Testimonials

 At the age of 13, Doug decided one day to change the course of his childhood. Growing up in Sioux Falls, he decided to go to the hospital near his home and tell the employees he didn’t want to live at home anymore. He had a stressed relationship with his parents. Police arrived and took Doug to the local detention center until it was decided that McCrossan Boys Ranch would be a good fit for Doug.

The Ranch became a place of refuge and hope for Doug to change the path of his childhood. Less than a year after arriving at the Ranch, his father passed away and his mom did not want him back at home. He attended school at Patrick Henry and eventually went to Washington High School locally where he was involved in band and played the trumpet. Life on the Ranch was interesting to Doug and there was always plenty of activities to keep him busy. One of his favorite past times was the many hours he spent helping in the Ranch kitchen. He enjoyed helping prepare food and the responsibility it brought. Ranch Boy Scout outings provided an opportunity for Doug to go to Yellowstone, the Black Hills on camping trips and out to the Palisades to rock climb. All childhood memories he looks back at fondly.

Doug came to the realization that he could not blame others for where he was at and that he needed to take control of his life to get what he wanted. The Ranch taught him independence and maturity. Doug stayed at McCrossan’s for about four years before going back home.

After leaving the Ranch, Doug went on to receive his high school diploma from Washington High School and eventually went to South Dakota State University in Brookings. One year later he was struggling in school and decided to take a manager trainee job at Country Kitchen in Sioux Falls. He enjoyed the food service industry and later moved to New England where he eventually became a restaurant manager in Harvard Square.

While working in Harvard Square, Doug became interested in taking classes at Harvard University. A few classes turned into enrollment at Harvard and eventually he received his Bachelor’s Degree cum laude from Harvard and decided to go on to law school in Miami. At the University of Miami School of Law, he obtained both a Juris Doctorate cum laude and a Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree.

Doug is now a partner at Sullivan & Worcester in Boston and is a leading international tax law attorney with clients all around the world. His publications and accolades are too long to list. He is also an Adjunct Professor at Boston University School of Law. Doug has a portfolio consisting of many well-known clients and also speaks fluent Spanish.

Doug and his wife Gianna have four children that are their pride and joy. In his spare time, Doug enjoys cycling and he also has a freelance voiceover business. 

His biggest message to the boys at the Ranch now is “to make sure you stay persistent. If you want something take responsibility for it despite what roadblocks might be in your way.” Hanging over his desk is his favorite motto: “The man on top of the mountain didn’t fall there.”

 At the age of 14, McCrossan Boys Ranch became a temporary home for Quincy. He grew up never knowing his father and got into trouble with drugs and gangs. Quincy had served one sentence in federal prison, two sentences in state prison and was on probation until he was 18 years old. He was a hardened young man in search of figuring out what the future held for him. He recalls crying himself to sleep some nights back in Sutherland Cottage wishing his life was different. 

Quincy remembers how his life started to change at McCrossan’s. He said, “my favorite memory of the Ranch was during the holidays and that says a lot because I wasn’t big on holidays as a boy. I think it was the love I felt from some of the staff at that time.” He also really enjoyed working with horses and fondly remembers giving rides around Citibank in Sioux Falls. 

Quincy’s biggest advice for our boys is to “take advantage of your time at McCrossan’s. The schooling, sports and the skills you learn as a horseman can literally take you around the world and give you success.”

The changing point in Quincy’s life was when he decided to give his life to Jesus Christ. Now, Quincy lives a life of blessings. He is a Pastor at Grace City in Rapid City. He also has three daughters. Quincy published a book called The Blue Road – Jesus Fulfilled the Old Way which has been sold throughout the US and Canada. Quincy is a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and is still very active in Native American dance and Pow Wow’s. In 2004, at the Honoring of the Chiefs Pow Wow on the Cheyenne River Reservation through an ancient Lakota naming ceremony, he was given a new name, Quincy Good Star. He has since then legally changed his last name from Afraid of Lightning to Good Star because of this great honor. 

When Quincy gets the chance he comes out to the McCrossan Chapel to share his story with the boys. He shares his story of how Jesus freed him from his past and how he became a changed man. He is now drug free, alcohol free and crime free. One night after speaking, 20 young men and one staff member gave their lives to Jesus that night after hearing the powerful message by Quincy.

Quincy is also a Licensed Realtor and a Chaplain for the Pennington County Jail helping share his story of God’s grace to so many that need to hear it.

