The Richards Diagram: “Dorian Philosophy” Digitized
A redrawn, searchable version of the hand-drawn network map Gerald S. Richards produced in 1977, with each node checked against FBI files, State Police records, federal court opinions, and contemporaneous reporting.
Content note: this document concerns the sexual exploitation of children. First names of people who may have been children at the time are withheld from the transcription. Initials are reproduced as Richards wrote them, and Clutch Justice does not attempt to identify the people behind them.
About the Document
Gerald S. Richards, the Port Huron physical education teacher arrested in July 1976 and the only North Fox Island principal convicted, drew this map while cooperating with investigators. He titled it “Dorian Philosophy.” It became part of the FBI case file and has circulated publicly for more than a decade through Catherine Broad’s Oakland County Child Killer blog and other researchers.
On May 27, 1977, Richards testified from prison before the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency and described the same national structure: mail-order contact ads, front organizations, camps, and a European branch. The diagram is his picture of who connected to whom. Some of it is confirmed by other records. Some of it is not yet documented. This reference marks which is which.
Original and Redraw
Node Explorer
B.L.M. / Better Life Monthly
On the diagramThe hub of the diagram. Richards drew “B.L.M. Philosophical Liberation Organization (BL’s)” at the center, with arrows to “MAG.,” “Mail-O-Matic Operations,” “Clients,” and “B.L. Members & Friends (500 est.).” Contact-ad arrows run to the Church of the New Revelation, the California groups, Hermes, and the European network. An arrow labeled “contributing writer” runs to “F.D.S.” Footnote B reads: “Better Life Monthly (Beverly Hills, CA.) Barry Wright (known alias).”
What the record shows- The Traverse City Record-Eagle reported in April 1977 that Better Life listed its publishing office at 256 S. Robertson in Beverly Hills, a mail-forwarding address, and advertised itself as a monthly paper for pedophiles.
- Its masthead, as quoted by the Record-Eagle, called it the news magazine of an organization seeking “liberation for boys and boy-lovers.”
- Richards told state police he first made contact with the Church of the New Revelation through a Better Life ad, after which Dyer Grossman came to Port Huron from New Jersey to help set up Brother Paul’s Children’s Mission.
- The same Record-Eagle story reports that Richards named Shelden to police as a staff writer of the publication.
- Who used the “Barry Wright” alias recorded in footnote B?
- Who owned the Beverly Hills mail drop?
Marilyn Wright, “Porn ring hidden,” Traverse City Record-Eagle (Apr. 1977); Richards’ testimony, U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency (May 27, 1977).
“F.D.S.”: Francis Duffield Shelden
On the diagramDrawn as “F.D.S. Author / Investor,” with branches to “Geologist,” four homes (“A.A.,” “A.T.” [?], “Aspen,” and a summer home that appears to read “N.F.I.” [?]), “Wayne State P.T. Faculty,” “Big Brothers Ann Arbor,” and “Cranbrook Institute Board.” A “contributing writer” arrow arrives from B.L.M. Another arrow runs to “Calif. Publisher Surrey House,” which feeds porno shops. Lines also run to “D.K.” and to the Charlevoix cluster.
What the record shows- Every biographical branch Richards drew is confirmed elsewhere: the Record-Eagle described Shelden in 1977 as a geologist, pilot, and part-time university professor; FBI records confirm his Cranbrook Institute of Science trusteeship; he was a Big Brother through the Ann Arbor YMCA; he kept an Ann Arbor home and an Aspen lodge.
- His September 28, 1976 trust was signed at a house he owned in Antigua, which may be the “A.T.” home.
- Richards labeled him an “Author” and a contributing writer in 1977. The Record-Eagle reported the same claim from police that year.
- Shelden fled in 1976, was living in the Netherlands by 1977, and died in Amsterdam in 1996. The Record-Eagle reported he was found dead on July 1, 1996, with his lawyer L. Bennett Young confirming the death.
- Was Shelden the author later published as “Frank Torey”? Clutch Justice rates that identity strongly supported but not established. Fled, Not Gone, Part II.
- What was “Surrey House”?
National Bank of Detroit v. Shelden, 730 F.2d 421 (6th Cir. 1984); Marilyn Wright, Record-Eagle series (Apr. 1977); Will Scott, “Figure in North Fox child-sex ring dies,” Record-Eagle (Aug. 1996); FBI file DE 88-15106.
The Charlevoix Cluster
On the diagramSet apart inside a dashed boundary in the lower right corner. Best reading: “Charlevoix,” “Air Port,” “The ‘town’ that Frank built” [?], “Frank’s 2nd car” [?], and “(Boys father) ‘Barry Wood’ built N. Fox Island.” Beside these: “[first name withheld] and Frank, June ’76,” what appears to read “stayed [at] Wood’s home” [?], a second first name labeled “University student, former lover” [?] and “witness” [?], and a circled “M.”
What the record shows- Charlevoix is the nearest mainland town to North Fox Island. In April 1977 Charlevoix Police Chief Jack Mol told the FBI that Shelden’s car had been left at the Charlevoix County Airport and that he had met Shelden on a hunting party on the island.
