My name is Weston M. Price
I attended Hyde school (Bath) roughly during the years of 1987-1988. I never finished, I was a discipline problem and never quite cared for any of the staff. In my time at Hyde I saw, or participated in:
Seeing a student (Stuart Grenik sp(?)) being struck by Joseph Gauld Sr (I was not the only one witness to this)
A sexual relationship with a teacher (with me)
My parents being paid off by Hyde to not press charges in regards to certain violations (see aforementioned relationship).
There is no substitute for evidence, facts, and actual testimony. Having been at Hyde for probably the worst time in it's history, I can attest to quite a few things regarding the school, it's founder, it's history, it's 'unique potential'.
Note, oddly enough. I am also a survivor of Straight Inc (Atlanta chapter).
Questions?
Having attended Straight, Inc. , you no doubt have a unique perspective on many of the coercion techniques employed by Hyde. I am curious as to your impressions, comparisons, etc.
It is my thus far contention that Hyde is not quite as "obvious" as Straight, but if you happened to be unfortunate enough to stand out, so to speak, one way or another, you would probably be treated to a worse brainwashing.
All that I have learned thus far about Hyde, not to mention what I witnessed during my time there, leads me to believe that sexual predation is a large part of the Hyde experience. It is not necessarily known, witnessed, or experienced by all Hyde students. But it is a theme that keeps coming up, again and again, from the beginning to the present. Somehow this is wrapped into the Hyde philosophy much as intestinal worms are sometimes found wrapped around someone's feces. It is a symptom of a far greater and more integral problem.
Hmmm....
Good questions. My time at Straight was darkness. To be clear, there are very few parallels between Straight and Hyde beyond the typical 'mantra' of belief that is required of everyone. Straight was a different realm of abuse. Hyde was a walk in the park in retrospect.
To your question regarding predation at Hyde, there was always an element of 'sexual awareness'. Typically, in my time, there were quite a few folks on 2-4 as a result. The only relationship I knew of between a student and a teacher was my own; as a result, I can't quite comment on others. There were always rumors, but given what I know, they were always pretty much just that, rumors.
Okay... I did not experience Straight, so I, myself, cannot honestly compare... But from my own personal experience, I found the brainwashing element pretty extreme. It was very cloaked in "respectability" and many "feel-good" terms which, in retrospect, made it that much harder to tease out. I should say, right here, so you understand, that I was brainwashed by Hyde, and I was a believer in Hyde, until certain events happened to me and the so-called school did what it did, and it has taken over 30 years for me to process that. For a long time, I have known that what happened was wrong on the part of Hyde, but I thought it was a fluke and just my bad luck, and did not realize that many others were also standing in my shoes.
Re. sexual predation on the part of faculty, there is much to read here in these threads. Might I recommend the fine vintage of "Scary Larry..." as exposing a guilty few. It is also my impression that the place really has a "My Fair Lady" complex. Think about it: Joe seducing Andrea VH and carrying on with her whilst still married to Blanche (perhaps separated? still inappropriate), rapist Bob Thurrell, diddler Dubinsky, and then there is the plain and simple fact that Laura Denton Gauld and Laurie Gauld Hurd met their future husbands while they were students and the husbands were teachers... Let us not forget the escapades of Henry Milton and the adventures at Sumner's Beach House... And as to Sumner himself? The grand old namesake of those who venture to remember Hyde in their will? Hmm... let me just say I have heard some things a bit salacious and not so complimentary.
Out of curiousity, and with all due respect to you, who was the faculty member in question in your case?
I have been perusing these forums for awhile and I have a pretty good idea of what you faced. I am trying to understand what you deemed 'belief' versus what you were simply to young to comprehend. In my mind, there is real difference.
As far as '...it has taken me over 30 years to process that..' I can understand the sentiment and the struggle you must have had. I think all of us deal with these things in our own way. Certain people actually remain at Hyde, they become assimilated as possible teachers, while the rest of us go on to do different things. I could sit here and feed you a line about how things are going to get 'better' but I think we all know that is just not true. Nothing in our respective pasts can truly compensate for what happened; sadly enough, nothing in our respective futures can truly give us what we envision.
I don't recognize most of the names you mention in terms of predation. I would imagine most of these are before my time. Joe of course is a constant; as lively and manical as ever. I never heard that about other women. Of course, keep in mind, he punched a student while I was there and was shuffled off for awhile. No one ever seems to remember that one, though the entire student body was there when two pretty courageous students were made to stand up (in front of the entire school) and confront him. I will still remember Joe G. actually grilling those two as if they were on the witness stand.
The teacher I had a relationship was named Margaret 'Peg' Brazier. I believe she is in DC now. We continued our relationship after Hyde, years later of course.