Back in the year 2000, a young man by the name of Byron Ostrom was living at the Ranch. 17 years old at the time, Byron had come from a history of breaking the law. As a young boy he had been in trouble quite a few times by stealing and other minor law violations. Byron came from a classic broken home and was raised by his father in Minnesota, after his mother abandoned the family. The final straw was when his father got caught with a meth lab, and Byron was caught in the middle. A SWAT team came over and busted the lab and then it was all over. Byron says, “I remember sitting in juvenile detention, that was a defining moment for me and I told probation personnel to send me to boot camp. Instead they handed me a flyer with horses on it and said McCrossan’s is where I would go to change.” Byron said the Ranch was a great place, everyone was really nice and he got to do fun things too. He remembers canoe trips, the wagon train and going on hitches. A camping trip to the Black Hills was his fondest memory of the Ranch. “For a person who wants to change, McCrossan’s gives you a variety of stuff to do and try, it was really neat. If you want to guide your future in the right direction, McCrossan’s is the place,” says Byron. With the Ranch’s help Byron successfully completed high school and received his diploma. Byron realized the childhood he once lived was not a normal one.

Byron spent much of his time at McCrossan Boys Ranch in the Independent Living Preparation Program. It was here he learned to cook, clean, balance a checkbook and get a job. “The people at McCrossan’s genuinely care and it was that feeling that helped me to become a responsible, productive citizen in today’s society. I was given so many chances at McCrossan’s to make a difference. I even met a counselor, Troy Geis, that I still talk to yet today that is like a “Dad” to me…so much so he was a groomsmen in my wedding.”

Now, Byron lives a much different life. He has been drug free since the day he left the Ranch. Byron loved the area so much he found employment with a local construction company and has been working his way up the supervisory ladder. Byron also enjoys the medical field and was involved on the Community Emergency Response Team and Volunteer Fire Department for a local town. Byron is also very active in the community. He has been a mentor or “Big Brother” to several kids. He also enjoys golf, hunting and biking. 

Byron and his wife Liz have two kids – a son, Aiden and a daughter, Harper.

Byron is glad he had the chance to come to McCrossan’s. Troy Geis his staff mentor says, “Byron has turned out to be the kind of young man every father would hope for. He is giving and has a can-do attitude. He works hard and treats people well.”

Today, Matt Lanz reflects on his year at the Ranch with good memories. Back in 1987, Matt was placed at McCrossans when he was just 16 years old. He suffered from feelings of alienation and low self-esteem while in high school and in his community. Many kids had labeled him and he felt the same from his teachers. He had reached a point in his life where he couldn’t handle the everyday pressures from his peers and so he ended up getting into trouble with the law. As a result, he performed far below his potential. He had enough of school and was ready to run away from it all.

Realizing he needed help, he had the opportunity to go to McCrossan Boys Ranch for guidance and was open to the idea from the very beginning. He loved horses and so it was a good fit for him. After coming to the Ranch, he felt comfortable. He was finally around other kids that could relate to him and he made many friends. Even today, he remains in contact with some fellow residents he met while at the Ranch. He said the biggest influence on him was the horse program. “It helped a lot and you got to take part in activities that made you feel important like wagon trains, parades and horseback riding. You also learn responsibility by taking care of the horses and doing other chores,” Matt says. For the first time, his bedroom was clean every day and he was proud of the way it made him feel. He had some struggles at the Ranch but kept working hard and the staff encouraged him along the way.

After leaving the Ranch, Matt went back to high school in Minnesota and earned his diploma. He then went on to get a job as a security guard at a casino and ended up getting into some more trouble. It was then that he realized that his training at the Ranch had finally kicked in and he had to make some life changes.

He moved to Spearfish to start over and that he did. He got married to Amber Janis and they have been together for more than 20 years now. He also has four boys– Jordan, Jared, Leaf and Sky. It was then that he had the time to pursue his true love – art. Matt has been an artist since the age of five and is talented in many areas of artwork including sculptures, drawing, murals, makeup art and drafting just to name a few. His list of accomplishments is now pages long. He was the makeup artist for Ted Turner’s TNT Lakota Woman and Crazy Horse movies. He helped provide artwork for Kevin  Costner’s Dunbar Resort. He has taught art and has been commissioned to do many oil paintings and sculptures of Indians, cowboys, and the western way of life. Matt recently completed a life size sculpture at the Rapid City Regional Airport. He is also working on drafting plans for log homes out in the Black Hills. He and his family are members of the Oglala Sioux Tribe and they are a source of inspiration for him.

Matt proudly said in his interview, “I consider myself successful. I have a beautiful wife and four children and they are my pride and joy. I get everything I need from them. My work as an artist is just a bonus.”

Matt stays very busy with his artwork. He and his wife have also chosen to home school their children so they do not have an experience in school like he did. In his spare time he enjoys researching historical and modern sources for his next art project, fishing, hunting and spending  time with his boys. 

Nearly 12 years ago, a young boy named Nik Heine was placed at McCrossan Boys Ranch. “I was privately placed at the Ranch because I had a lot of anger about being abandoned as a young child in China. I went through many orphanages before being adopted at age 6. Growing up, I didn’t have  the maturity to understand why I was abandoned, so I acted out.”

While at the Ranch, Nik enjoyed spending time with a wide variety of staff. One staff, in particular, he spent many hours with. “Terrie Wallenstein was a great role model. I spent many hours in the kitchen and we developed a good relationship together. We prepped foods and spent time cleaning in the kitchen. Together, we helped make the 2005 McCrossan Golf Classic and BBQ a success!”

