TORRINGTON (WY)
Star-Tribune
By DENISE HEILBRUN
Star-Tribune correspondent Tuesday, August 30, 2005
TORRINGTON -- What began in 1930 as an orphanage, and is now operated as a treatment center for severely emotionally disturbed children, is celebrating 75 years of service to Wyoming youth.
St. Joseph's Children's Home will hold an open house and tour on Thursday to enable the public to see what is "behind those walls."
"I think there's a mystery of the institution when people drive by," said Bob Mayor, executive director of St. Joseph's. "There's a curiosity of people of 'What are these new buildings like, what are the old buildings like? What do they really do back there?'" ...
The youth home was in the headlines last week after a victims' advocacy group called for the name of retired Roman Catholic Bishop Joseph Hart to be removed from a residence hall, the Hart Children's Center. Three lawsuits have been filed against the bishop alleging sexual abuse in the 1970s in Kansas when he was a priest.
That request was rejected by Bishop David Ricken, who noted that Hart was president of the youth home's board of directors for 25 years and that the accusations against him have not resulted in criminal charges.