Gary Lee Lewis, Frederick—lived at Rosewood for 15 years

“I wanted to see Rosewood close in 1995, don’t wait another 10 years.”

Gary went to Rosewood with his sisters as toddler in 1960, where he attended the Rosewood school. He remembers if you were late for school you had to stand straight up against a wall all day. He also remembers that even as a young child staff were not always nice, many people did not wear clothes and there was never enough to eat. To Gary, freedom means being on your own, he now lives in a duplex independently. The best thing about leaving Rosewood is that no one calls you names and he no longer has to sleep in a room with 15 other people.