I’m sad to hear the stories of abuse, though not 100% surprised.
I attended Hubbard Woods school in the early 70′s and Bill Bricker was one of the first adults that I can remember being scared of, though I couldn’t quite figure out why. I do know, that I was incredibly relieved that he didn’t take me into my office on my birthday.
As some may recall, he had favorite kids (boys, primarily) – and on your birthday, he would take you into his office, close the door, bend you over his knee and spank you – one swat for each year of your life. I think he called it the “Birthday Club.” He made it sound like a fun thing – but I wanted no part of it. Luckily I was not one of his favorites and managed to avoid some questionable behavior.
Briefly, I was a boy scout in his group and was also a member of the Winnetka Ski club. Nothing ever happened to me nor did I see anything first-hand that would be called abuse. But I always wondered if everything was on the up and up with this lifelong bachelor who spent all of his time with young boys, away from their parents.
