Skaboojie. Coward. Gutless wonder. For Christ's sake, stand up and be a man.
Over the years, I heard these same invectives hurled at me and my teammates. And now the tables have turned. According to the Palmisano memo to Marlene Mosco and the Mercyhurst Board of Trustees (December 15, 2004) there "appears to be merit" to the claims that the then college president had indeed sexually molested and otherwise physically abused the Rosenthals, Bruce Kennedy (and others) in their boyhood as they claimed way back on October 10th, 2004. "Cumulative facts and other information have come forth which tend to support" these allegations. And, "further, and even more significant, the information gathered in recent days demonstrates that persons - in addition to those identified in the (original) article - will level similar allegations of misconduct against Dr. Garvey." Palmisano is talking about Dr. William P. Garvey, Ph.D., serial pedophile.
Garvey thought he was untouchable. The man who would be king. An Emperor. He thought he could act with impunity and court his little harem of boys. As they grew older, Garvey would find positions for them and assimilate them into the greater Garvey order, primarily at Mercyhurst but elsewhere as well. And noone would or could do anything about it. Well, Garvey may yet turn out to be right. So far, he appears to have come away from this affair relatively unscathed. But, the barbarians are at the gate. Look at the carnage, the shame, the rumor, and the innuendo those close to him are shouldering, whether justly or not, for their loyalty. First, it was Mary Daly. Recently, Gary Bukowski, Mike Fuhrman, and other ex-player's names have surfaced. Jim Barker. Bill Welch. And now Marlene Mosco, Bill Sennett, the Mercyhurst Board of Trustees, and even ex-Secretary of Homeland Security, Tom Ridge are the latest with Garvey's egg on their face. Whatever their relative degrees of involvement, they are his public and private associates, his vanguard. These people are taking the arrows. For Garvey. What about the poor people who, knowingly or not, swore their support of Garvey in the ad that appeared October 17th, 2004, in the Erie Daily Times? Garvey has left them all hanging, holding his honor in their empty hands. And he hasn't the courage to let them know it. He has let them all continue to make fools of themselves on his behalf while he fiddles, appearing on WJET and WICU newscasts pontificating re: Mario Bagnoni's death and legacy. And then there's his involvement on community boards like C-Cubed, The Erie Historical Society... This list is long and his continued involvement is shameful. Meanwhile, Mercyhurst burns. And people and institutions suffer in his wake. What has Garvey said to you folks by means of explanation? This story gets more and more bizarre by the day and I wonder how he can look you in the face? Is he, as someone online has suggested, psychopathic as well?
Forget all that lofty nonsense Garvey fed us about courage and honor. All those Greco-Roman platitudes. Unfortunately, the only Greco-Roman influence on Dr. William P. Garvey is now all too painfully and belatedly apparent. Forget all that crap he spouts about Winston Churchill. What does Garvey's moment of crisis tell us about Garvey? When his "finest hour" came, his defining moment, Garvey's actions defined him perfectly. He tucked his tail and ran. "Retired". A mere day after the appearance of this memo that ex-judge Palmisano felt "compelled" to write, and that according to Ms. Mosco, Garvey never saw. A coincidence? Hmmm. A most "compelling" coincidence. Garvey has hidden behind the trust of the Sisters of Mercy (for Christ's sake), the skirt of Marlene Mosco, the good faith of those who have supported him, and a wall of all-too-telling silence to a host of unanswered questions that are too compelling to ignore, or skirt.
In the end, despite all the posing, lofty aphorisms, and quotes, William Garvey is simply an abuser, manipulator, and sexual predator of boys. A wolf in college president's clothing. In his own words, he is a gutless wonder, a coward, and perhaps most telling of all, a quitter. A quitter of the first order. Will he ever stand up and be a man? ("Drop your pants, bend over, and grab your ankles, Dr. Garvey. Raps or laps?") Men face the responsibilities and consequences of their actions. At least men of honor do. That's what Garvey always told us. It's time for Garvey to stand on his own two feet. Time to admit what he has done and apologize to his victims. All of us. If Garvey does not have the honor, the courage, or the guts to face the truth, why do others continue to run interference for him?
