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I am an old timer from the 'Ranch' and I recently heard of Father Joe's
problems. I would like if you could let him know that I have nothing but
the greatest respect for Father Joe and the people who were at the ranch
during my time there (the early 70's). I have many fond memories of my
time at the ranch, and it was a guiding force in my life when I needed it
most.
Two people stand out in my mind from my time there, Father Joe and
Ron Feller. I remember MJ and Pete Whipple, Jerry Vandencourt(?), Reese
Hall, Dana Dingwell and many of the kids who were up there when I
was. Father Joe took care of me (and the others) like we were his kids,
and though he was strict he was also fair. My time at Morning Star was
one of the best things that could have happened. It opened my eyes to
life, and I learned many things that have helped me in my life.
I hope Father Joe is doing well as he is getting up in the years.
Please tell him that I said 'Hi!', and let him know that I support him all the way.
I moved away from Spokane in the early 90's, and now reside in Brookings, Oregon,
on the south Oregon coast. I have been married for just over 20 years now
(first marriage for both of us), and have two beautiful kids. I wish I
could make it up there for the event being held for him on the 26th, but that is
not possible.
I wish him continued health and hope he comes through this as best he
can.
Thank you very much, Joseph D. ('Doug'las) LaGasse (6/16/1971 – 8/23/1972)
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This is Lee Allan (Bingle). I was a MSBR family member
back in 1973-1975, my brother was there a couple of
years later, Mark. You and the staff were a saving
grace at the hand of God. I have so many fond memories
of that time. Boxing, which helped me with my self
esteem, snipe hunting in the back field, bowling for
the first time. Boating, camping, going to movies. All
these replaced the beatings and other abuse that I
withstood at home.
I just today heard of the allegations that had been
leveled against you and the ranch. I am appalled. I
was more appalled when I learned from my mother that
the initial allegations were brought by two of my
cousins who have never been to the ranch or have any
direct knowledge of it. I am embarrassed to say they
are my family, and they did not even ask me about you
or the home.
A little about me now. I am an Assembly of God
minister, I have two grown children and have been
married for 23 years to the same beautiful women. My
son is getting married in September, and my daughter
is a carpenter apprentice.
I am a business owner and have been very blessed in
business. I owe all of this to God's grace and his
provision of Fr. Joe, his strength and most of all his
strict character. The Fr. Joe I know is a short,
fighting German priest, who battled for integrity,
honesty, purity and Godliness. I know you are older
now but I say, fight for right, and I will be there to
back you up, literally.
I agree with scripture that says "Draw near to God and
He will draw near to you. Resist the devil and he will
flee." The devil is the accuser, and as Peter found
out, even followers of Christ can speak the word of
the Devil when they speak from the flesh.
I encourage you to to hold fast to the truth that you
know and have shared with others. Including me, and
therefor my family. We all thank you.
Rev. C. Lee Allan (1973-1975)
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I am a Stanford educated patent attorney currently practicing law as a partner in a Dallas-based law firm.
Some twenty five years ago, however, I was a “ranch hand” at Morning Star Boys’ Ranch. I was there when
some of the alleged “abuse” took place.
After being contacted by a local reporter about these allegations, I felt compelled to come forward and
tell my story. Unlike most of the stories though, mine is one of redemption and hope. For that I
have Morning Star, in general, and Father Joe Weitensteiner, in particular, to thank.
To understand the impact that Morning Star had on my life, I must go back to my childhood. I was
the second of six children in my family—four boys and two girls. My father was a proud, hard-working
man who spent twenty years in the Navy as an enlisted man. My mother was a dutiful, yet harried,
wife. We moved often, about every two years, as many military families did.
As with most young boys, I desperately sought the affection and approval of my father.
He was often gone at sea, sometimes for up to six months at a time, leaving my mother the daunting
task of raising their rambunctious and, in my case, strong-willed children alone. When he would
return, I was often on the losing end of a battle to gain his attention.
I did learn one sure-fired way of getting his full attention—misbehaving. If I misbehaved,
particularly in a way that violated the unwritten code of honor and respect that all military
children were expected to follow, I could be assured of receiving his undivided attention.
Unfortunately, in those cases, his steely gaze was typically focused on my backside while
he reacquainted his belt with my gluteus maximus. Negative attention, however, was better
than no attention.
We moved to Spokane shortly after my father retired from the Navy. I don’t know if it was
the lack of structure of civilian life or the challenges of raising six children, but tensions
in the Ayers household quickly rose to a boiling point. I was getting into more and more trouble
at school and at home. I remember more than once being “hacked” at Mead Middle School for various
infractions. My mother knew she had to do something when one day she found me holding my
younger brother off the ground by his neck. I was out of control and there was nothing they
could do to stop me. They decided to send me to Morningstar. I was only too glad to leave.
I arrived at the ranch in July 1978--an angry thirteen year old boy. I lived in the Murphy House
with about 25 other “older” boys, i.e., ages 13-18. (The “young” ones lived in another house up
the hill.) We each shared a room with another boy.
