray was, they were often sent to state school because they did not fit the mold. “It was expensive to keep them on the coimty role, too,” Henry

added. “Many were sent there for economic reasons." When the state school received money to place people in the community w|ith foster families, Ray was released. “Ray was there during a transition period,” Henry added. “Today this would happen." When Ray finally did leave the school, it was with the help of Mrs. Moor. He was placed with a family in Syracuse. But one major problem Ray encountered was his lack of education. “There was a remedial education program at the school,” Henry said, “but it was geared toward students who were retarded.” At 16, Ray went back to dement ary school in Syracuse and took private tutoring. He also had a job at a local grocery store. “When I left state school, I was scared to death of people,” Ray said. “When I got out, a few smart-alecks would tease me about being from there.” But the majority of people were kind. “The supermarket helped me a great deal,” Ray said. “Because

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I was getting out with people.” Until he was 21, Ray rode a bicycle to work. But Ray said: "That’s in the past. I used to wonder what I’d do if I’d meet one of the people who beat me at the school on the street. I used to hold a grudge. But I decided that’s no way to live and I’ve just tried to make the best of it.” Ever since his own experiences, Ray has had empathy for other children in similar situations. He recently Installed nearly SI,OOO worth of antenna equipment free of charge at the children's home.

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“I was always coming by here dropping off pop and books,” Ray explained, “and one day I was just looking up there," he added pointing to the home’s roof, “and I decided to see what I could do.” Now the children in the home can get stations from as far away as South Bend. “I really appreciate doing this,” he said, “I really feel for these kids.” Ray still drops by the home often to check the system and give the kids TV guides.' “A person can make his life what he wants to” Ray tells the kids . . . even with three strikes against you.