Byron Hanson was described in Interlochen Center for the Arts' 2021 annual report as "an Interlochen legend beloved by countless students, faculty, staff, and alumni." Seven alumni have now given firsthand accounts of Hanson buying them alcohol, driving them to remote locations, and sexually assaulting them over a span stretching from the 1960s through the 1970s. He taught at Interlochen from 1960 until 2015. He died in 2021 at age 79.
Hanson wasn't an outlier. He was one of forty-seven.
A 97-page independent report released Tuesday by Interlochen Center for the Arts — the elite Michigan boarding school and summer arts camp — documents approximately 70 instances of sexual misconduct committed by 47 adults over seven decades, from the 1950s through the 2010s. Among the accused: Jeffrey Epstein, who attended the camp as a student in the 1960s and later returned as a major donor from 1990 to 2003.
Two alumni reported sexual contact with Epstein at the school. One described an incident at a lodge on campus — a lodge named after Epstein, which he was allowed to use for weeks at a time as a perk of his donor status. That lodge was finally demolished in June 2026. Epstein's name had been removed from donor signage after his first conviction in 2009, but the institution claimed at that time it had investigated and found no crimes on campus.
The investigator's summary was blunt. "The information gathered during this investigation is, simply, devastating," the Sanghavi Law Office wrote.
The details in the report go well beyond Epstein. A residence life staff member in the 1970s fondled a student and exposed himself. An arts faculty member in the 1980s engaged in anal intercourse with a student with enough force to require medical attention — and when the student sought help, an administrator called him a "slut," threatened to out him as gay, and drove him to the airport. A board member in the 1980s performed oral sex on a student in a campus restroom, then repeated the assault in his hotel room during an out-of-state trip. In the 1990s, an arts faculty member cultivated a friendship with a student, then leveraged control with a direct threat: "Remember I am one of the people who controls your scholarship."
Thomas Clower, arts faculty from 2003 to 2005, was convicted of criminal sexual conduct in 2005. Charlie McWhorter, a trustee from 1970 to 1999, is among the accused. John "Jack" Hood served as faculty and administrator from 1963 to 1979 and in seasonal roles until 2004. Approximately one-third of the 47 accused are now deceased. None remain employed at the school.
Interlochen President Trey Devey called the findings "absolutely heartbreaking." He told Interlochen Public Radio, "It's contrary to everything this institution stands for, and we're grateful to everyone who came forward." He added: "Our students are watching what we do. We can do the right thing."
The names of living accused individuals have been sent to the Grand Traverse County Prosecutor's Office and will be shared with the county sheriff. Interlochen says it has established a dedicated fund to offset counseling costs for survivors and plans an art installation dedicated to them.
Here's what the institution's response conspicuously avoids: how 47 predators operated across seven decades without a single systemic alarm triggering an outside investigation. The report was only commissioned two years ago after a former student came forward about Hanson's misconduct from the 1970s — meaning the catalyst wasn't an institutional audit, a board review, or a compliance flag. It was one person finally deciding to talk, half a century later. RAINN representative Jennifer Simmons Kaleba put it plainly: "The question really should be, 'What made it so hard for them to come forward sooner?'"
Interlochen now touts anonymous online reporting systems, mandatory reporter training for staff, and access to Michigan's OK2Say tipline. Devey promises "severe consequences" for any adult who fails to report. Which sounds reassuring until you remember this is the same institution that employed Byron Hanson for fifty-five years, hosted Jeffrey Epstein's personal lodge, and put a trustee accused of assaulting a student in a restroom on the board for three decades.
Seventy instances. Forty-seven accused. Seven decades. One report — commissioned only because a single former student refused to stay quiet.
That's not an institution that failed to catch a problem. That's an institution the problem was built into.