“In a Town This Size”

December 1, 2011 by
Filed under: Ramblings 

(No kid music content here.)

I lived in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, until I was 12 and we moved to Minnesota.  Bartlesville was an oil town, the worldwide headquarters of Phillips Petroleum (for which my dad was a research scientist).  It was a relatively well-off town, with strong schools (my dad was on the school board, in fact) and a stronger cultural core than you might expect for an Oklahoma town of 35,000.  It even boasts the only Frank Lloyd Wright designed skyscraper, the Price Tower, and hosts the annual OK Mozart festival (which was launched while we were living there).  It was a good place to grow up.

Like most families who moved to Bartlesville, my parents asked around about the best pediatrician when they got there from Arkansas, and received the consensus advice that the doctor to see was Dr. Bill Dougherty, Jr., who was a young and skilled pediatrician, respected in the community.

And, it turns out, Dr. Dougherty engaged in the consistent sexual abuse of children, patients and otherwise.

I first heard a bit about it maybe five or ten years ago (or perhaps even earlier); at that time, what I heard was that his abuse was solely of kids in a scout troop. It turns out, unsurprisingly, that it was far more extensive.

A new film, In a Town This Size, tells his story and, heartbreakingly, the story of his victims.  I watched the movie (made by one of his victims, Patrick Brown) this morning, and it was chilling.

Neither my siblings nor I were among Dougherty’s victims; my mom never left us in the examination room with him alone.

But it was striking — and rather intense — to see people my own age, people I easily may have been in school with or played on soccer teams with, discussing the abuse.  One talked about the visual that haunted him from his visits, that of one of those cat clocks with the eyes that go back and forth, and it made me remember that same clock in what must have been the same examination room (a room that, like all of Dougherty’s, had doorknobs too high for a child to reach).  The victim speaks of focusing on that clock during the abuse.  To a person, the victims in the film — and there are quite a number who shared their stories — have stories about how intensely Dougherty’s abuse affected their relationships, their professions, their families — their lives.

The film also includes an interview with a person, probably mid-70s, who was close friends with Dougherty and whose kids all went to him as their doctor.  In one of the toughest parts of the movie to watch, he describes his growing realization that this friend of his — a person he trusted entirely — had abused and stolen the childhood of at least three of his six children.  He later discusses his struggles from within his faith to consider forgiving Dougherty.  (The filmmaker speaks frankly about how low on his list of priorities “forgiving Bill Dougherty” is.  I can’t argue with him.)

Sometime in the ’80s, Dougherty’s crimes became slightly known and he retired from medicine.  The local paper published a story about “a local pediatrician” — not naming him — and his victims.  Due to the statute of limitations in Oklahoma, and the lack of recent victims speaking at the time, he was never criminally charged, and evidently still lives in Bartlesville, only leaving at night, in disguise.

The movie was obviously of particular interest to me because of the personal connection.  But it’s also a good reminder that pedophiles don’t come with name tags or signage, and that part of our job as parents is to be aware of everyone who’s around our kids.  That doesn’t mean assuming everyone is wicked, but it does mean being cognizant, speaking with our kids, and listening to our kids.  I am so grateful to my parents for doing that (and that doesn’t mean for a second that I’m blaming victims’ parents, or the victims themselves, for abuse).  I hope we’re doing the same.

Comments

8 Comments on “In a Town This Size”

  1. Patrick on Thu, 1st Dec 2011 12:52 pm

    2. Bill,

    I am the director of In A Town This Size and I would like to respond to your writing.

    I hear from people 5-6 times each month about the abuse they suffered during their childhoods. The majority of those who were victimized knew their abuser very well and the abuser was most generally well respected as was Bill Dougherty.

    Thank you for reminding people that its not a wise approach to assume everyone is wicked. The primary message I would like to reinforce is for parents to explain in age-appropriate terms what is appropriate touch and what is not. Also parents need to really listen to their children, observe their behavior and create an environment where the child knows he/she can talk about concerns or worries.