It was all merely an act, a great Greco-Roman act, to get into little boys' pants. Is that what Garvey meant by "Carpe diem"? Seize the day? How does one say "seize the boy"?
predafile@hotmail.com
16 comments:
This sums things up perfectly. Garvey's actions and his cowardly refusal of any accountability have completely destroyed the integrity of Mercyhurst College, not to mention that of the individuals and organizations who continue to defend and shelter him. Mosco, Sennett, and the rest of the self-congratulatory, parasitic clique who lauded Garvey at this week's Ridge dedication may not see a problem, but rest assured that Mercyhurst is now a "degenerate institution" in the eyes of anyone not blinded by power and greed.
Also, the use of the words harem and emperor here hits on what I think is the most troubling and disturbing aspect of Garvey's "reign" - the fact that he not only molested and abused boys, but also:
- Cultivated them as they grew into adulthood, steered their major life decisions, and gave them positions of power and status, thereby assuring that a "front guard" would exist among Erie's power elite who would shelter and protect him. In essence, Garvey took great pains to transform these men into both his victims and his future defenders. In a disgusting, ironic twist, many of the people who could have put a stop to this were intimately involved, and thus unwilling or unable to "out" both their leader and themselves.
- Used his power and influence among Erie politicians, civic organizations, and economic leaders to a) make friends (and dependents) in positions of power who would help keep things quiet (or naively disbelieve any claims of wrongdoing), and b) create and manipulate policies and attitudes that would maintain a sense of insularity and cliqueishness within the city and its infrastructure, thus lessening the possibility of any outsiders upsetting the apple cart. The "right people" would take care of each other, and the wrong ones would be kept out. The economic and social damage this mindset has caused to Erie is simply incalculable.
When Garvey began spinning his web in the 1950s, Erie was a medium-sized industrial city wherein each ethnic group had their own neighborhood, church, and favorite political sons. This situation could (and did) lend itself to a kind of blind trust in authority, and Garvey took advantage of it to great effect, presenting himself as a coach, teacher, politician, and Catholic whose credentials were unquestionable. How could the man who led St. John's to so many championships be a pedophile? How could the successful president of a Catholic college be a sexual predator? How could the man who was friends with priests, mayors, and police officers, the man who invited our sons over to his home, the man who helped them become successful, the man who bought us presents at Christmastime, how could this man be evil?
But that was then. There can be no more naivete, no more blind faith, and no more acceptance of the status quo. This city has been, as one commenter suggested, the literal "fiefdom of a pedophile" for far too long. His actions have destroyed lives and families, and have helped to turn his base of operations into a stagnant pool of corruption and deceit. We - all of us - have let this man get away with far too much for far too long. The barbarians *are* at the gate, and the gate must be demolished.
Here's the problem: Not -everyone- at Mercyhurst is involved in this. There are people who are "upset" about it. However, they have no spine whatsoever, and are content to earn their paychecks while allowing more lives to be destroyed. They are just as bad, if not worse, than Garvey. These faculty, administrators, and sisters - Catholic nuns, for God's sake - of Mercyhurst college, through their continued silence, have shown themselves to be despicable and repugnant human beings. What a bunch of spineless cowards. (And hey, if you're reading this from the Hill, and you think I've unnecessarily tarred you, why don't you get off your ass and DO SOMETHING?)
Agreed about the national media idea. It could lend itself to sensationalism, and I'm not sure how in-depth it could go (depending upon the legal squeamishness of the producers), but there's enough that's already in the public record to do a total takedown. As Matt says, and as the second comment indirectly suggests, it's likely that the only way to bring an end to this would be to take the story to a national audience. People locally either don't care/don't believe or are under Garvey's thumb (or perceive themselves to be). Getting outside the Erie "bubble" (so carefully constructed by Garvey over the years) might just force some hands.
A very good letter by Erie resident Melanie Hoitlinga that is critical of Marlene Mosco appears in today's Times News.
I'm sure the Times have received other ones or will soon.
