‘DNA doesn’t lie:’ After more than 50 years, sons of former Bison great Paul Hatchett finally united – INFORUM

FARGO Nobody knows for sure why the baby was left on the doorsteps of the Church of Ascension on North Bryant Avenue in Minneapolis in 1967, other than perhaps the mother was active in that Catholic church and had a sense of comfort that things would work out. Thats where the life of Jonathan Wright began.

He was adopted by two loving parents the father a publisher of three small newspapers in the Twin Cities but both passed away around 20 years ago. Wright always wondered about his biological parents but didnt want to pursue it for fear it would hurt his adoptive parents.

I didnt want to have them feel that I didnt want their love, he said.

After they died, at some point, he revisited the thought. He and his wife, Elva, were living in Ontario, Calif., when Jonathan saw a news segment aired Fridays on KTLA-TV in Los Angeles called Finding Family, where anchor Chris Schauble, who was adopted, talks about an organization that specializes in finding biological parents.

Thought turned to conversations on the topic with Elva. It would require an investment with an ancestry organization and in this case the Los Angeles firm of BirthParentFinder.com.

Elva gave her blessing but also gave Jonathan the following advice: You never know what youre going to find.

It could be Pandoras box, Jonathan said.

Jonathan teaches English and video in Guam, a United States territory located almost a half a world away in the western Pacific Ocean. One thing about modern science: distance doesnt matter.

Jonathan contracted with BirthParentFinder.com last October. Through DNA, in January, the news was quite startling.

Jonathan Wright found out he has a full brother, Jimmie Lee Bishop, living in the Twin Cities. He found out he has a half brother, Thomas Moede, living in Georgia. Both Moede and Bishop previously took DNA tests.

Furthermore, the DNA system identified the father of all three boys. He was former North Dakota State All-American running back Paul Hatchett.

Well it was just confounding, Bishop said. It was like, wow. But you see it all the time, you see these stories and I never imagined I would have one of these stories too with a long-lost brother I never knew about.

Hatchett was a star at Minneapolis Central High School. NCAA rules prohibited freshmen from playing back then but from 1967-69 he ran for 2,309 yards, a Bison career record that stood until the mid-1980s.

He held 15 school rushing and scoring records at one time including single-season marks of 1,213 yards and 17 touchdowns in 1968. His 41 touchdowns in that three-year period was another career record.

It was the beginning of NDSU football dominance that is alive and well at the Division I FCS level. The Bison were 29-1 with national titles in 1968 and 1969. They were second in the national wire service poll in 1967.

But Hatchett left NDSU after the 1969 season and was never heard from again in Fargo, perhaps disappointed the NFL didnt come calling. Wright would someday like to see old film footage of his biological father, if it exists. His initial online research into Hatchett took him to a small college All-American list.

I grew up a Pittsburgh Steelers fan and to see his name next to Terry Bradshaw (Louisiana Tech) was pretty cool, he said.

The question for both brothers, however, is why? Why did their mother leave Jonathan on the church doorstep? Its not a subject for conversation and, with the mother having health issues, may never be known.

There was no such thing as a safe haven law, a stipulation that allows a parent to surrender an infant without facing prosecution for abandonment.

Back in that time period, there was no sanctuary where you could drop off a child at a hospital, fire station or police station with no questions asked, said Jay Rosenzweig, the founder and CEO of BirthParentFinder.com.

Wright thinks there was more of a plan to it. He appreciates his adoptive parents, saying they did a better job than perhaps his real mother could because of a lack of resources. Bishop, who remains in touch with his mom, has heard little by little of a few clues.

She was telling stories of how she was feeling at the time, he said. She was saying at one time she didnt want to interfere with Pauls football career. And it kind of started making a little more sense, she was trying not to hinder him from going on and playing football because he loved it so much.

Whatever the case, the brothers plan on getting together in person for the first time in July in the Twin Cities. It promises to be an emotional union of siblings.

There is no sugar coating it for the boys: their father had off-the-field issues. For whatever reason, he never got a shot at pro football. There were run-ins with law enforcement in Fargo, a demon that would follow him until he died of natural causes in 2013 at the age of 64 in Savannah, Ga. Childhood friend Gregory Washington, who spoke to Hatchett a year before he died, said Hatchett had regrets that things didnt go a different way.

