Session 4 – BIS – THE BOYS TALK

These sessions, the BIS BOYS TALK, have brought a lot of comments and for that we are grateful. It is enlightening to see such memories conjured up with a little encouragement. And keep in mind as you read these accounts we are looking back nearly sixty years (in the case of Paul M below) so if the stats are a little off, we can forgive a little inaccuracy and credit it to fuzzy memories. Paul pulls out some very pleasant memories and is even able to soften the blow of that leather strap which may surprise some “of the boys” who felt that strap too. Here is one more story from the BIS Boys Talk files.
Paul M., a former resident of the BIS, wrote recently:
“This is amazing. A site for the BIS. I was there in about 1953 for 18 months. Lived in Bushnell with Mr. Woodard. Worked for Pop Evans at the Greenhouse. I think my # was 48515. Went to school half day and worked half day. Was in the soap box derby. Made the car in Mr. (Joe) Rockey’s wood arts class with some other guys. I still remember Military Day and the parade grounds. There were 13 families [cottages] at that time if I remember. I think my counselor’s name was Mr, Judy. Once I was on the DS Squad for 30 days for running. Mr. Rockey brought me back on his Harley.

Shown above is Joe Rockey, a long-term employee, on a later model (1965) Harley, which appears to have been his customary method of “bringing back runaways”– this is one of the two times the author knows about Mr. Rockey bringing back a BIS runaway boy. (Photo Credit: Tim Revell, Columbus, Ohio DISPATCH) Perhaps it was Joe Rockey’s intuitive nature that attracted boys to him because the title of the article in the Columbus (Ohio) DISPATCH, Nov. 14, 1995, described Joe: “He’s still a wild one” — and Joe Rockey was 88 when the above picture was shot. Mr. Rockey rode motorcycles for 70 years and in fact the Harley Paul got a ride on was probably the 1952 Joe owned. Once when Joe had been admitted to the hospital for heart pains, after they “…switched some things around and sewed me up I wanted to leave – right away. The surgeon asked me why, and I told him I wanted to get on my motorcycle. He started to lecture me and all; so you know what I told him? I said, “LISTEN! I never had a heart pain when I was on a motorcycle.” I’m sure the BIS boys saw a special friend in Joseph D Rockey. Bill Venrick, THE WORDWRIGHT
“There was a teacher at school, her name was Miss Koleykon, Syrian I think. As far as I’m concerned the BIS was a class act and should still be in operation today. In those days it was segregated with a population of approx. 2600 with the largest family being the Hocking and the smallest and youngest being the Highland. I lived through the Strap, (ten strokes ), for running and learned a lot about life there. [Author's Note: The Strap was written about in the February 5, 2011 article, see the archive "The BIS History" or select the article from the year-month archival listing.]
“Mr. Bennie Barons was the DS (Disciplinarian) if I recall correctly at that time. I was brought before the disciplinary desk on one other occasion. Mr. Vance who was week- end MAN at the Highland Family wrote me up for fighting with one of his kids. Mr. Barons gave me a loss of the week- end movie and 3 whacks of the strap. After receiving your sentence you waited in the next room, ON LINE, until every one was processed. Then you were called in one by one. You dropped your trousers, pulled your shirt tail tight around your butt, leaned forward with one hand against the wall and WHAM you were driven up against the wall. It was really more dramatic than painful. Mr. Barons was huge. About 6′-5″ and 300 lbs. As you can tell — I still remember it.
“Mr. Sheppard was an English teacher at the school if I recall correctly. A black man and all around good guy. Mr Vance who I have mentioned before was a relief man who ran the families as relief officer on occasions. I forget the man’s name who ran the Drill Hall. Mr. & Mrs. Woodard ran the Bushnell family at the time I was there. There were about 180 in two companies. A first monitor and a second monitor who watched the kids in the basement, where we lived, when Mr. Woodard went upstairs where he and Mrs. Woodard lived. Day room on the second floor and dormitory on the third floor. There was a cadet stair guard between the basement and second floor who guarded the stairs up to the front entrance and day room. There was only one other room in the basement , besides the toilet and shower area, the clothing room where we got our clean clothes once a week. Other than that we marched everywhere in military formation: To Chow, Church, Movies while Drilling. We even carried rifles when practicing the drills. All this was done for Military Day Parades when all families attended and Big Brass from local military bases came to judge which family had the best companies. The Cadet Officers even carried swords. We were allowed to smoke at that time if you were at least 13 and had you parents permission. You were given a permit that allowed you to smoke at prescribed times during the day when they handed out Bull Durham. Well that’s all for now.
Take care, Paul M.”
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THANKS to “the boys” who have shared their memories. We will be moving on to other topics of the BIS, hopefully relating some memories of a Youth Leader in an up-coming article. It was especially interesting when Paul mentioned “Mr. Rockey”; Joe Rockey was a long-term employee and more than one boy remembers Joe’s Harley. Rockey was well known in Lancaster. A large group of personnel was involved at the BIS (FSB) through the years and their stories are essential in passing along those historical days of the BIS.
THANKS AGAIN, BOYS,
THE WORDWRIGHT