- Joe Moore, about 16, of Charlevoix died by suicide in December 1976, days before the investigation became public. Mol told the FBI Moore had been a close friend of Shelden and had traveled with him.
- Shelden’s September 1976 trust set up education trusts for Joseph William Moore and a second Charlevoix boy. The second boy’s surname matches the father Richards identified as having built North Fox Island.
- Richards drew this cluster in 1977. The trust’s terms were not published until the Sixth Circuit opinion in 1984.
- What did “built” mean: the airstrip, the buildings, or the operation?
- Who stayed where in June 1976, one month before Richards’ arrest?
- A 2025 commenter on Catherine Broad’s blog describes the father as a Charlevoix contractor and his brother as a pilot. That has not been independently confirmed.
FBI memorandum, file 88-15106-44 (Apr. 18, 1977); FBI case summary DE 88-15106; National Bank of Detroit v. Shelden, 730 F.2d 421 (6th Cir. 1984).
Church of the New Revelation Inc.
On the diagramDrawn with branches reading “Sets up boys’ homes, camps, etc.,” “Minister’s licenses,” “Legal assistance,” “Act as incorporators,” “Delaware corp.,” “Kearny, N.J.,” and “Operates boys’ foster home.” Arrows connect it to B.L.M., the children’s nudist camp, Boys Farm, and down to Grossman.
What the record shows- Incorporated in Delaware in 1974 and granted federal tax exemption, with a Kearny, New Jersey address.
- Adam Starchild, whom a 1977 investigation identified as Malcolm McConahy, was listed as its president and as the primary incorporator of Brother Paul’s Children’s Mission.
- Brother Paul’s was chartered as an arm of the church and later amended its papers to stand on its own.
- A Tennessee investigator told the Record-Eagle in April 1977: “There is no church.”
- Who else used its minister’s licenses and incorporation services?
Marilyn Wright, Record-Eagle series (Apr. 4 to 6, 1977, and Dec. 1977); Detroit Bank & Trust Co. v. Trust Co. of the Virgin Islands, 644 F. Supp. 444 (D.P.R. 1985).
The Rev. Dyer Grossman
On the diagramDrawn as “The Rev. Dyer Grossman, Youth Director, C.N.R.,” with branches to “Walnut Creek (home),” “Wealthy New Eng. family,” “New boys’ camp (Wash.) setting up,” “Foster home for boys,” “Ocean Living Institute, Inc.,” “Europe sources,” and a line reading “probably in contact with ‘D.K.’ & ‘F.D.S.'”
What the record shows- Vice president of Brother Paul’s Children’s Mission and executive director of Ocean Living Institute, a Kearny, New Jersey entity.
- FBI records place him in Walnut Creek, California, after August 1976 and later at a Tacoma motel, and record intelligence that he planned a nature camp in Washington State. Richards’ diagram anticipated both.
- The Record-Eagle reported in December 1977 that he spent the holidays with his parents in Plandome Manor, Long Island, matching Richards’ “wealthy” family note.
- Charged in Michigan in 1976 with criminal sexual conduct involving two Port Huron boys, ages 10 and 14. Named in a federal fugitive warrant in February 1977. Never arrested.
- Law enforcement told WXYZ in September 2026 that Grossman, now 85, was most recently in the Netherlands. His warrants are active, and St. Clair County has sought his extradition since 2018.
- Who were his “Europe sources”?
FBI file DE 88-15106; Marilyn Wright, “Grossman search widens,” Record-Eagle (Dec. 1977); Heather Catallo, WXYZ 7 Investigators (Sept. 22, 2026).
Boys Farm, Boys Ranch, and the Vermont Camp
On the diagramThree facilities sit on the left side of the diagram: “Boys Farm, Tenn.,” “Boys Ranch, Texas,” and “Children’s Nudist Camp, Vermont.” Boys Farm and the Vermont camp connect to the Church of the New Revelation.
What the record shows- Boys Farm, Inc., in Alto, Tennessee, was raided in November 1976. Its director, the Rev. Claudius I. (Bud) Vermilye Jr., an Episcopal priest, was indicted on 16 counts and convicted in 1977, according to UPI.
- Records seized at the farm listed more than 270 “sponsors.” The Record-Eagle reported that Shelden was one of them.
- Gordon Lindsay, listed as secretary of Brother Paul’s, told investigators he had sent the farm a $10 donation.
- The Texas ranch and the Vermont camp have not been documented by Clutch Justice.
Marilyn Wright, “Tennessee boy farm linked to fake church,” Record-Eagle (Apr. 5, 1977); UPI, “Priest convicted of porno charges” (1977); MSP complaint pages, St. Clair Post #23 (Dec. 1976).
Hermes (Chicago)
On the diagramDrawn as “Hermes, Chicago Magazine & Org.,” with “members (coded),” fed by underground papers and linked to B.L.M. by contact ads.
What the record shows- In May 1977 Elden Gale Wake, publisher of the Hermes newsletter, surrendered to the Lake County, Illinois State’s Attorney on obscenity charges.
