Survivor installment I
George B. Tonks — Survivor and Whistleblower
George’s account is examined alongside the documents and testimony surrounding it.
Read George’s story ↗WHAT ABOUT THE BOYS? / THE PUBLICATIONIndependent reporting by Troy Barile
The investigative publication
When boys told, who listened?
I trace what happened when reports of abuse involving boys and men reached people in authority. The investigations, survivor accounts and records behind them are here to read.
Featured
Watch THIS video
The first clip contains a sentence that helps explain why this series exists. It begins talking about unidentified victims and defaults immediately to women.
Victims, before anyone is named · Video 1
Read the quoted excerpt from the clip. A complete verified caption track and transcript are still being prepared. The quotation is an excerpt, not a transcript of the full video.
“Every single woman is going to be pissed off by this victim blind item because the court doesn’t want to inadvertently out anyone...”
George Tonks’s account is featured below the original video.
Go straight to George’s story ↗Featured reportingOriginal articles and records
Special report · Tennessee
Who Sent the Boys to Boys Farm?
Courts and welfare agencies sent boys to Claudius Vermilye’s farm. Former residents later described abuse and their dependence on adults for housing.
Read the investigation ↗The complete publication
Every published piece
All 21 articles are here. Each title opens the original published page with its source material.
01
Investigations and special reports
Twelve pieces- 01The Boys at Miracle MeadowsWest Virginia · SchoolsWest Virginia removed children from Miracle Meadows in 1999. Boys who arrived years later described further abuse, while former students are now seeking to use Maryland law to hold institutions responsible.
- 02Who Sent the Boys to Boys Farm?TennesseeHow courts, welfare agencies and families placed boys at Claudius Vermilye’s Tennessee farm.
- 03The Boys Who Went to the DoctorWeill CornellThe warnings about Darius Paduch’s treatment of boys and men, and how hospitals responded.
- 04The Priest, the Troop, and the Boys of New AlbanyOhioAn Ohio prosecution, additional allegations and records involving a priest and the Boy Scouts.
- 05They Put the Boy’s Family on TrialVirginia · ScoutingAfter a scoutmaster’s conviction, a boy’s family faced another ordeal in civil court.
- 06Agape: The Boys They Sent AwayMissouriFormer Agape students’ accounts, institutional responses and the court rulings that followed.
- 07What Happened Around the Boys After They ToldHaitiWhat organizations did as boys at St. Joseph Family in Haiti reported abuse.
- 08The Men Ohio State Failed: The Warnings Were Already ThereOhio State · IWritten complaints and earlier warnings about Richard Strauss inside Ohio State.
- 09The Men Ohio State Failed: After Ohio State Removed Strauss From Patient CareOhio State · IIWhat followed Ohio State’s removal of Strauss from student care, including later board action.
- 10The Man Inside the ArbitrationCorporate accountabilityTwo claims against Strauss Zelnick moved from a California lawsuit into private arbitration.
- 11A Boy Says He Reported the Doctor at MacLaren, and His Father Called TooOregon · Part OneA former resident says he reported a troubling medical examination and asked his father for help. The court record raises questions about the response.
- 12After the Boys ReportedInstitutional accountability · Four statesSource-linked reporting on records and agency responses after boys reported abuse.
02
Historical series
Five parts- 12When a Man Reported RapePart IHow legal definitions and police practices historically responded to male reports of rape.
- 13What the Records Called the BoysPart IIThe labels that newspapers, courts and public agencies applied to abused boys before 1970.
- 14When the Language Started ChangingPart IIIDuring the 1970s, official language changed while boys still encountered uneven protections.
- 15When They Called the Boy a HustlerPart IVA 1981 Senate witness described exploitation while the record called him a hustler.
- 16The Call Sheldon Kennedy Finally MadePart VSheldon Kennedy’s 1996 police report and the institutional changes that followed.
03
Survivor accounts and source notes
Four pieces- 17George B. Tonks — Survivor and WhistleblowerSurvivor installment IGeorge Tonks’s account is examined alongside public documents about investigations, aviation networks and institutional decisions.
- 18The Full Truth: A Very Personal MemoirPersonal memoirA first-person memoir tracing the author’s experiences and the records surrounding them.
- 19Seventeen at Heat — The Full Truth, Part IIPersonal memoir · Part IIA first-person chapter about working at a Washington, D.C. nightclub at seventeen.
- 20Jeffrey Epstein Was Talking About Men TooSource noteAn Epstein email chain refers to men; the record does not establish their ages.
Foundation in development
Outside support, without an interview.
I’m organizing What About the Boys Foundation in Nevada. Its directory lists 50 independently operated services, including organizations serving male survivors and LGBTQ+ people. The foundation is not yet incorporated and is not accepting donations or confidential service requests.
Want the next investigation?
Follow new reporting ↗When the Police Record Was Not Enough
Original inquiries documented how reports about boys were handled, including institutional failures and distinct court outcomes. Read the survivor-protective history alongside the separate policing investigation.