PETITE GUERRE - PART II
Emboldened by insomnia, I decided to c.c. my job application letter submitted to Champlain College to my brother, the editor of the local paper, the campus priest, the school football coach, and 40 college alumni.
It was the the sort of idea that appeared brilliant at four in the morning.
Later it occured to me that strangers mights not appreciate my sense of humor. I quickly scribbled off another letter:
I am sending this email because I thought you should know that before you attended Champlain College my sister, Theresa Allore was a student at Champlain and she was murdered there. This happened 25 years ago, so I am not asking for your sympathy. But over the years, Champlain Administration and their Board of Governors have fought hard to keep this story suppressed in order to protect the College's reputation. It has long been my suspicion that over the years, other young women have fallen victim to sexual assaults on campus, but the College has managed to hush these incidents.
If you would like more information on the details of the case and Champlain's involvement in the affair, please visit the website: www.whokilledtheresa.com
Also, if you experienced a sexual assault on campus or know anyone who had a similar experience in their time at Champlain, or if you have information that you feel may be relevant, I would ask that you contact
me at this email or through the website.
Finally, if you are in touch with other Champlain or Bishop's alumni I ask that you please pass this email on to them.
I thank you for your time, I'm sorry if I brought down your day, and I wish you a happy new year.
John Allore
Still the damage had been done. And the response was swift and stinging:
My brother was the first to email me:
Can you drop by so I can take your temperature?
Then an alumni:
- M. Allore,
I do sympathise with your cause but could you please remove my e-mail address from your sending list.
I hope you will understand.
Still another alumni:
- What is this thing!
Please delete me from your sending list!
thank you very much!
The worst comes from a local college student.
She decides to write a letter to the editor of the local paper, but then she proceeds to copy my email at the end of her complaint. The Sherbrooke Record publishes the letter. The woman unwittingly distributes my plea to approx. 5,000 readers:
Insulted by insinuations against college
Dear Editor,
Recently I was sifting through my junk email when there was a title: Attention Champlain College Alumni. Assuming it was something for me I opened it up, and much to my surprise it was a warning about Champlain College and its 1978 involvement in the death of Theresa Allore.
The Record, The National Post and other newspapers have done articles on this case and I found no real incriminating evidence against Champlain College. I myself am insulted that Mr. Allore believes he can harass ex-Champlain students in hopes of coming to peace with the tragic and unsolved death of his sister. I am a little worried about his motives for spamming this message, and I hope that he has not caused any
problems for the school. I am saddened that this young woman was murdered and that the case is unsolved but I am confused as to why he is trying to scare off students from attending Champlain and Bishop's. I
trust in the police force and the staff at both institutions, to uphold the law in sticky situations.
As an ex-Champlain student and a present
Bishop's student, I see no connection between a 1978 murder and the law-abiding institutions they are today.
Rebecca Blinn
Bishop's University Student
Attached is the email I received from John Allore
I considered writing a letter back to the paper to defend myself, but then decided to let things lie.
She had her point. And I was being an intollerable pain-in-the-ass.
posted by John Allore @ 1/13/2004 11:09:00 AM
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