While he was at the Ranch he also enjoyed playing basketball for the Ranch YMCA Basketball team and even got to enjoy a camping trip to the Rapid City area. Because of Nik’s academics, he was allowed to attend Tri-Valley High School while at the Ranch and was heavily involved in the drumline. “As section leader, I wrote music during my free time at the Ranch and led practices at school.”

One day while at the Ranch, Nik was taken to the dentist for a routine appointment. While he was sitting in the chair he thought to himself this just might be a good career to pursue. He made the decision that someday he would work to become a dentist.

After his days at the Ranch, Nik attended the University of Minnesota and graduated with a B.S. in Nutritional Sciences. He continued at the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry and earned his Doctorate of Dental Surgery in May of 2016. As a student dentist, he worked in community dental clinics in Minneapolis and St. Paul and also provided dental services for impoverished areas of Antigua and San Rafael, Guatemala. Recently, Nik was hired at All About Smiles as a General and  Cosmetic Dentist in the greater Pittsburgh area.

Nik also recently married his wife Ivy in Portugal. From his time with Terrie at the Ranch, he has developed a liking to healthy cooking. He also enjoys traveling and photography. In the future, he hopes to combine cooking, traveling and photography into a side business.

Nik received several scholarships for attending the University of Minnesota from the McCrossan Scholarship Fund. We thank the many McCrossan donors who helped make the scholarships for Nik and other boys like Nik possible. Nik sends some advice for the boys who are still at the Ranch. “For  whatever reason you are at the Ranch, whether you think you should be there or not, you can’t do anything about it so make the best out of it. Do something about your life instead of sitting back and wondering about the what ifs. I thank the Ranch for what they have done for me. The maturity I learned at McCrossan’s has helped me form a better relationship with my family. The patience I now have has helped me achieve great things in life.”

We thank Nik for sharing his story with us. If you are an alumni and would like to share your story  contact Christy Menning in the Development office at (605) 339-1203. 

Making a move from a small South Dakota town to Sioux City (a city of  around 80,000) can be a culture shock for almost any child. In fact for one of our alumni Phillip Ward, it was a stressful and traumatic change that affected him socially, academically and emotionally. Phillip was raised in a family of four children and his family struggled with mental illness, physical and sexual abuse, parental violence and more. Moving just made things worse…

Back in South Dakota before the move, Phillip worked for a rancher in Milbank. Phillip was just 14 years old. The rancher had horses, cattle and a lot of farm work. “I learned to ride, drive a tractor, stack hay, run farm machinery and so much more,” recollects Phillip. “I was simply satisfied with my life. From the farmer’s wife, I learned kindness and respect. As a bonus for my work the rancher gave me a calf of my very own which I could sell, but he also bought me work jackets, gloves, cowboy boots and more. He was our neighbor and I enjoyed walking to his home to do chores,” said Phillip.

All that disappeared with a move to Sioux City. According to Phillip, “I was a social disaster and I became delinquent because of it. I ended up stealing from people on my paper route and got in a lot of fist fights that first year. One day a neighbor saw me enter a house and reported me to the police. That is how I ended up at McCrossan Boys Ranch. I was just 15 years old.”

The year was 1968. At the time the Ranch still had house parents who watched over the kids. “The nicest part was never having to look for a friend or somebody to do something with –  companionship,” says Phillip. “I did a lot of work, played basketball, and even went on a 250 mile canoe trip.” Thanks to the help of one of the counselors at the Ranch, Phillip had learned to become a student and decided to study and work at his education. “Becoming a student and studying had never been an option for me,” remembers Phillip. He worked hard and graduated from Washington High School during his stay at McCrossan’s.

After leaving the Ranch, Phillip studied at Iowa Central Community College and received an Associate of Arts Degree. Then he attended the University of South Dakota and received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology. During this time he had fallen in love with a German foreign exchange student and moved to Germany. Initially, Phillip painted cars, which he learned to do at a Rapid City body shop. During this time he took night courses and learned German in three years. He was then accepted to the Department of Psychology at the Ruhr Universitat in Bochum, received his Master’s Degree and became a Clinical Psychologist.

Phillip is now a licensed Psychotherapist and a specialist in sexual abuse for the Parental Guidance Center (Erziehungsberatungsstelle). His main job is the psychological evaluation of children with learning, social, behavioral and emotional problems and parental counseling.

Phillip has two children, Simon (25) who is studying Meteorology and Johanna (22) who is studying to become a teacher in English and Art. During his spare time, Phillip enjoys playing the violin, fly fishing and deep sea fishing in the Baltic Sea, golfing and wood working.

Phillip’s advice is simple, “Realize that you have resources and use them to help someone less better off than yourself.”

McCrossan Boys Ranch is proud of Phillip and his many accomplishments. If you are an alumni and have a story to share, contact the McCrossan Development Office at (605) 339-1203. Thank you Phillip for sharing your story with us!