I quickly realized that my family life, while difficult, was a fairytale in comparison to many
of these boys. One boy was already an alcoholic at 17. Another had been routinely tortured by
his older sibling. Some had simply been abandoned to raise themselves. My problems paled in
comparison.
The Ranch brought order to life. The ranch was run by Father Joe Weitensteiner. He ruled with
a firm but loving hand. Order and discipline were an integral, if not an essential, part of the
ranch. We had a daily schedule. We each were expected to work around the ranch and there were
consequences if those responsibilities were not fulfilled. The ultimate penalty was losing the
privilege of going home every other weekend, at least for those of us who had a home.
Despite recent comments about his “physicality,” Father Joe was (and is) a humble and gentle man.
I have no recollection of any mistreatment, let alone any “abuse” physical or otherwise.
Standing less than six feet high and at most 170 pounds, Father Joe ruled by moral authority,
not by intimidation. Even though I was not raised Catholic, I will always remember saying
the Rosary at night with Father Joe along with several other boys. There was comfort in those
prayers, their repetition notwithstanding.
My life undoubtedly would have turned out much different had it not been for Father Joe.
One incident stands out in particular. I was home one weekend when I broke into my father’s
stash of pharmaceutical drugs and I took a bunch of these drugs over the
weekend. I ran into my nemesis from Sacagawea Junior High where
we were bused to school and I pulled a knife on
this kid. While I don’t believe I intended to harm him, the police took a much different
view. I was charged with assault with a deadly weapon and possession of a controlled
substance—both felonies. I was faced with spending the next few years in a maximum security
juvenile institution in Tacoma called Cascadia. I had heard stories about this place while
at the ranch. Boys don’t come out of Cascadia unscathed, the stories went. They either turn into hardened
criminals or emasculated toys. I was scared.
My fate lay in Father Joe’s hands. He could either accept me back into the Ranch, this time
as a ward of the court, or turn me over to the juvenile justice system. He showed me grace—God’s
unmerited favor—and welcomed me with open arms. For that I will always be indebted to Father Joe.
After a year at the Ranch, I went on to graduate with honors from Mead High School and was the starting quarterback my senior year.
After a year at Whitworth, I transferred to WSU (Go Cougs!) where I graduated cum laude with a degree
in electrical engineering. After working several years as an engineer for Hewlett Packard, during which
time I completed my Masters at Stanford, I went on to law school at Northwestern School of Law at Lewis
& Clark College. Following law school, I clerked for a Federal judge in Washington, D.C., before
moving to Austin, Texas, where I continue to practice to this day. My proudest accomplishment, however,
is my family. I married my college sweetheart on January 1, 1988 and have two wonderful children.
As a father myself, I am appalled by the recent stories about the abuse that took place in Spokane
(and apparently everywhere else) during the late 70s and outraged by the complicity of some of our
most revered institutions. In our quest to cleanse our communities from this evil, however,
we need to be careful not to throw the baby out with the bathwater. I, for one, thank God that
Father Joe and Morning Star Boys’ Ranch were there when I needed them.
Peter Ayers ('78-'79)
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I was a resident at Morning Star Boys' Ranch from 1969 to 1971. I am writing this letter in support of Father Joe and Morning Star Boys' Ranch and in response to recent allegations of abuse that are being lodged against them.
I am now a 48 year old man and thank God from the bottom of my heart that there was a place called Morning Star Boys' Ranch and a Man with a heart bigger than the mountain the ranch sits on called Father Joe.
If some of the boys are claiming that they got their butts thumped, they did, and I am forever grateful for every single hack I ever got at the hands of Father Joe and the other staff members, I needed every single one of them. I can assure you that if I was disciplined it was not an act of abuse, it was an act of love and concern and trying to help me get on the right track.
There were high expectations placed on us as residents of Morning Star Boys' Ranch and stern discipline to help us achieve what we didn't know we were capable of achieving. I never for a moment felt that I wasn't loved or cared for by the staff at Morning Star Boys' Ranch.
I came to Morning Star Boys' Ranch as damaged goods, filled with a pain and a rage that only another boy with the same set of circumstances in their life could understand. I was on a collision course with prison or death and didn't care. I left with a heart full of hope, self respect and a belief that I could succeed in life.
I credit the Ranch with the gift of life that it granted me and for helping me to see that I was so much more than I had ever believed I could be, or that society had ever allowed me to believe I could be.
The only regret I have about my time at Morning Star Boys' Ranch is that I wasn't able to stay there until I was an adult and that I had to go back to the hell hole I came from. I can assure you that I had to use every single tool they gave me to survive the first few years after leaving the Ranch.
Had I not been lucky enough to be sent to Morning Star Boys' Ranch, I can assure you that I would not have gone on to experience 25 years of a happy marriage nor would I have been able to raise 4 children of my own, all of which are now grown and succeeding adults. At very best I would have been locked away in an institution for the rest of my life.
Like I said in the beginning of this letter, I suppose that some of the boys could construe the discipline they received at Morning Star as abuse, I interpreted it as love, care and concern. Father Joe, and all the other staff members that were there during my stay, were there for me over the years after I left the Ranch. Many times during the weaker moments of my life, I knew they were only a phone call away and I made those phone calls from time to time. Not once did they ever let me down.
