Captain English's Legacy
The Englishton Park Children's Program
by
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THE MYTHIC CAPTAIN ENGLISH: Every summer day exactly at 1:05 PM in a large converted barn near the small village of Lexington, Indiana, Captain English’s ‘friend and confidant’ strides to the front of the “Barn’s” dining hall and the excited voices of over 30 children and 17 young adults simmers to a low murmur. The time has come to hear what the good captain wants to share with his kids that day, who he has noticed doing particularly well that day, and to once again express his pleasure that so many kids were enjoying their stay at his ‘summer place’. In the hand of his agent Captain English has placed a number of personal awards to be handed out publicly, so all can share in this small celebration of personal accomplishment. But first, it is pointed out, Captain English wanted to make sure everyone saw him this morning when he was flying his crop dusting airplane right over the grounds of his estate. Did everyone notice how he dipped his wings in salute to them? And did all his boys and girls notice the wonderful weather he had arranged via his large and expensive weather machine which was set for 'hot and steamy, but great for kids?' Did anyone see him, shy as he admittedly is, as he was watching them from the woods over by the Chippewa Trail? “I saw him,” a frail little boy sitting at the Seneca table exclaimed. “He was peeking out behind a bush not five feet into the woods.” “Sharp eye!” Captain English’s assistant responded to the excited boy. “Each one of you guys might spot him if you keep your eyes open and stay alert. He’s a shy ol’ devil,” he added with a wink to the audience. “Well, the good Captain gave me some awards he wanted presented today for some boys and girls he said were working exceptionally hard - harder than they ever had - on bringing out the best in themselves. He really likes that, guys, especially men who used to think they couldn’t do something or other - you know, like keeping their temper under control; like listening to what a teacher has to say; like making a real effort to get along with the other members of your tribe; like owning up to how smart you are. All you guys are working on that, but Captain English noticed some have practically conquered it and he wants everyone to know it. So if you get an award today, come up and shake my hand and let everyone cheer and clap for you and you guys that don’t get an award today - keep up the good work and before you know it, Captain English will probably have a special award on some day or another and then everyone will clap and cheer for you too." “The first award Captain English wanted me to present today is the “You Can’t Get This Man Down No Matter What” Award which goes to a Seneca who this morning never gave up in class even though it was really hard for him and stuck right with it until he got the answer right. This special award goes to the famous Indianapolis dynamo M’Bawi ________.” M’Bawi, a sturdy looking 9-year old AfroAmerican boy from southside Indianapolis, leaped from the Seneca table and strode just short of strutting to the front of the crowd. Once there, he didn’t know what to do - never in his life had he ever won anything - let alone be recognized for winning in front of others. His blush gave way to a feeling of wanting to run away from the public gaze and his eyes darted furtively around the room. Captain English’s representative grabbed his hand and shaking it firmly, announced “Everyone here’ s happy for you, M’Bawi” ignoring a few muttered sour-grape comments from the back rows like “Why’d he get an award and I didn’t” or “Shit, he ain’t nothing special.” “If all of us work as hard as M’Bawi, I’m sure Captain English has an award or two for everyone before our stay here is over,” he gently reminded his audience. The next award announced was the “I’m One Neat Dude Award” given to 10-year-old who “not only made his bed up today without anyone helping him AND got himself all cleaned up this morning all by himself so he looked just as spic and span as you see him now.” The Cherokee ‘J-K’ was the recipient of that award. In his short nine years of life to date, never once had he ever been recognized for doing anything right, let alone being called a ‘neat dude.’ The only time he had heard that term was in describing the flashy drug dealer who always looked sharp - that is before he was shot in a street brawl right before J-K left for Englishton Park. When his name was announced he was so shocked he just froze in his seat at the Cherokee table, totally disbelieving he was getting an award. J-K’s Chief Ben quickly picked him right up off the dining table bench and hustled him to the front of the crowd, leaving him on his own at that point before quickly retreating. J-K was so excited he fought back crying in front of everyone and managed to only moist up a bit, blinking his eyes rapidly to dispel the evidence of his emotionality. But he shook the man’s hand, clutched his award and headed back to the Cherokee table rather victoriously as the rest of the Cherokees burst into their exclusive chant celebrating triumph by one of their members. Never would you know that this congregation of children consisted of severe cases of abuse, abandonment, neglect, misdirection, and severe underachievement. Yet all these children were, often for the first time in their lives, enjoying themselves, prospering in their achievements, and feeling proud of themselves.
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About the Book
“Captain English’s Legacy” is about a wealthy and concerned Indiana business leader of the early 1900s who leaves the grounds of his summer home in Southeast Indiana as a place to work with indigent children having problems as his final heritage. Years later, on these very grounds, a program working with troubled elementary school-aged youth for over four decades quietly portrays the myriad of problems young children sometimes have to face in their lives, the resilience such children often demonstrate, and the caring but steady methods that work well with the majority of these young children no matter what the problem. The Englishton Park Summer Program for Children, as it is now called, is a short-term intensive residential treatment center for children aged 6-12 suffering various behavioral maladies - a program now into its fourth decade. Often nicknamed “Camp Englishton”, the treatment program is disguised as a summer camp complete with Indian tribes, cook-outs and campfires. But underneath is a solid therapeutic treatment program designed around the specific needs of each child - a program that emphasizes predictability and stability to support each child. “Captain English’s Legacy” is also a story of the devoted hard-working young adults who give themselves totally to the needs of these children, often sacrificing their own ego in the process, thereby changing them forever in small degrees. It is mainly a story of success: a rare example of a federally-funded one-year demonstration project that is going even better four decades later under private funding; a staff who make sure every child receives everything they have to offer the children they are working with; and a vivid portrayal of the social ills that produce these wounded children. The story is sometimes sad, sometimes humorous, sometimes pitiful, sometimes courageous - but it is always uplifting and hopeful.
About the Author
Dr. Harve E. Rawson is the founder and for 25 summers the director of the Englishton Park Summer Program for Children, a well-known short-term intensive residential treatment center for children aged 6-12 suffering various behavioral maladies. The program was a pioneer in many therapeutic techniques now considered part of the standard repertoire in dealing with problematic children, methods clearly established as effective by numerous research studies. Although the Englishton project was one of his favorites, Dr. Rawson was also a professor and chairman of psychology at Hanover College for 32 years, dean of faculty and later acting dean of the college at Franklin College, a visiting professor of developmental psychology at Mississippi State University, and a Fulbright Scholar twice, once teaching research methodology in the Sultanate of Bahrain. He is the author of over 50 published research articles in his field, 10 published books to date, two series of radio shows (one on parenting; one on destination traveling), and two CDs of modern day parables. Dr. Rawson, a recent widower, has traveled to over 171 countries and has two sons.