Reconciling two sides of a story of trauma

When revelations of childhood sexual abuse are made on the national and even international stage, as has happened with churches and other institutions across the country and the world, the feelings of betrayal and horror can be kept at arm’s length, so one is surely tremendously sympathetic to the victims but not directly connected. When such revelations happen in one’s own community, the personal connection is inescapable and very direct. In the Northwest Corner, there have been accusations and in some cases, as at The Hotchkiss School last year, responsibility taken for abuse in private schools. As of last year, Salisbury had to find a way to deal with accusations made against a former town employee that spanned decades.

The report has now been completed of an investigation by the law firm Cowdery and Murphy, LLC, of Hartford into allegations of sexual misconduct by former Salisbury Director of Recreation Art Wilkinson (see story by Patrick Sullivan, Page A1). To the credit of Salisbury Town Attorney Thomas Marrion and the selectmen of the town of Salisbury, the town has publicly released the report and made it open to all on its website, www.salisburyct.us under “town documents.”

The attorneys who conducted this investigation spoke to people from town who came forward voluntarily to speak about their chilling stories of childhood abuse. Wilkinson served as director of recreation from 1966 to 2005, a span that covered generations of children. People of different times spanning 25 years, who have no connection with one another except for the accident of where they grew up, according to the report, have gone on the record describing abusive behavior that is of undeniably similar nature. This is one aspect of the attorneys’ findings that came to convince them the accusations are credible.

But even as some found the courage to reveal their memories of abuse, others with whom they shared their childhoods are defending Wilkinson and questioning the accuracy of their stories. This is, of course, part of the reason the town funded an investigation. It’s the word of one group against another. Having a professional, neutral third party look carefully at the results of interviews and corroborated evidence was the next logical step following the first accusations made widely public (in an interview on Robin Hood Radio, WHDD) in August of 2018 by Robert Wallingford, who grew up in Salisbury and lived with Wilkinson for a period of time when he was 12 years old. 

The town selectmen did the right thing by listening to Wallingford and taking him seriously, and then doing the same for others who came forward at a selectmen’s meeting on Sept. 10, 2018, to share their own concerns and request an investigation of Wilkinson. This was the responsible approach. Now that the report is complete and public, all in town, and all affected, should read it in its entirety and see the outcome of the investigation, which finds the victims credible and Wilkinson’s denials unconvincing. 

Now it should be hoped that the alleged victims, none of whom have taken any legal action against Wilkinson, can find some peace in the aftermath of their revelations. And that the break in the community between those who believe them and those who do not can be mended with time and a renewed basis of trust. The families who grew up in the community have known each other over many years, and even generations, and should be willing to give each other space and time to heal.