Letter says ex-principal 'agonized' over Shockro case
By NANCY COOK, Standard-Times staff writer
MATTAPOISETT -- Former Old Rochester Regional Junior High School Principal Robert C. Gardner said in a letter to ORR Superintendent William R. Cooper that he "agonized" about the John Shockro case and revisited it many times, wondering what he could have done.
"Naturally, I have agonized about other steps I might have taken to avert the tragedies that occurred," Mr. Gardner's letter said. "Despite the soul-searching, I must tell you that I can think of no step that would have prevented this predator from perpetrating his violations."
Mr. Gardner sent the letter to Dr. Cooper on Dec. 8 to ask that his name be removed from the ORR auditorium that had been dedicated in his honor.
The Standard-Times obtained a copy of the correspondence after filing a formal written request with ORR on Dec. 13.
"There will be some who will immediately ascribe this decision (to remove his name from the auditorium) to an admission of guilt," the letter says. "My decision is based on a conviction that little good can come out of an extension of the real hurt that John Shockro has inflicted on each and every one of us."
In addition to laying bare his personal thoughts on the John A. Shockro case, Mr. Gardner also lambastes the group of tri-town residents who fought to have his name removed from the auditorium and blames The Standard-Times for bad publicity.
His letter refers by surname to one of Mr. Shockro's victims and to Nancy Denney, the Marion resident who has advocated for Mr. Shockro's victims.
"There is no doubt the ... group would be willing to identify and parade any and all of the Shockro victims before the School Committee in their efforts to undo the hurt that has so affected them," his letter reads.
He also wrote that he is "always skeptical of the evangelistic efforts of newcomer-zealots."
Ms. Denney called this charge outlandish and said she would never publicly reveal victims' identities. "It's unfortunate that this letter has to be made public. ... Mr. Gardner's anger is certainly understandable, yet in my opinion, it is considerably misplaced," she said.
Ms. Denney was part of a group of tri-town residents that mounted a campaign to have Mr. Gardner's name removed from the junior high school auditorium after the ORR School Committee took no action to remove the name at their meeting in November.
The mother of the victim named in the letter refused to comment last night.
Mr. Gardner also takes jabs at The Standard-Times, which he calls in his one-page note "The Substandard-Times."
"Fueled by the twisted and unscrupulous reporting policy of the New Bedford Standard Times, these people formed their opinions based on the 'truths' developed by that paper," he writes.
Dr. Cooper stressed that Mr. Gardner did not write the letter for public consumption, a fact that must be taken into consideration when reading the letter, he said.
Dr. Cooper had previously refused to release Mr. Gardner's letter, calling it "personal."
"My only concern is that this will probably arouse more resentments that hasn't done this community a whole lot of good," Dr. Cooper added.
Mr. Gardner served as principal of the Old Rochester Regional Junior High School when the John A. Shockro case unfolded in 1997. Mr. Shockro was the former junior high school teacher who pleaded guilty in 1997 to raping one female student and sexually assaulting another, both under the age of 18. He served seven years in prison, was released in November and returned to his Mattapoisett home.
Although Mr. Gardner retired in 1997, his career remains controversial. His opponents claim he disregarded and ostracized young women when they came forward with sexual assault charges, while supporters call him an outstanding educator whose overall career should not be blighted.
Mr. Gardner, along with former Superintendent Joan Walsh, was named a plaintiff in two civil lawsuits, filed by two former students against ORR for the school's alleged mishandling of the Shockro case. The details of the case, including the two settlement amounts, are under a gag order.
According to Mr. Gardner's letter, "there are few who are capable of suspecting such nefarious purpose in an environment so committed to trust and child-protection."
"I have only served"-- the letter concludes -- as the local 'Sin Eater.'"
This story appeared on Page A1 of The Standard-Times on January 6, 2005.
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