- The Record-Eagle reported that Hermes sold about 5,000 copies every two months, and that Wake’s employment records showed he had been a director of a Michigan children’s camp in the mid-1960s.
- Which Michigan camp, and did it overlap with the North Fox network?
Marilyn Wright, “Ex-director of state camp arraigned on porn charge,” Record-Eagle (May 20, 1977).
The European Network
On the diagramA box labeled “European Network, all have in-house organs,” with “international members,” lists five groups: French, German, English, Holland, and a Greek group.
What the record shows- Shelden was living in the Netherlands by 1977 and remained there until his death in 1996.
- In April 1978 he named former Dutch senator Edward Brongersma trustee of his fortune. In September 1977 Brongersma had traveled to London to address the first public meeting of the Paedophile Information Exchange, which was cancelled after protests.
- Grossman, the other North Fox fugitive, was most recently located in the Netherlands, according to law enforcement in 2026.
- Which Dutch organization did Richards mean by “Holland”?
National Bank of Detroit v. Shelden, 730 F.2d 421 (6th Cir. 1984); Iain Murray, “Britain ‘intolerant’ on child sex” (Sept. 1977); WXYZ (Sept. 22, 2026).
“D.K.” and the Michigan Contacts
On the diagramDrawn as “‘D.K.’ Freelance Photographer / Swapper, Wash.,” marked “wealthy,” with a “probable contact” line to “L.K., Pontiac” and to “J.T., Detroit” with a notation that appears to read “boyfriend P.H.” [?]. Arrows connect D.K. to Mag., to F.D.S., and to Grossman.
What the record shows- Richards recorded these people by initials only. Clutch Justice has not identified any of them and does not speculate about who they were.
- Two of the four locations are in Oakland and Wayne counties, the area of the Oakland County Child Killer abductions.
- Did investigators identify L.K. of Pontiac or J.T. of Detroit, and were they ever interviewed?
Richards diagram (1977).
Ads, Mail Drops, and Distributors
On the diagramThe top and middle of the diagram trace how material and contacts moved: porno shops by direct mail, “Teddy Bear Club” ads, ads in The Advocate and other underground papers, a California mail receiver and forwarding service, “8mm Motion Picture Distributors, San Francisco,” “Calif. Publisher Surrey House,” a “D.S.” photography swapper in Arizona, and two California groups Richards labeled “Child Sexuality Circle Inc.” and “Rene Guyon Society Inc.”
What the record shows- Richards drew advertising in publications as the network’s entry point. Appearing on the diagram does not mean a publication knew how its classified ads were being used.
- The B.L.M. hub, the mail drops, and the forwarding services match the Record-Eagle’s description of Better Life’s Beverly Hills mail-forwarding address.
- Clutch Justice has not yet documented the California groups, the San Francisco distributors, or Surrey House.
Richards diagram (1977); Marilyn Wright, Record-Eagle (Apr. 1977).
Key Connections
The F.D.S. node reads “Author / Investor,” with a “contributing writer” line to Better Life Monthly. That is Richards’ own hand, the same year police told the Record-Eagle he had named Shelden a staff writer, and years before the “Frank Torey” publishing record begins.
Richards identified a Charlevoix boy’s father as the man who built North Fox Island. Shelden’s 1976 trust, published in a 1984 court opinion, provided for a Charlevoix boy with the same surname, alongside Joe Moore.
Walnut Creek, the planned Washington camp, the wealthy family, Cranbrook, Big Brothers, Wayne State, and Aspen all appear on Richards’ map and are confirmed by FBI records and contemporaneous reporting.
Richards listed a Holland group in the European network. Shelden lived in the Netherlands for nearly twenty years, named a former Dutch senator as his trustee, and the second fugitive, Grossman, was most recently located there.
The church, the camps, and the foster homes on the left side of the diagram were set up as charities. The Record-Eagle confirmed in 1977 that the IRS had granted the church and Ocean Living Institute tax-exempt status.
Footnote Legend, Transcribed
| Mark | Richards wrote | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| A | Rocky Mount, N.C. (Mr. Smith, operator) | Clear |
| B | Better Life Monthly (Beverly Hills, CA.) Barry Wright (known alias) | Clear |
| C | Promotes child-sex at an early age | Clear |
| D | “Maybe legit”? | Clear |
| E | Uses P.O. box (may be forwarding service), San Francisco; incorporated in Calif., S.F. | Partly uncertain |
Richards placed lettered and circled marks beside several nodes. Where a mark’s placement on the original is ambiguous, this reference does not assign it to a node.
Reading Notes
The transcription works from the circulating scan. Readings marked [?] are uncertain because of handwriting or image quality, and a cleaner copy of the original may change them.
Two first names in the Charlevoix cluster are withheld because the people named may have been children or young adults at the time. The surname of the boy’s father is reproduced in the original scan, but this reference does not connect it to any individual beyond what Richards wrote.
The diagram is Richards’ account. He was a cooperating defendant describing a network he belonged to. Where his map can be checked against independent records, it largely holds up, but no node should be treated as established on the diagram alone.