Will There Be Justice At Last For The White House Boys

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In the year that I have spent here at Mad Mike’s, I have written about almost everything: brushing a cat’s teeth, religion, politics, art and cooking. I have introduced readers to my favorite insane psychologist, Dr. Schadenfreude and discovered new and wondrous friends. But more importantly, I have met some of the most amazing people, people like New York Times bestselling author James Rollins, nationally renowned singer Roy Zimmerman, one of my personal heroes, Henry Rollins, Will Turpin, bass player for Collective Soul, Cody Rogers, bright, funny and inspirational hate crime survivor, and three men who would change my life forever. Those men are Jerry Cooper, Roger Kiser and Bill Haynes.

Earlier this year, I read The Bone Yard by the writing team of Dr. Bill Bass and Jon Jefferson. Bass and Jefferson always write a little blurb in the back of each book, detailing resources and contributions, and in the back pages of The Bone Yard, the writers mentioned The White House Boys. According to Dr. Bass and Mr. Jefferson, The White House Boys were a group of young men who had been placed at The Dozier School in Florida, a juvenile detention facility, in the 1950’s, 60’s and 70’s. The White House was a small, cement building on the grounds of The Dozier School where the guards would take boys for beatings.

Mad Mike’s America is extremely proud of the work we did with Jerry, Roger and Bill. These men did not have to speak with me, but they did, and the events they recounted were chilling. They spoke to me not only about their experiences at Dozier, but what happened to them as they matured and tried to balance the struggles of having a “normal” life with memories that jolted them out of a sound sleep in the dead of night. I saw photos of scars left by the thick leather strap used to hit boys over and over and over again, sending flecks of blood onto the walls and the ceiling of the little room in The White House. I silently cried while Jerry, Roger and Bill told me of the horrors they survived and witnessed.

In the course of my investigations, I also met Kevin Wood. Kevin Wood was not a White House Boy, but he did have quite a bit of interaction with one of the people standing in the way of any justice for them, Glenn Hess. Kevin told me during a phone conversation that I would never get Glenn Hess to speak with me. I like a challenge, so I found Hess’s website, located a phone number and gave him a call. To my absolute surprise, he answered the phone. Not to my surprise, he was less than forthcoming with information. In fact, Glenn Hess told me in his opinion the stories about Dozier were like  “war stories…the more you tell them, the more they change.”

Fast forward to October 15th. NPR ran a story on a series of unmarked graves at The Dozier School, graves staff and local authorities have stated are nothing important. They are so unimportant that for decades, the powers that be forbade anyone from examining the land, the graves or even asking questions or attempting to gain access to the property. All that has changed, thanks to the University of South Florida. Forensic anthropologists and archaeologists are using technology and maps to discover all they possible can about those unmarked graves. From NPR:

Forensic anthropologist Erin Kimmerle is leading the research at the Dozier school. She’s an associate professor at the University of South Florida who became interested in the case after hearing the White House Boys’ stories.

At the cemetery — just a clearing in the woods near the school — there are 31 crosses to mark those buried here. But in that section and in surrounding areas, Kimmerle has already identified 49 grave sites. Some, she says, may contain more than one person.

Kimmerle says one question remains hard to answer: Why are there no records of where any of the boys who died at the school are buried?

“When you look at the state hospital, the state prisons, the other state institutions at the time, there are very meticulous plat maps you can reference,” Kimmerle says. “Or if you are a family member today, you can say, ‘Where is my great-aunt buried?’ and they can show you exactly where. So, why that didn’t happen here, I don’t know. But that does stand out.”

These men, Jerry, Roger, Bill and the other White House Boys have waited almost their entire lives for a glimmer of hope, for someone to listen and believe them. I am humbled to have met these men and Mad Mike’s America is so pleased that we seem to be one step closer to the truth. Jerry, Roger and Bill-you changed us forever with your honesty, your trust and your faith in our ability to tell your story. Thank you for letting Mad Mike’s America, and me, into your lives.

Thanks to NPR for contributions to this article. Thanks to Jerry Cooper, Roger Kiser, Bill Haynes, Kevin Wood and my editor, Michael Scott, for letting me share the story of The White House Boys.

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About Post Author

Erin Nanasi

Erin Nanasi is an avid underwater basket weaver, with a penchant for satire and the odd wombat reference.
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