1,384 Comments for Gaebler Children's Center

WHAT WAS THE REAL DEAL WITH MR.HEATHWOOD.

I just wonder do any of you who ended up stuck in this place blame your parents/ guardians for what you went through or just the institution?

So simple yet so powerful... they say a picture paints a thousand words and this proves it. Stunning!

Hi John,
My name is Melodee and I worked on Ward B from 1983-1985

former staff,
How can we remember you if you don't let us know who you are?
What Ward did you work and when?

Jewel,
True enough and I have related some stories and a lot of others are unsaid.
As for me, I still hurt, but I have moved on with my life.
That's not to say that the pictures do not revive the memories 'cause they do, it just takes effort, a lot of effort, to suppress those memories which I do not care to relive.
Does that mean I forgot them?
No, I will never forget them, I just choose not to relive them.
All of us kids who were there was hurt, others more so then others.
The kids who lived on Ward E was more abused then those on other Wards because of the staff that worked on Ward E.
Willie was working on Ward D when I was there, so was Jack and Jack was a hard ass who got his kicks out of restraining kids and smashing their faces into the floor after the staff already had the kid under control.
It did make a difference as to what Ward a child was placed on.

Gaebler School Girl,
Sounds like you was on Ward E, a lot of bad stuff happened on that Ward.

Gaebler School Girl,
I am NOT trying to make that place sound like a vacation.
Because you never got to go outside or go into town does not mean it didn't happen.
You have to remember that when I was there Mr. Heathwood ran the place, and unlike other people Mr. Heathwood allowed such trips.
You rant and rave about this place as though only you was hurt.
Everyone of us was hurt, but I related other things instead of the bad things, living one nightmare is enough, re-living it is even worse.
I still hurt seeing these pictures, but I moved on with my life.
And if you read the comments you will find that another person remembers the trips I talked about.

Correction: 4 years, not 5. I am the typo king it seems.

*Was There* I remember almost every person you mentioned in past comments, especially the insufferable Marilyn Litman, and The Glynn Brothers. Willie & Suzanne Jones were 2 decent enough people, but they were the exception. Between Marilyn & Chris Wedge I do not know who was the worst. As for Mrs. Henderson, she was an easy target for everyone HAHAHAHAHA!!!!

Ward D from June 24, 1984-April 22, 1988.

Contact me via my email (you can find me on classmates class of 84 Gaebler Children's Center.)

Sometimes a room such as this is all you can do. Sometimes the darkness has crept so far into your small mind that no amount of therapy or medications could ever change that. Whether in this room or in their own minds, some of children, including myself, are prisoners of their own minds for the rest of our lives.

I am truly saddened and sorry to hear from kids who were at Gaebler having such horrible memories of the place...I have thought of Gaebler- and my time working there- so many times over the years. I think about all the kids I knew, and wonder and hope that they are happy and doing well in life. I do also want to say that I would hope that anyone who remembered me would count me as one of the "caring staff"... I was fresh out of college and very naive, but I truly did care about the kids, and so did others I worked with. I hope that those kids who were there can "make peace" with it and have a happy life....

jj - what ward were you on?

I lived here at this HELL HOLE for 5 years of my life. I am GLAD it is no longer operational.