Lamont Waldrip’s name is now identified with a new dormitory at Boys Ranch.
The long-time superintendent of Boys Ranch, though, has been named by some men as one of culprits in a long-hidden matter involving abuse of boys who were living at the ranch.
According to an article in The Guardian, a British-based publication, a wealthy donor gave $1 million to Boys Ranch with the stipulation that it name the building after Waldrip.
I believe it would be wise of the Boys Ranch governing board to think long and hard about whether the late superintendent — who died in 2013 — should be memorialized.
The current president and CEO of Boys Ranch, Dan Adams, says that other boys had different experiences with Waldrip and that they “liked and admired him.” That might be true. I am in no position to dispute or affirm what Adams has said.
Here, though, is the problem. Adams has apologized publicly for what happened to the men when they were boys. He, in effect, has acknowledged the veracity of their contentions.
Do the folks at Boys Ranch really want to honor the memory of someone whose name has been tarred in this fashion?
Read the Guardian articleĀ here.
I’ve already stipulated that the reports of abuse shouldn’t detract from the good work that has been done at Boys Ranch since its founding in 1939. Indeed, Adams has provided seemingly ironclad assurances that none of what has been alleged is going on there.
However, the institution — and one of its long-standing pillars — have been stained, perhaps indelibly, by what has been reported.
Lamont Waldrip’s name shouldn’t be engraved on a permanent structure at Boys Ranch.
