We Were not Orphans: Stories from the Waco State Home

"We were not orphans. Our parents were living; they just couldn't take care of us." This poignant remark captures the heartbreaking reality faced by thousands of Texas children from the 1920s through the 1970s. The Waco State Home provided housing and education for "dependent and neglected" children, but residents paid a price in physical and sexual abuse, military discipline, and plantation-style labor. Even so, the institution was the only home they had, and it rescued many children from an even worse fate. Now for the first time, oral histories and newly unearthed documents reveal what went on behind the gates of the Waco State Home. Sherry Matthews has tracked down former residents and uncovered criminal abuse that went unpunished and unpublicized. She first became aware of the Waco State Home at age three, when her three brothers were taken there to live. Years later, she attended a reunion at the Home and began collecting the alumni stories with assistance from author Jesse Sublett. We Were Not Orphans gathers riveting recollections from nearly sixty alumni who share the horror of abuse as well as their triumphs of spirit and ingenuity. Some alumni recall only the positive-bountiful food, caring teachers, victorious sports teams, and friendships and values that have lasted a lifetime. Others recount bloody beatings and sexual molestation that have left physical and emotional scars. These personal narratives and Matthews's relentless pursuit of the truth show how much can go wrong when a government-run institution operates without adequate public oversight. The Waco State Home finally closed after a landmark federal court decision and a courageous superintendent stopped the abuse and helped shepherd the children out of institutionalized care.

Table of Contents:
Foreword by Robert Draper Acknowledgments Prologue Map Waco State Home Historical Time Line Stories Chapter One: The Great Depression Dick Hudman, 1924–1941 Dorothy Sue Robertson Diekmann, 1928–1941 Prentiss "Stick" Andrews, 1933–1940 Oletha "Lee" Dorrough McConnell, 1937–1941 Roy Dorrough, 1938–1950 Russell Dorrough, 1939–1952 Sue Williamson Stolz, 1938–1949 Betty Williamson Gatlin, 1939–1950 William "Bailey" Yarbrough, 1939–1943 Charles Goodson, 1939–1952 Doris Goodson Bray, 1939–1952 Chapter Two: The War Years Margaret Morren Edwards, 1940–1949 Bobby Graham, 1940–1951 John Wilson, 1940–1953 Edith Wills Swadley, 1940–1954 Norman Clark, 1941–1953 James Smith, 1942–1947 Betty Louise Huffman Dubose, 1942–1948 John L. Smith, 1942–1952 Harvey Walker, 1944–1951 Yvonne Mabry Barnes, 1945–1955 Tommy Turner, 1947–1957 Betty Emfinger Cupps, 1948–1951 James Emfinger, 1948–1960 Sudie Powell Goodman, 1948–1954 Martha Willeford Burns, 1948–1955 Ernest Whitener, 1948–1959 Fred Lamb, 1949–1959 Carolyn Jean Gafford Lewallen, 1949–1962 Chapter Three: The Fifties Edward Kainer, 1950–1961 Linda Cooey Weeks, 1950–1966 Lillian Cooey Johnson, 1951–1955 Ann Edwards Gilbert-Pulliam, 1951–1961 Buddy Tucker, 1951–1961 Betty Ann Moreno Dreese, 1954–1961 Dorothy Nash Roach, 1955–1959 Billie Jean Folkner Baumann, 1956–1966 Paul Folkner, 1956–1969 Steve Folkner, 1956–1970 Neelee Thames Walker, 1957–1964 Phyllis Meacham Smith, 1958–1961 Guadalupe Vasquez King, 1958–1968 Nancy Wilkins Green, 1958–1969 Chapter Four: The Sixties Bess Foster Tucker, 1960–1962 Leroy Willeford, 1960–1963 Angie B. Cazarez, 1960–1968 Juanita Johnson, 1962–1965, and Virginia Johnson, 1962–1969 James Hartley, 1963–1966 Fernando "Freddy" Reyes, 1964–1972 Linda Prather D'Agostino, 1965–1974 Ronnie Corder, 1965–1975 Mary "Liz" Westbrook Benton, 1966–1967 Vincent Galaviz, 1968–1974 Billie Ceaser, 1968–1976 Epilogue Chapter Five: Overview Chapter Six: Abuse Chapter Seven: Control Chapter Eight: Reform Chapter Nine: Conclusion and Reflections

About the Author :
Sherry Matthews has spent most of her life working for social change through her advocacy marketing firm and has won many awards on behalf of government agencies, nonprofits, and socially conscious companies. Robert Draper has been a correspondent for GQ magazine since 1997 and is also a contributing writer for the New York Times Magazine and National Geographic. He is the author of several books, including the Texas prison novel Hadrian's Walls and the best-selling biography Dead Certain: The Presidency of George W. Bush.

Review :
"A first-rate investigative report that has it all: the cold, hard truth of a heart-wrenching chapter in Texas history, unforgettable characters, terrible secrets, legal wrangling, and the ultimate triumph of justice over unforgivable wrongs." Dan Rather "Matthews' book serves as a wake-up call for those who advocate for children and their families." Janice L. Cooper, PHD, Interim Director, National Center for Children in Poverty "This book is real, and it is more balanced, more profound, and more entertaining than any psychotic rant from Glenn Beck or any episode of Desperate Housewives or any ten-second eye bite on the internet. If you can put down this book, if you do not learn from it, if you are not moved by it, then you have forgotten your own childhood." Robert Fellmeth, Price Professor of Public Interest Law and Director, Children's Advocacy Institute, University of San Diego School of Law "We Were Not Orphans is a harrowing, haunting, and, in its own way, uplifting human saga... A deeply compelling read. Highly recommended!" Douglas Brinkley, Professor of History, Rice University; history commentator, CBS News; and author of The Great Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast "We owe Sherry Matthews a profound debt for transcending the personal pain that she leaves elegantly unspoken in order to give voice to those children who without her would have been, if not lost to history forever, certainly, tragically misfiled."Sarah Bird, author of eight novels, including The Gap Year