Opening BB&N Minds

In December 1987, after 23 years at BB&N, Ted Washburn pled guilty to charges of rape in Middlesex Superior Court.

Communications from alumni indicate he that started to molest boys as early as 1971.  The abuse occurred in Lexington, Massachusetts, and at his family house on Squam Lake, New Hampshire.  He also is likely to have molested boys during Harvard crew trips to Connecticut . On more than one occasion, he sponsored a contest for his students for which the prize was the opportunity to accompany him, under the cover of being a baby-sitter for his child, to the Henley Regatta in England.  

Washburn hosted parties at his family house on  Squam Lake.  Rumors of marijuana and sex circulated among the students, as well as rumors that Washburn's interest in boys waned when the boys grew taller than he. Washburn continued taking young boys and girls on trips to New Hampshire in his van throughout the 1970s. 

Numerous people have described his habit of
making suggestive  comments to boys to determine how interested they were in talking about masturbation.  He carefully cultivated an attitude of rebelliousness that was particularly appealing to adolescents.

The abuse continued until 1987.  On receiving his suspended sentence, he allegedly boasted to his lawyer that the Judge Flannery had "no idea" of what he (Ted) had gotten away with.

There is still an opportunity to prosecute him for his crimes.  Based on the way that the statute of limitations works, he could still be prosecuted for crimes committed in New Hampshire, Connecticut or England even if those crimes occurred decades ago.

Among the indications of Washburn's own awareness of his criminal behavior was the assigned reading of "The Imp of the Perverse," a story by Edgar Allen Poe about a criminal who remains undetected for years until the character's guilt propels him to confess his crime.

According to a letter from the CEO of the organization which employs him, Washburn for the past 18 years has worked as an employee in the non-profit's Boston office.  You can read a testimonial about his conduct at the office in the early 1990s.

He is currently classified as a Class One sex offender which means he does not show up in sex offender database searches.  

If you were a victim of Ted Washburn's or you believe that you have information about some of his activities that would help Opening BB&N Minds reach out to others and ensure that Ted is no longer a threat, please contact  us.

"Judge Flannery's order to Washburn to stay away from children and continue in psychiatric practice offers little, if any, assurance that Washburn will stop his abusing behavior."

From Letter to the Editor
The Boston Globe, February 25, 1988

"He was subject to fits of rage, [a social worker] testified, and the children had a long standing fear of him.[...]

Pornography was used to test their boundaries and to arouse them.  There was an enormous betrayal of trust."