Fred Boyce

What an excellent, heartwarming article on Fred Boyce and his experiences with the people of John Day, Ore. ("Fred Boyce Finds a Home," by Michael D'Antonio, April 25). Curiously, the story omitted any mention of eugenics, of which Boyce and many other children of his era were victims. Though it seems unimaginable, the existence of this government program/philosophy is more frightening than the "Science Club" and ensuing experiment involving radioactive oatmeal that Boyce and his peers were forced to participate in at the Fernald State School for the retarded in Massachusetts.

Fred Boyce was only 7 years old when the heavy iron gate shut behind him at Fernald State School. Already, he had lived in seven foster homes. At Fernald, Boyce was pressed into labor to keep the facility running. He received barely any education. He was warehoused with 35 other boys in a decrepit brick dormitory. A single attendant harshly punished anyone who stepped out of line.

No one just happens to pass through John Day in Oregon. Nestled in the Blue Mountains about 300 miles east of Portland, John Day is that rare American place that cannot be reached by superhighway and is not served by airlines, trains or even buses. Big-eared mule deer outnumber people in surrounding Grant County--population 8,000--and the bus that brings ranch kids to the high school is likely to complete its route without passing another vehicle.

What an excellent, heartwarming article on Fred Boyce and his experiences with the people of John Day, Ore. ("Fred Boyce Finds a Home," by Michael D'Antonio, April 25). Curiously, the story omitted any mention of eugenics, of which Boyce and many other children of his era were victims. Though it seems unimaginable, the existence of this government program/philosophy is more frightening than the "Science Club" and ensuing experiment involving radioactive oatmeal that Boyce and his peers were forced to participate in at the Fernald State School for the retarded in Massachusetts.

After reading the article about Fred Boyce, who overcame an abusive childhood at the Fernald State School in Massachusetts and inspired a small Oregon town ("Fred Boyce Finds a Home," by Michael D'Antonio, April 25), I found myself wondering why I had wasted valuable time reading about McGruder. Sharon Williamson Costa Mesa

Fred Boyce was only 7 years old when the heavy iron gate shut behind him at Fernald State School. Already, he had lived in seven foster homes. At Fernald, Boyce was pressed into labor to keep the facility running. He received barely any education. He was warehoused with 35 other boys in a decrepit brick dormitory. A single attendant harshly punished anyone who stepped out of line.

Re "Seeking Freedom From Label at Last," Aug. 23: I am impressed by Fred Boyce's perspectives regarding his experience as an institutionalized youth and the stigma and limitations he has lived with since. How many of us today would be so measured in our views if, as children, we were denied an education and forced to work and live in an atmosphere of complete control, topped off by "rewards" of radioactive oatmeal for good behavior? Perhaps the most important lesson from his experience is to realize that there are practices in place today that may be viewed with just as much horror 50 years from now. The human quest for dignity is immutable and something I believe we don't always consider sufficiently in our efforts to do "the right thing" relative to fellow human beings who may be different from us or have different experiences.

One of Nevada's premier wildlife painters is hoping good comes out of the slaughter of 34 wild horses in Nevada. Fred Boyce, 77, of Reno is donating 1,500 numbered prints of his oil painting "Mustangs" to help ensure that other free-roaming horses in the state lead better lives. "The public outrage after the killings has shown there's a tremendous interest in these animals," Boyce said Saturday. "They're an icon of the West and people love them.

Six men wrongly classified as "morons" and held for years at a state school for the retarded asked Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney on Wednesday to remove such terms from their records -- and for an apology. They also are seeking unspecified compensation for the labor they were forced to perform at the Fernald State School in Waltham, where they were confined from the 1940s to the early 1960s.

After reading the article about Fred Boyce, who overcame an abusive childhood at the Fernald State School in Massachusetts and inspired a small Oregon town ("Fred Boyce Finds a Home," by Michael D'Antonio, April 25), I found myself wondering why I had wasted valuable time reading about McGruder. Sharon Williamson Costa Mesa

No one just happens to pass through John Day in Oregon. Nestled in the Blue Mountains about 300 miles east of Portland, John Day is that rare American place that cannot be reached by superhighway and is not served by airlines, trains or even buses. Big-eared mule deer outnumber people in surrounding Grant County--population 8,000--and the bus that brings ranch kids to the high school is likely to complete its route without passing another vehicle.