The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store, A Response

If you care for people with intellectual disabilities and autism, this book is an excellent companion to Bill Baldini’s, exposé of Pennhurst, the 5 part series  that was on Philadelphia’s Channel 10 in 1968: Suffer The Little Children and the Pennhurst Lawsuit Halderman vs Pennhurst which ran from 1974 to1984 (The write-up in this link is correct as far as I can tell…except they call Spring City, “Spring Hill”). The sad irony is now Pennhurst has become a place of entertainment based on fear, ghosts, etc. McBride’s story rings so true and brings to mind the life of so many who suffered there, here are the stories of Leonard and Paula.

Leonard Hauser’s mother dropped him off at Pennhurst in the 1940’s when he was 11. He lived there for the next 22 years of his life. When Pennhurst started becoming overcrowded, they moved him to Norristown State Hospital, where he lived another 20 years. When he was 53 when he moved to an Indian Creek Foundation group home in Souderton. Leonard often shared with me his time at Pennhurst, which reflects the way it was in Bill Baldini’s report in 1968. At times he was wrapped in a strait jacket, suffered injections of various types and since his language was limited he had to act everything out and made scary faces to get his point across. Needless to say, he hated the place and had flashbacks (“You can check out anytime you want, but you can never leave.” Hotel California, The Eagles). As a child he often tried to run away, hiding under the seats of a bus etc… but he never escaped. After losing over 40 years of his life in institutions, here he was in the 90’s riding his bike along Route 113, invariably  with an American flag (see framed picture), a free spirit, and everyone knew him as Leonard: Wade In The Water. As a way to remember his incredible optimistic spirit, we named a group home in his honor at Peaceful Living. 

One of the first people to move out of Pennhurst to Indian Creek Foundation was Paula Garrigan. See part of her story in Blessed Is the Meadow a book written by Barbara Esch Shisler, former pastor at ICF, Barbara writes:

In the midst of loneliness and indignities (Suffered at Pennhurst) Paula gained faith and patience. I watched that patience and persistence as well, as she worked at her workshop job of putting sponges into little net bags for a distributor. Bent over in her wheelchair. Her left hand severely limited, she kept on slowly, slowly, slowly easing the sponge into the bag until it was finished. Immediately, she reached for another. p. 25.  

As part of Paula’s process to move to the community, I decided to go to a “transition meeting” at Pennhurst. We sat around a huge round table with all the white coats and every sort of professional; MD, psychologist, physical and occupational therapists, dietary staff, social worker, you name it, they were all there. I was warned that she probably would not be a very good candidate for the community. She was living there during Bill Baldini’s Suffer The Little Children and during the beginning of the Pennhurst lawsuit. While the lawsuit was in full swing the abuse of individuals continued unabated, until the state police went undercover as staff, only then did the abuse stop. (“They stabbed it with their steely knives, but they still couldn’t kill the beast” Hotel California).

Our meeting continued until lunchtime and everyone except Paula and I stood up to go to the staff dining room. I was expected to go with them, but I said, “No I’ll stay here and have what Paula is having”. 

The meal was disgusting, and I shared that with our local newspaper, as part of an interview they did on the individuals now moving to the community for Pennhurst.  Of course, the newspaper quoted my exact words and a few days later I received a three-page letter from the Pennhurst dietary department stating their food was excellent and I needed to retract my statement. The letter was signed by 21 people who were the kitchen staff, etc. I never did respond, and nothing ever happened. 

I learned from Father George Stromyer, who was a pastor at L'Arche, in Erie, PA, that anytime he went out on a speaking engagement or public events, he always included the individuals some way.  Paula who was a very religious person and always participated in the spiritual retreats we facilitated at Indian Creek. As a result, I asked Paula to say the opening prayer at one of our annual fundraising events with 200 people in attendance.  The staff person held the microphone for Paula to say her prayer. She prayed “Thank you for getting me out of Pennhurst, Joe, Amen.”

The lives of the people who suffered in Pennhurst in McBride’s book inspired me. The lives of Leonard and Paula continue to inspire me after all those years, and I know they inspired many others who supported them. 

Joe Landis