Barbara, thank you so much. Hopefully, my stories, as there is no way to change the past, will help others. Maybe parents who may be doing some of these things might see what affect it is having upon their children. That is the purpose of writing my stories.

Thank you my friend.

A message I received from Karen: "You have always been a big part of my life so many things has happened and I handled them a lot because of things you had taught me, like you said everyone good or bad plays a role in our life, and I have always carried you with me. so many memories don’t know where to start, the red bike in the picture, you got for me and painted it red it was the most beautiful bike I ever seen, and it was my first, if you remember I didn’t know how to ride it , you would hold on to the back of it (but you never let go). I eventually, after months of sitting on it with one foot on the step took off one day, and knew you would be proud of me, and you showed me you was proud, I got a lot of my courage from you! Jumping off of high dives when I was 6, getting up at 4-5 am to go fishing, raising hamsters, and when one died, I was crying and you told me it went to heaven and we buried it.

You taught me to swim, and to do flips on the diving board, to do flips on the trampoline, I was always with you! I remember putting away dishes that were dirty and my mom made me take every dish out and wash them, you came in and washed while I dried and put them away. I have lots of memories of you, you only spanked me one time because you were told to, you didn’t have to spank me just being mad or disappointed in me would hurt more! And you will always be the daddy I wanted and looked for. I love the post!

Karen

Very happy to hear that it is not a more serious matter. Now Christmas will be even happier for you fellows. Please keep us advised and you will remain in our thoughts and prayers.

Roger

I will forever remember my best friends turning on me. If there was ever a time in my life that I needed a best friend; that was the time.

I don't know what or who is right or wrong here but this is just another stupid case of wasting societies (court) time and money. Just let it go and let's move on to more important matters and believe me we have plenty to worry about.

I agree Larry 100%. But he being 84 yars old; we would look like the bad guys.

Fact-finding visit to Marianna school considered by committee members.

The chairwoman of a Florida house appropriations committee that oversees juvenile justice spending expressed concern today about ongoing abuse at state reform schools, including the Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys in Marianna.

Rep. Sandy Adams, R-Oviedo, chairwoman of the Criminal and Civil Justice Appropriations Committee, said she was particularly disturbed by two specific modern day reports of abuse among others. One involved a 20-year-old unresponsive diabetic ignored by staff at Dozier in 2006. The other involved a youth assaulted by other youths while left unsupervised at a facility in Okeechobee a few weeks ago.

The committee's ranking Democrat called for a fact-finding mission by colleagues to Dozier to talk with students and staff about life at the school and reports of abuse. Rep. Darryl Rouson, D-St. Petersburg, also called for the state to compensate men - know as the White House Boys - if the state proves their claims of being brutally abused at the school decades ago.

The Duval delegation's lone representative on the committee, Rep. Charles McBurney, R-Jacksonville, said he felt a visit to Dozier may be a good idea at some point. McBurney, the committee's vice-chairman, said he is most concerned about how abuse is reported and whether youths can do so without facing retribution from staff or other youths.

An official with the Department of Juvenile Justice, which either runs or oversees privately run youthful offender facilities in the state, welcomed the suggested visit to Dozier. DJJ Deputy Secretary Rod Love also expressed confidence in employees who work with the youths and said abuse is not tolerated.

Allegations of abuse at the school west of Tallahassee have been periodically reported since it opened in 1900. The school, run today by the Department of Juvenile Justice, serves various populations, including about 135 high-risk juveniles ages 13 to 21. Slightly less than a third of those juveniles are now from Northeast Florida.

Reports of abuse investigated in the past five years by the state Department of Children and Families found that out of 155 cases, there were four verified of physical abuse verified, one of sexual abuse and one of medical mistreatment. Seven cases of improper supervision were verified. There were 33 reports that included some evidence of abuse, though not enough to prove in a courtroom.

Adams said she was particularly concerned about a 20-year-old diabetic who was suffering from low blood sugar and left helpless by staff for 20 minutes in 2006. One staff member quit, while another was reprimanded.

Adams also brought up a second case, still under investigation, in which a juvenile was hospitalized after being beaten by other unsupervised students at a facility in Okeechobee. That facility is privately operated, but the operation is overseen by DJJ.

DJJ Deputy Secretary Rod Love testified he had no knowledge of the diabetic case. He said the employee accused in the other case had either been fired or was about to be fired.

Adams warned Love her committee will be following the abuse allegations "very, very closely."

"Our children don't, one, need to come to us and be injured or, worse off, die in our care," said Adams, whose committed oversees $5 billion in justice spending, including $618 million for DJJ.

The Times-Union has published a continuing series of stories about Dozier's past, including numerous with "White House Boys," as well as more recent developments at the school. Rouson referred to stories in the Times-Union and two other newspapers before handing Adams a letter calling for the committee to tour Dozier.

“We would like to find out from them first-hand whether there are continued abuses ... and what we can do to help conditions,” Rouson said after the committee meeting.

Rouson said he has been troubled by stories of the White House Boys, who say they were beaten decades ago with a heavy strap in a building known was the White House. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the allegations.

Adams said after the meeting that she wants any investigation into prior abuse at Dozier completed before considering whether or not to visit the school.

Love promised that his agency has a zero tolerance policy for abuse and that reports made by youths and others have been declining. He said the tour proposed by Rouson could easily be arranged.

"We welcome any scrutiny of our policies," Love said.

Rouson said if the state probe proves the abuse occurred, the victims should be provided financial and psychological counseling. A claim bill recently introduced by a state senator has been put in abeyance in lief of a class action lawsuit pending four state agencies and a former school administrator.

The problem here is that those in power do not want to talk to or discuss such issues with anyone who "has been there and done that." These are the individuals who understand what it's like to feel unsafe and they know what safeguards to put into place that will work; making the system much more efficient, institute change and preserve the safety of the children.

I still do this today on special occasions. The look on their faces is one of disbelief and total surprise.

Yes, there is a law suit. The information is located at http://www.thewhitehouseboys.com

Gather and my friends at gather.com are very special to me. I will stay on gather as long as I have friends who care about children and their country, no matter where they live in this world. It saddens me that I cannot stop (ahead of time) the childhood pain coming to the innocent children of the future. Childhood pain is bad enough but the painful memories they will have to bare as adults, about those who were supposed to love them and didn't, is a very difficult burden for them to carry around for an entire lifetime.