1,384 Comments for Gaebler Children's Center

Hi Veronica,
I remember you very well too!! You were always smiling and I remember we called you Sunshine. You have an incredible memory. I am very impressed! I am sorry you still have nightmares about that place and I am very happy you are doing well. What kind of music do you play? An electronic engineering degree sounds very difficult to me! Good for you. How do you like living in Florida?

momto4, I know you. I never forgot your face. I seen you signed your name Maureen. Your name is Maureen Gil.... You can fill in the blanks. I didn't want to put your whole last name out there. You were my ICC. Your brother's name is Kevin. I know because my sister went to school with your brother at St. Charles in Woburn, Ma. You were nice to me. Lisa and Neil Chiso.. where also my ICC's. We went for walks together on the grounds. I had off ground privilages. My name is Veronica L. I remember you too Shane. I remember your face still too. Maureen, that place still gives me nightmares to this day. I try not to think about it. I ended up being a musician, playing throughout Boston, then a hairdresser, then went back to school, recieved my BSEE in 04 for electronic engineering. I'm also a motorcycle mechanic/painter that I do on the side. I moved to Fl. I came out ok, but it was a hard road from hell. Very hard.

Bert and Erine were gay - -

Hi maman01,
The hook, yeah, her favorite song was "Gloria" by Laura Branigan.
If you remember us going down to the girls end then yes, we know each other.
I can't remember the name of the kid, Danny I think, had bad feet, that could peel the paint off the walls!!!!
Been a long time.
You know me, I was the only red headed kid on Ward D. LOL.
You mentioned Sharon, yeah, she screamed bloody murder that night, that's what alerted the night staff.
I was down there seeing Kim, not her.

maman01,
Thank you.
I wasn't sure.

John, I lived on D ward with fat Jack and the hook, LOL...remember Sharon...cute girl with long curly hair...Jack liked to touch her. Wasn't there a fat black kid (kermit???) there in 81? I also remember anthony S...funny bastard...believe he is incarcirated now. I remember the sneak down to the girls side of D ward. It was durning the summer of 81, and there was punishment for that. I was asked to go, but I was chickenshit and didn't want to. Dated a girl on E ward, Karen D for a week or two, we made out in Dianne's rec center near the payphone in the hallway. I carved her initails into my arm and got into trouble for it...the scars are still visible and I need to cover them with a new tatoo...at least you can't read the initails anymore. I think we may have known one another during my brief stint there. do you remember Rhys?

the tunnel doesn't connect, John. It dead ends.

I agree a documentary on this place would be eye opening for the general public...I wonder how many people I may know from this site....very interesting. I visited this place after it closed and wander through it's vacant halls and found a mural on the 4th floor where I stayed. LOL it said "we are going on a field trip and never coming back". I felt liberated to go there and realise that I survied this place, I made a good life for myself and got a college education and enjoy my success. My it rot in hell...PS, Motts did you have fun trying to get by the trampaline in the stairwell, LOL

I lived there for a month in 1981, ya this was the activity room and we socialized there...this place sucked. Funny because now I am an EMT and take psychs to the hospital all the time. I have a good demeanor with them because I understand that these kids usually are abused and are pissed. Gaebler was abusive in a lot of ways, there was sexual abuse between staff and kids, I had a staff member who stole my money for drugs on a daily basis...being restrained for no reason other then power struggles and the showing who's boss with staff. Very horrible experience....FYI I do remeber Dallas and Dianne, LOL.

Jima,
Unbelievably Amazing???????
A beautiful shot????????
You can't imagine what we went through in these rooms!
No Jima, these shots are not beautiful nor are they amazing.

Hi Melodee,
You worked there after I have gone and years after I was on Ward B.
If you cared about the kids, then do not worry, they will remember you.

thats depressing a little...but it also represents hope.....i like this shot...it could be used as a motivational piece.

...wow...thats all i can say

People can be horrible... they freak out over what they don't understand and the sad part is they don't even try to understand. They think if they push it under the rug it isn't there.

Not right...

I love the graffiti over happy things because it, in a way, reveals the truth that underlies painted pictures. There is more to things than what meets the naked eye...beautiful sot.

Tis shot is completely beautiful. I could cry from the emotion that screams from its very existence. Unbelievably AMAZING.