From Prison Darkness to God's Light
by
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On a list of all the things in the world people would rather not be, being a convict could probably be number one. I never wanted to be one. In fact I never even remotely saw myself in prison, but like a lot of other losers, a number of bad decisions saw me joining what has been euphemistically called, the Legion of the Living Dead.
For 15½ years I was a convict,
living an undistinguished existence in a penal institution. The first 13 years
of that existence I occupied a cell in
The last 2½ years of my prison
life were at the California Medical Facility at
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About the Book
The book is autobiographical. It is about a man's struggle to find himself, and to know God. On January 6, 1943, never having even seen the inside of a jail, he began serving a life sentence for murder. For eleven years in the impassioned world of the convict, he obeyed the rules, did his time, learned nothing of any importance, except that he was different from the average convict, and he hated where, and what, he was: A disreputable convict in prison.
For 11 years he vegetated, except for a short time to earn a high school diploma. Denied parole after 11 years, he realized that to earn his freedom he had to enter psychiatric therapy, to learn who he was; and what made him tick. It was a hard, scary but rewarding four years, during which he gained change of direction, change of personality, and insight into a man he knew little of: Himself.
Along the way he is reunited to the God he'd had only a passing acquaintance with. Importantly, he learned that without God he could do absolutely nothing but mark time. From the Hell of prison darkness to the glorious light of God's world, this book is a bible for those beset by self doubt, self hate, self destruction. If the reader does not find himself in the pages of this book, he has read it while blindfolded.
About the Author
At the age of 18 and ½ years, he began a Life sentence in the California State Prison at San Quentin, for the crime of 1st degree murder. Released in June, 1959, he served another 8 years on parole. In June, 1968, he was granted a Full and Unconditional Pardon for the reason of Rehabilitation.
He and his wife recently
celebrated their 44th wedding anniversary. They have raised 5 children, and
have 7 grandchildren. He has BS and MEd degrees in
Education. Employment history includes 8 years at the Oregon Department of
Education, five years in Aerospace, 2 years in