    Its not simple, there is no easy answer here but its something and that open communication is the most powerful means to keeping children safe.

    If your audience is so moved – I would like to suggest they research their states’ statutes of limitations in regard to child sexual abuse. Also contacting legislators to discuss those statutes and where they need to change, another helpful act is to volunteer at clinics that deal with abuse issues. By making financial donations to your local non-profit organizations that advocate specifically with child sexual abuse victims everyone can make a positive difference.

    Too often I hear from former patients of Bill’s that were abused – its a relief to know you were not abused.

    For those readers who are interested in viewing the DVD.
    They can be purchased at: http://www.inatownthissize.com

    10% of the DVD sales go to non-profit child advocacy organization(s) in Bartlesville. Thank you.

  2. Celeste Barrett on Thu, 15th Dec 2011 3:35 pm

    3. Thank you for your thought-provoking blog. Just to set the record straight: Dr. Dougherty no longer lives in Bartlesville.

  3. admin on Thu, 15th Dec 2011 3:40 pm

    4. Thanks for the clarification.

  4. Kim Keaton on Thu, 29th Dec 2011 9:13 am

    5. I never went to this doctor although I grew up in the same town. My parents never allowed us to visit our doctors alone. The one exception was a trip to the dentist when I was 15 and he started working on a tooth before the nova wine had deadened the tooth. When I told him to stop he told my to quit being such a baby. I kicked him in the crotch, yanked off the bib, and walked out the door. Mom had ran to the bank and pulled up to park the car when I walked up to the car. I told her what had happened and she marched into his office asked him if he was ok then unloaded on him in front of a waiting room full of patients. We went home and mom told dad and my dad hit the ceiling he was really mad at the doc but didn’t call him. We switched dentists. My son never goes alone to any doctor or event w/o our participation.

  5. Kim Keaton on Thu, 29th Dec 2011 9:21 am

    6. Parents…remember this…you are your child’s strongest advocate even when they are adults. You trust NO ONE completely with the welfare of your child EVER!!! If you cannot do this then you are lost and your child will get hurt.

    I was notorious at our child’s school. If you were his teacher be prepared because if I ask you a question you better be prepared to answer and it better make sense. My child’s not a perfect angel but I know him very well and know when I’m hearing the truth and know when I’m hearing crap.

  6. Chris Van Noy on Fri, 27th Jan 2012 9:26 am

    7. I grew up in Bartlesville and was a patient of this Dr. when I was a child. I don’t recall ever being abused by him. But this scares the hell out of me when I think of my own child. Thank you to the director for making this film

  7. Bonnie Mitchell-Hurwitz on Sun, 6th May 2012 2:15 am

    8. This doctor, Dr. Wm Doughterty was the doctor of my five children for many years.
    I have no complaint, he was a fine doctor and supplied us with medical care
    through some rough years. He has never been tried in a court of law. The entire
    episode is a sorry one for Bartlesville and worst of all, it has tried a man without adequate
    evidence, something our country is not supposed to do. Bonnie Mitchell-Hurwitz

  8. admin on Sun, 6th May 2012 7:02 am

    9. Ms. Mitchell-Hurwitz,

    Thanks for the note. As I posted in my initial post, Dr. Dougherty was my pediatrician (and that of my siblings) and none of us recall any problems.

    But you are confusing the standard for state action. The point of the film is that, in fact, Dr. Dougherty cannot be tried, due to the statute of limitations. He has not been tried in a court of law not because of a lack of evidence, but because a statute precludes it. (Maybe for good reasons, maybe for bad reasons, but for reasons unrelated to his guilt or innocence.).

    The film presents adequate evidence for me to conclude — not as a state actor, but as just me — that he more than likely committed sexual abuse. He declined to provide any counter to that evidence, as I understand it.

    If you’ve seen the film and reached a different conclusion, that’s fine. But its existence is not in conflict with anything in our country’s values; to the contrary, it stands in a tradition of journalism raising important political and legal issues.

    My best,
    Bill Childs

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