Preparing for our graduation event in our school was always an activity I enjoyed. The academic school whose graduates consisted of General Education Development completions and the Vocational School’s certifications were celebrated annually. One of our guest speakers was the councilor I had advised on finding the paper trail for his lost computers. He had a list of questions he wanted to run by me before he addressed our graduates. He informed me that he did indeed get a copy of the receiver from the shipper. The signature on the receiver was that of our current warehouse supervisor. The supervisor had claimed he didn’t know anything about the computers arriving. He believed that when the boxes arrived he did sign for them not realizing they were computers. The inmate workers in the warehouse informed him that the Business manager had the inmates deliver the computers to the Administration building where they were distributed to the current administration offices. He wanted to know where he could find our Business manager? He also asked for the names of our warden, deputy warden, assistant deputy wardens, and what areas of the prison they were responsible for.
Giving him the information he requested was easy. How he used the information was going to be interesting. Our graduation commencement was completed. We shared refreshments of cake and coffee with our graduates. Our councilor guest spoke on the virtues of honesty and rebuilding integrity. This was something our graduates needed to hear. A few of the assistant deputies were in attendance but our warden and deputy warden chose not to attend. The current prison administration were not big fans of our school. Our new school principal believed they were busy in our states’ capital and were not at the prison for the graduation ceremony. I interjected that the invitations were sent out a month before the graduation commencement, and were not responded to. I was given the “be quiet look” by our new school principal as she walked away. Our councilor guest speaker smiled at me and shook his head. He noted that she didn’t seem to be happy with my response. “Well, all I can say after listening to your speech to our students was that my response to her was truthful.” He smiled.
On returning to the prison after a weeks vacation I couldn’t believe that we had a new computer lab in a classroom across from mine in our school building. Our Business Technology Instructor had informed me that “all hell broke loose” while I was gone. It seemed that our guest speaker councilor had returned to the prison with a couple of agents from the Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons. They located all of the computers and furniture procured by the DOJ, Federal Bureau of Prisons, for the councilor’s program at the prison. They were then moved to this classroom for him to begin teaching employability skills. She informed me that our new school principal was not very happy with how this all transpired and the ramifications of how this reflected on her leadership or lack of it. I shook my head. I thought at the time that our guest speaker councilor had lived up to the measure of his commencement speech to our student graduates on “Integrity and Truthfulness.” He “walked the talk!” I was going to enjoy working with his organization. Our bond was formed from that day forward. To be continued....
For the reporters, Brent Renaud, Piere Zakrzewski, and Olekasandra “Sasha” Kuvshynova. They have given their lives to report the truth. A reflection of the times we are in. For all those fighting to bring the world the truth, THANK YOU!
MJ-Way 