Talk:Memorial Hall School (Houston)

Bare URLs[edit]

This is my first Wikipedia article, though I did know coming in that there would likely be problems with "Bare URLs." Unfortunately, I do not know the source code involved to fully cite bibliography. I will probably need some help in that regard. The grand majority of the cites come from the Wayback Machine or from a newspaper engine (i.e. Newspapers.com, Genealogybank.com, etc.), meaning that they will not eventually lead to a "Dead URL." Thank you. Wjenkins96 (talk) 04:08, 12 November 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Hi Wjenkins96! Welcome to Wikipedia and thank you for creating a new article! There are introductions on how to cite with both the visual editor (which may be slightly easier) and the source editor. Let me know if you have any questions! BetterCallSaulKripke (talk) 04:38, 12 November 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you. It should be all fixed by now! Wjenkins96 (talk) 05:45, 12 November 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Great! It looks much better and I've removed the bare URLs template. One more thing to note: when citing an archived website, cite the actual website first, and then add the archived website. The code for doing so in the source editor can be found here or you can just edit the reference with the visual editor and fill in "archive date" and "archive link." BetterCallSaulKripke (talk) 06:02, 12 November 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Activity at RR ranch in the 1990s[edit]

I was an attendee of Memorial Hall School from 1992-1994. The school was RIFE with neglect and abuse, both psychological and physical. This was particularly directed towards effeminate boys and tomboys, by teachers, staff, and students. I believe this was by design.

Additionally I was a full time (non-weekending)resident of RR Reserve from 1992-1993. This pattern of terror and abuse was amplified at this facility. It was essentially a prison built into a converted horse barn. It dressed up well on weekends and visit days but it was quite a hall of horrors otherwise. The boys in there for alternative 'reform' from criminal offenses were encouraged to harass the timid kids and this often devolved into violence, sometimes under the supervision of the adult on-staff hall monitors, most of whom were directly related to the Aurichs by blood or marriage.

I was abused multiple times by the good Reverend himself, in the guise of discipline and 'private' education. This was ultimately witnessed by my own personal Pastor (Rev. Charles Kindsvatter), who described it as 'thuggery'. This entry as it stands is both inaccurate, and disrespectful to the living memories of adults who were injured as children by this horrible "school's" actions.

I am looking for resources for information surrounding the circumstances of sale of the RR Reserve land, which also included the Aurich's personal Mansion and grounds, as well as several homes owned by the family and lived in by 'employees' of the Reserve who happened to be direct family members by blood or marriage. I lived in the mansion itself along with the girls after one of the boys had threatened to kill me, and even the family was afraid it was a step too far. There was one other boy with me, we were placed in a room with an alarmed door, and warned not to leave even for the bathroom until sunrise. On days off school we were told to remain in the home during daytime and our meals were delivered from the main boarding house to us and eaten with the family.

There was one family name in particular that kept showing up in addition to 'Aurich'. The last I was able to ascertain, the building i once stayed in is now in use as a holding facility for undocumented unaccompanied minors.

I have made this post anonymously and done my best to stay to the facts as i remember them. I frankly do not know the wikipedia standards for talk pages. I have saved this text as it appears, and will repost it unedited under a dummy account if this is removed for any reason, by anyone aside from myself. I wish to discuss this issue to assure the accuracy of this article, and not get into further details here unless absolutely necessary.

-Abouston1979 68.3.196.77 (talk) 12:36, 18 March 2023 (UTC)[reply]

I'm very sorry to hear about your experiences. It pains me to hear stories like this even though I never attended the school. I do not have any associations with Memorial Hall School other than creating the Wikipedia page. When I did the research and framework for the MHS Wikipedia page, it appeared as though the RR Ranch was solely for students of the school whose parents did not reside in Houston (some students were out of state or even international), not a holding ground for former juvenile convicts.

Since you're a former student, you can correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems that MHS was not a school for juvenile delinquents, and I never found any evidence for that in my research. From my gatherings, the institution was originally geared for students with learning disorders, but then admitted mainstream students in the 1970s. I have also tried to find alumni around the Houston area to gather their experiences.

This article is not meant to disrespect anyone. It is simply a collection of history for a former Houston-area school. I never knew of any abuse or abuse allegations by or against Memorial Hall School. The history regarding this school is bleak starting in the 1980s (except for what I could find in the Wayback Machine and a few basketball scores). Wikipedia articles need to be written from a neutral point of tone, so (for now) I need to keep the RR Ranch section of the article as is. As for your entry, I believe it needs to stay up on the talk page whether or not it meets talk guidelines, and I will do my best to make sure it does not get deleted. Wjenkins96 (talk) 03:48, 7 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]