Hi, I am still around and constantly "lurking". Stephen, thanks for retrieving the info that I searching for myself!
More recently, I read that Genie's mother died a number of years ago. I believe I contacted Dr. Curtiss in 2002 (?). Shannon Gadbois > Jean-Marc Perreault publicly asked me: > > > A student of mine reported watching a recent documentary last > > week-end during which they were discussing famous cases of "wild" > > children, including the case of Genie. I was under the impression that > > nobody really knew where she had ended up, but the documentary supposedly > > showed footage of the woman. She was not talking. The person being > i> nterviewed said Genie could pronounce words, but had no sense of grammar. > > > Do you have any more specific info as to what has happened with Genie? > > I'll try to find out which documentary the student saw... > > > Hi Jean-Marc: > > That's easy. All I have to do is recyle a message I posted on that other list back in 2004. As it > happens, the most recent information in it comes from another student of mine, Shannon > Gadbois, who resourcefully asked Susan Curtiss and received an informative reply, which > she posted on TIPS. As we haven't heard from Shannon for a long time on TIPS, I assume > she's no longer with us. Bummer. > > The only update I can offer is to check out that often- maligned source, Wikipedia (search > using "Genie (feral child)" ). It's a pretty good account, although I wouldn't be so hard on Jean > Butler and much harder on the research team, especially David Rigler. I'd also mention the > sensational lawsuit launched by Genie's mother. Unfortunately, there's no source given for > the information under "Present Condition", so accept it with caution. > > Stephen > > ------- Forwarded message follows ------- > From: Stephen Black <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: Society for Teaching of Psychology Discussion List <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: Genie, the wild child > Date sent: Sat, 21 Aug 2004 11:37:39 -0500 > > > On 17 Aug 2004, Kristin Larson wrote: > > > Every semester a student will ask me what has happened > > to "Genie" now that she is an adult. I am aware that she lived in a group > > home, but I have not been able to find out any information about her > > development. Any suggestions? > > Under the slogan, better late than never, I contribute the following. > > Little information is available. As Mark Walter noted in an earlier > post, Russ Rymer, who wrote the definitive account of the whole sad > story (Genie: an Abused Child's Flight From Silence (1993), aka > "Genie: A Scientific Tragedy"), provided a brief update. According to > Rymer (in his 1992 account in _The New Yorker_ magazine), Dr. Jay > Shurley, one of the group who had studied her, showed Rymer two > disturbing photographs of "a large, bumbling woman with a facial > expression of cowlike incomprehension". Of the second photograph, > Shurley said: > > "Her twenty-seventh birthday party...I was there, and then I saw her > again when she was twenty-nine, and she still looked miserable. She > looked to me like a chronically institutionalized person. It was > heartbreaking...She looks demented". > > On the other hand, David Rigler, the chief psychologist at the > hospital where Genie was treated, and Genie's temporary foster > parent, said in a 1993 letter to the New York Times (his sole > comment, as far as I know, against charges that he exploited Genie): > > "As I write this, Genie is again living in a board-and- care home, > this time under happier circumstances. Genie visits her mother > regularly. My wife and I were invited to visit her in the company of > her mother. Although we had not seen her for more than 15 years, we > all of us cried as she greeted us by name". > > Finally, my former student Dr. Shannon Gadbois, now professor of > psychology at Brandon University, wrote to ask Susan Curtiss the same > question, and she posted Curtiss's reply on that other list for > psychology teachers (that unmoderated, uncensored, anything-goes, > Wild West one) in 2001. > > Shannon reported that Dr. Curtiss said: > > 1. Genie is in an adult care facility that Dr. Curtiss described as > "atypical" in that it offers exceptional exposure to events and > activities. Each year Genie travels with her group to Las Vegas to > play slot machines and explore. They also go on regular outings and > have "social functions" at the care home. > > 2. Dr. Curtiss said that, unfortunately, Genie's language skills have > deteriorated as has her ability to sign (she really has no one with > whom she can "practice" signing). Despite these setbacks, Dr. Curtiss > said that Genie is still "a powerhouse of zest for life". > > 3. Dr. Curtiss also said that not one member of the "team" that > worked with Genie has been permitted to see her. Her mother, as of > last year, was still the legal guardian, and had forbidden the team > members to see Genie. Dr. Curtiss receives all of her information > through Genie's social worker". > > I've also had students tell me they were told by another (always > unidentified) instructor that Genie had died of cancer. As far as I > know, this rumour is false. Possibly it originated with confusion > with the death of Jean Butler Ruch, Genie's sometimes teacher and > adversary of Curtiss and Rigler. She died of stroke in 1989. A > colleague suggested it was Genie's mother, Irene, who had died of > cancer, but I haven't been able to verify that either. > > > ___________________________________________________ > Stephen L. Black, Ph.D. ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) > Department of Psychology > Bishop's University > Lennoxville, QC J1M 1Z7 > Canada > Dept web page at http://www.ubishops.ca/ccc/div/soc/psy > TIPS discussion list for psychology teachers at > http://faculty.frostburg.edu/psyc/southerly/tips/index.htm > _______________________________________________ > > > --- > You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-tips- [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Shannon Gadbois, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Department of Psychology Brandon University 270 - 18th St. Brandon, MB R7A 6A9 Phone: (204)727-7306 Fax: (204)728-7346 --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: archive@jab.org To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]