I was fortunate to obtain the dictated intake transcript from the meeting between Richard and Marilyn Bush and Mr. Seabrook of the American Home Finding Association. I also have several pieces of correspondence exchanged between my biological mother and the organization’s director.
These pages record the intake process of the adoption that my biological parents went through after making the heart-breaking decision to release their children for adoption. This part of the process is rarely revealed but doing so will give you, the reader, some insight into what they went through when making this life altering decision.
Page 1
“Dictation Critique from Tape Recording of August 27, 1962”
Released to American Home Finding Association for permanent custody
Lynn Richard Bush
Shirley Joyce Bush
John Harold Bush
David Joseph Bush
Siblings: Alice Elaine Bush (Sally)
Placement: Mr. and Mrs. Lester Matthews
Half siblings: Children nine and eleven years old by Mrs. Bush’s previous marriage. Their placement is with their maternal grandparents.
The Bush family live at 1225 West Melrose, Chicago, Illinois. They arrived at the American Home Finding on August 27, 1962, after a long train ride from Chicago and came directly to the agency. Mr. and Mrs. Bush are both blind. Mrs. Bush was dressed in a blue dress which was not particularly neat or clean, yet she was a nice appearing woman and had short brown hair. She was approximately 5′ 5″ tall and very slim and was a chain smoker and had several nervous ticks and smoked incessantly. Mr. Bush was dressed in a dark blue suit. It, too, wasn’t particularly clean or neat as it had dog hair all over it from the guide dog which sat beside him throughout the interview which Mr. Seabrook conducted with them, and which was witnessed by case workers, Miss Olson and Miss Winter. Mr. Bush was a large man approximately six feet tall and well built. He was light in color and had brown hair. He spoke easily but much less than Mrs. Bush. He, too, appeared nervous and anxious over this release.”
Mr. and Mrs. Bush spoke easily with Mr. Seabrook, and both had extensive vocabularies and used good grammar and were free in expressing themselves and their opinions. They tended to “get off the track” easily and elaborated profusely on any subject discussed. They gave as the reason for making the decision on releasing these four children to the American Home Finding, they feel they are unable to do for these children what normal children need in that all the children have good sight in their eyes and the parents have to restrict their play and other wants in that they are unable to know what these children are doing at all times and have trouble keeping them “corralled”. They stated that these children are active acting-out kids and that all kids should have an even chance in this world and that they are just financially, emotionally, and physically unable to give these children a proper upbringing. Second, they don’t know how the children dress or look and with these many children, clothes become conglomerated and it is impossible for Mr. and Mrs. Bush to know what the children are wearing, if it matches and if it is the proper clothes for this child and that it is hard to buy clothes for these children. Third, it is impossible to help Dick with his school work, although he does not have that much school work in that he is in a Catholic school in a kindergarten class. It is impossible to know if he is doing it when he says he is and if he is actually a good student or a bad student. Also it is impossible for them to keep the children clean. This was starkingly aware to them when Dickie came home from school one day and said that his teacher, nun, had made him wash himself with Babo, that he was so dirty. Mr. and Mrs. Bush said that they were humiliated about this but it was just another thing that was impossible to handle in that there were so many children and so much to do and they were physically unable to make sure that everything got done.