Articles Book III - Pg 1-117 (Adoptees) - triadoption

8-Rocky Moin~oin News
lhurs.. Julv 17, 1975. Denver. Colo.
I
f Cedaredge is home of 'Orphan Voyage' \
Adop fees receive help in fracing origins, identities1
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By FRANCES MELROSE
*., 61111
"Prnctlcnlly everyone who has been ndopcd
wonders nbout hls true bnckground. his 'real'
fnmlly," &n. I:nl$.KIl~n, herself an adop
lee, sald in hvcr Wednesday. "It's human
MIWCLJ wnnt lo know."
hUss I'dcm, who was born In ,Iklroil and
adopt$ lwi,ce by the tlmc she wns 2, has spenl
a li ellme llnd~ng out aboul hcrsclf and helping
ohr ndoptccs find out nboul Lhcmselvcs.
Rom her homc in Cednrcdge, she operalu
"Orphan Voyage." whlch she describes ns n
'March organlzntlon." Through her impellci
and lnspirnlion. some 20 orgnnizollm of adop
1 s have been formed across Ole nallon~ nnd
dr was In Denver Wcdncsdny lo ollcr sumcs.
Uons lo a Denver group, Adoplea In Search.
Wch wnsorganlrrd n few monthsngo.
The Denver gmup 01 ndults who were ado*
cd chlldren mct Wednesday IIl~ht at Ule
homc 01 hlrs. Jeanie Stewart, 15893 E. tlamil.
ton Place. They ere trying to srcure the
opcnlng of senled slnle records which mntnin
dclnlls of lhelr backgrounds nnd lhelr
ndoptlons.
"i\S it IS now. we know nothing nboul our
backgrounds, no1 even medico1 inlormniion,"
saldone of the membem.
htiss Pnton said It wns much cnsier uhcn she
kgnn her scnrch more thnn 30 ycars ngo. She
dscussm her background aad her search freely
and fronkly.
"My molher's famlly wouldn'l lcl her keep
me," shc said. "1 was ndopled by o lamil
wtlcn I wns nn Wnnl, bul my fosler fnlher died:
nnd then I was ndopled by Dr. and Mrs.
lbmns I'nlonol Ypsllnnti, hllch."
hlis. Palon mnlls lhnl she was given %wi.
ly, kindness and an exccllenl cducolion in the
I'alm homc. Sl~c wns grodunlcd lmm the
Urilvcrsily of Wisconsin in 1932 nnd obtnid n
muster's dqm! there In cconomies and soclol.
ogy a year later. In IEIS she corned n mnslcr's
dcgm In soclnl work from lhc UNvcrslly ol
uilh her loslcr lnlher, olten Rolng on his medicnl
rounds wllh hlm. And she hnd at lens1 a
mrknb!e relolionshlp. wllh her laster mother.
nut shc alwn wns curlous aboul her rcnl p?r-
~ntncc. "., . Mi- ..-- Etnn . ,I*.
In 1'43 she applied to the Probate Courl in
Uclmlt and was allowed to look at her adopllon
. - - -. - .
"I lcnrned my mothcr's flrsl nnme and sow
her signalum." she sald. "It wns n thrill."
Rnnsylunnln. m-
"I workcd llve ears In child plncinl: 01 llle
Philadelphln ~hllcf Cuidoncc Cl~n~c nnd qual~.
Orphan VoyogeSs jwn pPlon.~i~tsorl
I~rdnsn psychinlrlcmlol workcr," shesold. ''11'3 human llaturc to want lo
Shr hud n worm and enjoy~~bie rclo~ionshlp
know."
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\Vllh lhc scnnl Informalion she had obtn111ed
Imm the rccor&, hllss Pnton looked up (hc
recorded in the city d ~mory and hired
n pnvale dclecllve lo look up nll possible
relnllves.
"I urole the possible rclallves nnd finally got
an ansu'er from nn aunt who had k n on m
mxhrr's slde in lhe whole episode," she mid:
'Sr imk me lo sce my mother. who wns 69
Urn. She wns 22 when I was born. 60 it was 47
)van. Her molher hnd told her I was dad."
tkr molhcr lold her the nnrne of her renl fathcr
--Kitlson -and where he had unrked.
"I didn'l prm her lor loo much lnlormn.
Urn" she said. "I1 wns pnlnful for her to lnlk
abaE it. tIe would hnvc been in his lnlc 1Ds
Un and I never saw hlm. But lmm the lcads
she gave mc. I wns able lo learn a lot ahxn
hrn and it helpcd me lo undersLand m)3ell
hcclcr."
TW experience of locnling her oun molher
cnnched her oun life nnd broughl peace lo lk
k 10 ycnrs of her mother's lllc. hks I'nlm
m.d. And nlthough she usually iy addressed as
hls Pnton, she puts her nnme doun officinlly .
as hlon.Kll(son.
"IVc idopted people like lo play nmund uilh
our names like that," she cxplnhd wit11 a
mile.
kkr experlence In locnllng her molher led her
to make n sludy of ndopld persons in lklr
&It yenn. Hcsulls of the study, anu,ering
arh qucslions ns "Did hey want to know Wlr
Wgrounds? lb~d U~ey tried to find out? How
had bein adopted influence their lives?" sere
wuh c i in n book in IW.
7be book led lo thc publicalion ol a quarterly
mletlcr. "The Log or Orphnn Voyage,"
uhich discussesprublcmsof sdoptea.
The roblcm of background inlormullon Is
med tiose dcnresl lo Mlss Patcm.
"Ow prcsenl policies concerning ndopiions
hnve becn eslablished nklrnclcdlg." she said.
"u~lhout nn). vcrllicnlion or nny nicipation
of the nnlural parents. Adoplecs Eve had no
pnrl in lhe cslnbllshmcnl of present sdopllon
pllcics, no panlclpnllon In nny legislation mn.
mrning lhemselves.
"Wc are asking lhnl the records be opened.
for lhmc of us who want 10 look Into lkm. Wr
nre no1 all ol one volce, no1 everyone wanls lo
know the lruth about hlmself, bul Ume who
don't cure lolook don't hnvcto.
"Wc arc not nsklng hat lhcsc records be
opened lo the world in gcncrnl. Wc do wnnl
lhem avnilablc to the persons whose names nre
mcnlioned in Ibem, upon the mnluiil). of lhc
child.
"hfy llfc didn't reach a clcnr, solid base unUl
nllcr I had conlnclcd my own molher, rcsalved
lhnt doubt." hliss Pnlon sold. "I lhink olhers
slwruld have this opporlunily lo irnpmve Wir
li,~cscF."
'Ihr "Reunion File" she has started Is a
cmss.lndcxed curd file containing infomtion
about persons who have been adofled and per.
sons who hove given up children for ndopllon.
Bg comparing slatlsllc$ she hopes nl limes lo
k nblc to mulch nalurnl molhers uilh lhcir
lonpmissirq children.
Ollc of her lnvorlle stories concern n Colomdo
"natural" mothcr who mntacled kr lor aid
in locating her child.
"We wire able to gcl Lhe information evcntually
through the ngency which handled the
ndoption." Mlss Palon relnlcd. "I got thc ngm
cy lo u~ile lo the daughter, who wat inher ps
nnd married by then. The daughler hen wrolcher
molher, nppnrcnlly wllh lhe grcntesl dc-
U&l, and the mother wenttovlslt ha.
"It hns been n happy Ullng all around. and
the foslcr parents hnve been most gracious In I1
~160."