About a year after I left the Ranch, I called, and within a few hours one of the counselors on his own time and out of his own pocket jumped in his car and drove three hundred miles to sit down and talk me through a really tough time. This same counselor probably hacked my butt more than any other counselor at the ranch, but at the same time showed me more love and concern than any other human being in my life before or since.
Some of you guys can call it abuse if you want, I know in my heart that it was genuine love and concern for my well being. I have sat around and told war stories about the Boys' Ranch over the years and I have always qualified them with the understanding that I never got anything from them that I not only didn't have coming, but indeed needed.
God Bless Father Joseph Weitensteiner, I have never known such a loving, kind and dedicated person in my life. If I can go to my grave being one tenth of the man he is, I will go with a smile on my face and a real sense of accomplishment in my life.
If there is anything more I can do or say to support Father Joe or the Ranch during this difficult period, please let me know. My resources are limited, but I will do everything and anything I can to support them.
With all my love,
Scott Todd (1970-1971)
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Every time I think back on my experience at the Ranch it is with sincere
gratitude. The ranch was a place I always felt safe, and welcome. I am
deeply grateful, as is my family for the Ranch and Father Joe's influence in
my life. I am not a Catholic, but I have no reservation in calling Father
Joe, Father. He was, and the Ranch provided for me, a stable footing from
which to start a positive life.
Chris White (1989-1990)
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Hello Father Joe,
I hear you got trouble at the clubhouse on the windswept hill.
You have my support,and my permisson to use my name or whatever to aid you in reestablishing your
good name. If you need me to come up there and open a can of woopass.....I'm there. Just so you know,
the programing I've received from my tour of duty there has benefited me in everything I do,
each an every day, Thank You.
Joe Gillette (1971-1973)
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I lived at the ranch from 1975 thru 1976, but due to my home situation, Father Joe let me spend many days
and nights at the ranch and included me in ranch activities from 1977 thru 1978. Quite the opposite of these
recent allegations, I always returned to the Ranch during the years after I left because it was a haven from
the abuse of my home and the streets.
I hate to think the man who, quite literally, changed the course of my life is being in any way persecuted
after dedicating his entire life to helping others like me.
My thoughts and prayers are with him now,
Andy Ward (1975-1976)
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Dear Father Joe,
"Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time,
casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you. And after you have suffered for a little,
The God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm,
strengthen and establish you." (The First Epistle of St. Peter 5:6-7 & 10). I wanted to share these
words of St Peter with you (although I am quite sure you know them well) to encourage you and to let you
know how I am praying for you.
My prayer is that you will continue to demonstrate the kind of humility and perseverance that I have
always admired in you. My prayer is that as you "cast your cares on Him" that you will experience His
loving care and matchless grace. My prayer is, that in this time of great suffering and testing, that
you will rest in the assurance of His work in you and on your behalf. My prayer is that you will be
perfected, confirmed, strengthened and established in keeping with His precious promise.
I just received more newspaper articles from last week. I continue to be saddened by what
I am reading. I wish I could be there to stand by your side as you face these difficult times.
But, since I cannot, I wanted to offer you a few of my thoughts. I hope that they will be an encouragement
and comfort to you.
First, I want to reaffirm my deep and sincere love for you. I can honestly say that whenever I think
of you it is with fond affection. I think you know this, but it is no trouble for me to tell you again.
It's because of my love and affection for you that I hurt with and for you. I wanted you to know that you
are not alone. I may not be there in body, but I am very much there with you in spirit and concern.
Second, I want to tell you how proud I am of how you personally are handling these difficult allegations,
stories and events. I was particularly proud of you as I read your statements in these most recent articles.
I was proud of how you humbly admitted your regrets for some of the disciplinary practices of the past
(both by the Ranch and by other institutions as you so ably pointed out) while at the same time standing
firm in your commitment to the Ranch and all of your boys. I was proud of your wholehearted support for
a thorough investigation (the truth shall make you free!) I hope that your conduct through these times
and the investigations that follow will set a standard for other organizations and individuals who find
themselves in similar situations. I hope others will watch you and be challenged by your example. Your
forthrightness and humility are an example to me.
Lastly, I wanted to tell you that you are a blessed man. There are so many boys whom you have helped
and who have in return come to love, honor and respect you. There are so many hundreds of lives that
are the better for having known you. Nothing can take that away from you. I hope you can take comfort
and hope in that during these trying times. I hope that this present momentary trouble will not outweigh,
in your heart, your decades of sacrifice and service on our behalf and the love, honor and respect you
have engendered.
I will continue writing you every week or so to let you know I am thinking and praying for you.
I know you are very busy and under a great deal of stress. I don't expect that you will be able to answer
my letters, though I would love to hear from you. If there is ever anything I can do for you, please
do not hesitate to ask. I love you very much.
In much affection,
Pete
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I have nothing but admiration and love for Father Joe and the
environment of Morning Star. It helped turn me into a responsible member of
society.
Ben Mowrey (1973-1975)
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