LESSONS OF FRIENDSHIP
62 | May• 2019
youngmanwitha bigideaandno
money.Meuschkeenlistedfriends,
andTom soon had a board of
advisorsandadownpaymenton
hisdream:aplaceinthecountry
forboystogrowup,likeafamily.
Whatheneedednextwassomeone
tohammeritalltogether.Andhere
I came with thoseshingles.
OVERTHENEXTsixsummers,helped
bytheboys,Tom’sgrowinglegionof
volunteerswired,plumbed,papered,
plastered,painted.Thankstominis-
tersandpoliceofficers,schoolsand
hospitals, Tom’s boys soon num-
bered16.Therewereboysalonein
theworldthroughnofaultoftheir
own,buttherewerealsoboyswho,
becauseofrepeatedarrestsfortheft,
vandalism,drugabuse,assaultor
arson,hadbeentakenfromparents.
Othershadsufferedthegamutof
mistreatment,fromviciousbeatings
tosexualabuseandabandonment.
Noonewasturnedaway,noteven
Mark,a chubby 11 yearoldTomhad
foundlostandreelingfromglue
sniffing.
No one was ever made to leave,
either.Notevenjug-earedJohnny
Kates,13,whoranawayfromthe
farmtwiceinstolencars.
Whenhewasn’twelcomingmore
boys,Tomwasraisingmoney to
careforthem– houndingpotential
donors,addressingclubs,churches,
schools.“Eitherthesearenobody’s
childrenorthey’re everybody’s,”
he’dsay.“Whatifyouandyourwife
werekilledinanaccident,asAndy’s
parentswere?Whatif nobodywasleft
tocareforyourchildren?”
Oncehehadthemthinking,heap-
pliedtheclincher.“Comeouttothe
farm and see for yourself what yourdollars,foodpackagesandoldclothes
cando.”If theycame,theywerehisfor
life.
Hekeptupa steadystreamof‘Dear
Stranger’letters.
Atfirstwewereluckyiftheseap-
pealsdidn’tcostmoreinpostage
thantheybroughtin.ButTomhad
aknackforbuildingsupport,and
by 1970 most ofthesestrangers
hadaname,andmoneystartedto
comein.ThatwastheyearI gave
upteaching to work full timefor
the farm.Noonewasevermadetoleave,not
evenJohnnyKates,13,whoranaway
from the farm twice in stolen cars