Porter-Gaud is a prestigious school in Charleston, South Carolina. It was originally founded as The Porter Military Academy in 1867 for orphans of the Civil War, more background may be found on Wikipedia.
Background of the documentary:
[…] “What Haunts Us” by Porter-Gaud alumna Paige Goldberg Tolmach....recalls the saga of Eddie Fischer, who taught at the school for eleven years in the 1970s and early 1980s. During that time, Fischer molested at least 20 young boys – actions which officials at Porter-Gaud apparently knew about even as they were assisting him in his efforts to find jobs at other schools (where he molested additional victims).
One of the administrators who helped Fischer – former Porter-Gaud principal James Bishop Alexander – killed himself just days before he was scheduled to be deposed source
What Haunts Us
The 1979 class of Porter Gaud School in Charleston, South Carolina graduated 49 boys. Within the last 35 years, six of them have died by suicide. When Paige Goldberg Tolmach gets word that another former student from her beloved high school has killed himself, she decides to take a deep dive into her past in order to uncover the surprising truth and finally release the ghosts that haunt her hometown to this day.
Trailer - 2018
Two-minute videos about the Eddie Fischer case and the film:
Fox News: Horrifying story of coach who sexually abused male students
Boston Herald: Filmmakers on Filmmaking: "What Haunts Us" Paige Goldberg Tolmach
Some things that also stood out to me:
Secret Shame: Claims of Sex Abuse Involve Elite School (1998)
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Fischer photographed his victims, these boys of rich and powerful families, and they have absolutely nothing to be embarrassed about. They were preyed upon.
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Fischer sometimes told boys he could get them sex with older women who would pay them. I can’t help wondering if it was really just a pretense, or did he traffic victims to women and men? If so, I hope the Porter-Gaud victims speak out to a trusted person, and know that they should only feel bad if they, of their own free will as an adult, lured a minor to be sex trafficked, otherwise, there’s nothing to feel bad about!
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Both Eddie Fischer and principal Major J. Bishop Alexander graduated from The Citadel, the military college in Charleston. More on The Citadel here. Beginning at 26:15 in the film: Fischer and Alexander apparently were in the same class at The Citadel. Fischer volunteered with the Porter-Gaud football team for 1-2 years before Alexander offered him a paid job at Porter-Gaud.
But the suicides have not stopped
October 2017 – Porter-Gaud Scandal: The Latest
According to our sources, history has repeated itself …
We’re now told there are three recent suicides involving Porter-Gaud students said to have been victimized in connection with the latest round of alleged abuse.
December 2017 - Clemson Student’s Death: A Porter-Gaud Connection?
A Clemson University student was found dead over the weekend – but the speculation surrounding his untimely end is coalescing around his former high school.
Bowen Ellis, 19, of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina was found unresponsive in his bed on Saturday afternoon….Ellis died of a drug overdose.
For a decade, Ellis was a student at the prestigious Porter-Gaud preparatory school in Charleston, S.C.….rocked earlier this year by allegations of sexual abuse involving a “religious figurehead” on campus.
….Ellis was part of Porter-Gaud’s vestry program during his time on campus….at least three other students associated with this program have committed suicide in recent years – all of them allegedly having experienced abuse at the hands of their “spiritual mentor.”
March 2018 -- Exclusive: Another Former Porter-Gaud Student Commits Suicide
Another former student of the prestigious Porter-Gaud preparatory school in Charleston, South Carolina has committed suicide.
….21-year-old Brennan Roye Bennett of Charleston, S.C. died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound
Bennett also posted a lengthy suicide note to his Facebook page….on Monday as he sat in his car on the campus of Rollins College in Winter Park – a resort community located a few miles northeast of Orlando.
“Someone please contact Rollins or call an ambulance or police to remove my body,” the young baseball player wrote. “I don’t want my family to find me like this.”
Bennett also warned those coming to the scene that “the gun will still be loaded so please be careful.”
In his note, Bennett apologizes to his family, including his father – wealthy Charleston, S.C. businessman Michael Bennett.
Brennan Bennett’s note also references his friendship with Shriver Soliday, a Porter-Gaud student who committed suicide in July of 2014.
Soliday’s death is one of several recent Porter-Gaud suicides that this news site has been investigating over the course of the last few months.
By the way:
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Stephen Colbert is a Porter-Gaud alum
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Hillary and Bill Clinton met in Charleston with Giovanni Gambino, the son of Francesco 'Ciccio' Gambino and the cousin of Carlo Gambino, at the Belmond Charleston Place Hotel and at Gambino's pizzeria:
EXCLUSIVE: Hillary Clinton's ties to the MOB: How former Secretary of State met with Mafia heir at his pizzeria where he asked for father's release from prison (in return for an offer she couldn't refuse)
Hillary Clinton met with a Mafia heir who asked for his drug kingpin father to be released early from prison in exchange for votes, it has been revealed.
Jailed Mafia Don’s Son: Hillary Clinton Told Me She Would ‘Do Something’ To Racketeering Law
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Podge512 ago
This is why I do this. My brothers and I were altar boys when we were youngsters. Years later, it emerged that the head altar boy ('boy' is a misnomer as he was in his 30s at the time) was a child molester who had abused some of the altar boys. He was caught and convicted. When he served his time, one of the conditions of his release was that he wasn't allowed to come back into our local area, but he did anyway. He ran into one of his victims. Seeing his abuser again was more than he could bear. That kid took his own life shortly thereafter. He was 19 years old. I didn't really know him because he was a few years older than me, but a few years younger than my brothers, so we moved in different circles, but our parents knew his parents. I keep thinking about that lad and about 'what if'? What if it had been one of my brothers? What if it had been me?
Blacksmith21 ago
I think a LOT of people here - many who never post anything, or even log in - have a story to tell.
exposethecriminals ago
Thank you so much for telling us your heartbreaking story of the boy your family knew.
Podge512 ago
It's why, in my darker moments, I think about what I'd like to do to the filth attempting to normalise this evil or those who contend that it does no real harm. I think about hurting them badly, then let them look me in the eye and tell me I've done no real damage!