Texas boys ranch moves forward as more men discuss abuse
DALLAS — When Allan Votaw stepped onto Cal Farley’s Boys Ranch in Texas in 1957, the 5-year-old hoped he and his two brothers – ages 3½ and 6 – had found a home. Instead, the now-66-year-old says, they found a “horror house” where sadistic staff members whipped children until they were bruised and bloody and children were molested by older kids.
“You lived in fear, you totally lived in fear,” said Votaw, who said he still has nightmares from his 10 years on the sprawling ranch for at-risk youths outside of Amarillo.
He railed against the ranch for years, feeling alone in his fight until reading a 2017 story in the British newspaper The Guardian that featured a handful of men – including childhood friends – describing abuse they suffered there as children.
Since then more men have come forward, but the reckoning some had hoped for hasn’t happened. Despite the revelations, the ranch continues to glorify its past, from the description on its website of founder Cal Farley’s desire to provide a haven for children to celebrations of the ranch’s 80th anniversary this year that have included a gala and inspirational film depicting life there.
Read more: https://www.pressherald.com/2019/05/11/texas-boys-ranch-moves-forward-as-more-men-discuss-abuse/
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