Lost in Laconia

Imagine a young boy that lived isolated in an institution his entire life. Surrounded by grungy brick walls, dark, dank sleeping wards with beds lined up crowded one after another, a large open room with toilets and showerheads without stalls. That same boy becomes a man and is sterilized to prevent reproduction. He never sees the people he was born to for the rest of his life. He has siblings that don’t know he exists. His presence on Earth is barely known by anyone except the nurses, doctors and therapists that care for him at the institution. Now, fast forward eighty plus years. The society that created this institution has undergone a transformation. The civil rights movement has taken place, wars have been fought and lost, and the American dream has changed. This man, that was doomed to a lifetime of condemnation and segregation from the rest of the world, is set free. And, unthinkably, he becomes a productive member of society with a story to tell. That story is Lost in Laconia.

This story is a documentary film about the first institution of its kind (and last) in New Hampshire which between 1903 and 1991 accommodated men and women who were “labeled feebleminded, deficient or disabled”. It is the work of New Hampshire resident Gordon DuBois, who was employed in several different positions at the school beginning in 1977, until it closed its doors permanently in 1991. Mr. Dubois, who wrote and produced this film, was an amateur historian who felt compelled to safeguard the historical files, pictures, and footage, from the Laconia State School when it looked like they were going to be discarded during the school’s final days. Mr. Dubois reports that he couldn’t imagine at the time that he would eventually create the means for this beautiful, tragic, heart wrenching, and cathartic story to be told. The coaxing of a group of parents involved in the University of New Hampshire’s Institute on Disability Leadership Series and the help of filmmaker Bil Rogers was the impetus. Combining many oral histories with previous employees, “inmates” (as they were called) and their families with historical archives, twenty years after the Laconia State School closed, our eyes are opened.

This film does exactly what it is supposed to do; it takes you on a historical journey, beginning where it should, at the beginning. It very poignantly takes the viewer on a ride through the account of how humanity handled “those less fortunate”. Answering some puzzling questions regarding how and why our society decided that the best thing for certain children and adolescents who had been rejected by society was to stigmatize, institutionalize and isolate them. Ending the excursion in the current day, with a current lens, which is zoomed in on the triumph of the victims, despite challenges, and the tragedy of what it is they are still unable to overcome. Perhaps due to the stress that resulted from some reported horrific experiences at the Laconia State School.

Lost in Laconia is one of those thought provoking films that puts a spotlight on the history of this specific institutional paradigm in order to help us remember what not to do with those we don’t know what to do with. I highly recommend Lost in Laconia. There were similar institutions throughout the country at the time, and the Laconia State School may or may not have an uncommon story. But, it is a story worth seeing and hearing. Especially for those in the helping profession, like nurses, who feel provocation caring for those with modern day sociocultural challenges. Heartfelt thanks go out to Mr. Dubois and his associates for their insight and presumption in making this film. Because of them Lost in Laconia has been found.

Reviewer Rating: 4 out of 5 Boxes of Popcorn
Produced by Community Support Network
Written and Produced by Gordon DuBois
Directed, Produced, and Edited by Bil Rogers
Available at local New Hampshire Libraries or on the web at www.csni.org

The filmmakers are currently working on an instructional guide to accompany Lost in Laconia. It is intended to be used for educational purposes. If you would like more information about obtaining this film or the guide please visit www.csni.org