Listen. I mean no offense. But we should quit looking for someone from the outside to come in and clean this mess. Someone a few comments back mentioned getting up off of our asses. Well? Don't you see? Why should Geraldo give a shit about our lives, people, if we don't? Are we going to be a force for kindness or a force of destruction? It's about making the choices that define us. Why should we? Because it is the right thing to do. Because silence is consent. And to consent to this is wrong. Because we know and believe this is more wrong than anything we have ever known.
Several new comments are on the live journal page.
http://www.livejournal.com/community/_gryphon/2162.html
Garvey has no clue what being an honorable man is. What is even more sickening is that he victimized countless young boys. If the average, lowr working class male gets caught pissing in public, he is charged w/ open lewdness and gets the book thrown at him - but because this Garvey scumbag has money and friends in high places, he not only gets away without being adjudicated - he gets a golden parachute and continues to enjoy positions of privilege in Erie! Hillary Clinton used to say " It takes a village to raise a child". I would like to offer my version: It takes a village to take down a rich scumbag psycho pedophile predator - and its time the village of Erie cleanses itself of some of its biggest idiots who are supporting a predator, a sociopathic child molestor!
I am just sick to my stomach that something like this could be allowed to go on for so many years and I am at a loss for words.
BTW. Anyone know Dr Garvey personally?
I know Garvey personnally. It is shamefull that those who know so little feel they can say so much.
By the way, why don't you guys post your full names on the blog. I am thinking of writting my own "Fictional" book and could use some characters. Perhaps if the tables were turned and it was you being accused. You might think twice about writing such openly hateful words. Apparently accusation are all it takes to destroy someone now a days.
Besides what part of a democracy do you guys live in. The guiltly before proven guilty one or the innocent until proven guilty one. Or perhaps the court of public opinion is the only one that matters any more. I pray none of you have to endure what I am sure Dr. Garvey has.
Oh and one more thing. With all those charges against him he will probably be in jail for a long time. Oh yeah, there were no charges. Why? because nobody other than an author of a "FICTIONAL" book ever said it happened and to be honest the author of the book really never said it happened either. His book did. You can pick it up in the "Fiction" section of your local book store. In the future I would try my best not to trip over your own stupidity, when sitting down to write.
I bet you, I could count on no fingers the number of investigative journalists in this blog. Way to get to the truth guys.
The truth certatainly is out there. You are too blind and, apparently, illiterate to recognize it. Garvey knows. Fortunately for you, you don't know him as well as you profess. Fortunately for Garvey, the statute of limitations ran out.
Excuse me, "friend", will you be using your real name when you write that book? False bravado, coward. If you are so sure of the facts, openly support your local pedophile.
Hello People, calling from Ireland. In the Dungarvan Observer issue dated 28th April 2010. A local politician has brought this Mercyhurst college to town to twin with another school called the Friary in Dungarvan, Co. Waterford. We are looking for all the information that we can and for everyone effected by this college to please get in contact. Mr. Tom Ridge who was mentioned in this newpaper article seems to appear to be the one sanctioned to represent and give a speech at the opening of this college. As you will note from national news in this country that the abuse scandal in this country has been massive we would ask for all your help in this matter. please email mercyhurstshutdown@gmail.com as soon as possible. This college has already been to Dungarvan and the intention to have it fully operation by June so time is of an essence. thank you all for your help and hopefully bringing this into the spot light of the abuse victims of Ireland maybe more information just might surface. thank you all from www.victimsofthestate.com this site will also very soon contain a section for everyones story to be told around the world. The hiding places for these abusers will soon come to an end. Just a note people there was 165,000 innocent children in Ireland alone who were effected by this heinious criminal act. As the saying goes the germans never lost the war they just moved, now we have these predators who cannot use the church like they did in the past so they are just moving their goal posts. Thanking you all in advance
I graduated in the class of'64, and although I cannot speak to the abuse issue, I can certainly say that this man plagiarized an entire education lecture from Saturday Review. I remember how rude he was one day in speaking to Sr. Carolyn Hermann. He was no gentleman, and I'm sorry for not reporting his plagiarism.
to the FRIEND ... my name , WILLIAM SLOBOGAN ... victim of the monster GARVEY. NOTHING I WILL BE SAYING IS FICTION ... my story hasn't even begun to be told !
Garvey is dead. Should have died at birth.
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