Wright learned of his fathers past from online links that Bishop sent him.

It was surprising, kind of bittersweet, he said. It was really stunning to hear. Im thinking he was one phone call or bad decision away from an incredible career in the NFL. I tell my students: do today what others wont so tomorrow you can do what others can. We talk about how a decision you make today can impact your career.

Bishop takes a more personal approach. He and his mother lived in north Minneapolis, but seeing her son running the streets more to her liking, they moved to the north suburb of Coon Rapids.

He had a few conversations with Hatchett over the years, like the one time as a young boy both were walking through a gym and somebody asked Hatchett if he still had it.

He took a basketball and dunked it, Bishop said. He was super strong and muscular. He kind of seemed like a superhero.

Hatchett was 5-foot-9 and at NDSU was listed at 195 pounds.

NDSU Athletics photo

Bishop was around 13 years old the last time he saw him. He was about 18 the last time they spoke on the phone.

I started drinking and was not on a very good path, Bishop said. He was like, I think I can help you out. I was like, Im grown and I dont need your help. I felt bad about that later on.

Later on, these days, Bishop is back in school at Metropolitan State in the Twin Cities working on a bachelors degree. At night he works with a local theater, a passion that may lead him and Jonathan to write a screenplay or play on their life story.

He has most of his classes done to go into addiction counseling but isnt sure he wants to continue to pursue it. But if he did, what would he theoretically tell his father?

Just to talk about things Ive learned, to open up those things inside, Bishop said. The secrets that keep us sick. Figure out the reasons why? When its all by itself deep inside, everything seems scary in the dark when youre all alone. When you bring it out and deal with other people, its easier to come back. The more people on your team, the more you dont feel so alone and isolated.

All involved agree Hatchett must have felt alone and isolated. There were signs of positivity, like telling a Forum reporter in 1969 he wanted to get into social work. He worked with underprivileged kids at the Sabathani Community Center in Minneapolis.

Wright thinks his biological father had a Dr. Jekyll Mr. Hyde-type of personality.

He was well-loved during the day, friends speak highly of him, he said. But at night time this character came out. Why did he go down that road? Guess well never know.

What the brothers do know is theyre thankful theyve found each other.

I cant say enough about that, Wright said. It provides closure because its something Ive always wondered about growing up.

They Zoom call each other. Its not easy with Wright being in Guam and the time zone change, but they try to connect every Sunday at 7 a.m. for Wright, which is Saturday in the Twin Cities for Bishop.

Bishop says the best comfort for him is knowing Jonathan grew up with a good life and continues to succeed. It was some upbringing; he was one of six kids Hardy and Elizabeth adopted from different backgrounds while living in Mendota Heights, Minn.

Jonathans sister, Beverly, discovered her grandfather was a chief on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. Jonathans brother Mark is of Lakota descent who died of a gunshot wound in 1980 on the Pine Ridge Reservation.

His sister, Tamara, retired after working for the city of St. Paul for 36 years and is a cancer survivor. His oldest brother, Donald, was born partially blind and with facial paralysis.

When the adoption agency asked my parents what kind of children they wanted, Jonathan said, they responded the ones that need the most help.

The only help Jonathan, Jimmie Lee and Thomas need now is finding time to connect. When Jonathan and Jimmie Lee first talked, they noticed right away both like to joke and have fun.

We both seem really similar personality-wise, Bishop said. Hes a talker. One of the first things he said is youll have to excuse my sense of humor and Im like, thats not going to be a problem. Hell say something smart and Ill say something witty and our mother would do that, too. That is really amazing to me. The DNA doesnt lie.

Submitted photo

And neither do the photos. When Bishop showed photos of him and Jonathan to a third party Hatchett was Black and their mother is Caucasian the response was that can be your own twin. The noses are different but the facial structure is very similar.

The mother was 21 years old at the time Wright was born. Perhaps football was already in his blood. He knew every running back and every quarterback on every NFL team. He played the sport in high school but not beyond.

Bishop never really got into sports, but baseball was his favorite. He said a high school football coach wouldnt let him try out.

The bond of the brothers, however, is not about football. Its about, well, being brothers. Finally after all these years.

Submitted photo

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'DNA doesn't lie:' After more than 50 years, sons of former Bison great Paul Hatchett finally united - INFORUM