Luke 24
Mr. Dandy was in trouble. He had the highest GED completion rate in the MDOC prison school system which he used to berate the other school principals who could not even come close to his GED completion numbers. Even though he was the only prison school that had both day and night shifts of teachers teaching, he was held in high regard by the prison education administration because of his GED success rate. Now, his numbers were in question. I never heard about him again. I figured he retired and our training was being completed through the GED testing service. At the same time that happened, our prison had a new Acting Deputy Warden. He had been the Assistant Deputy Warden of Housing when I first met him, and then he became the Assistant Deputy of Programs over our school. From there he was promoted to Acting Deputy Warden. Our current Deputy Warden was on medical leave.
He was an interesting person. I met him for the first time when we were assigned to a prison housing unit during an emergency lockdown. I had heard from some of the officers that he was actually an ex-inmate. He had been assaulted during the prison riots in Jackson. Once he served his time for the crime he committed, he was hired by the MDOC and eventually promoted through the ranks The prisoners hated him. Most of the officers liked him because he knew the games prisoners played, and sided with the officers when prisoners became disruptive. During a lock down prisoners were not to leave their cells. The Acting Deputy Warden explained that over the loudspeaker in the unit, and the prisoners in unison started calling him names I had never heard men call other men on this side of the Mississippi River. I learned a whole new vulgar vocabulary. It was hard to figure out what they meant, and you just didn’t want to ask your colleagues, “hey what did they mean when they said they were going to split his wig and feed him the pig?”
At the time I figured it was some kind of an insult, but I didn’t want to ask anybody for clarification. I was just stunned by the amount of vocal outrage being showered on him. He surprised me when he stepped back up to the microphone an announced, ” I know what you want to do to me but it’s not going to happen!” Again, the housing unit irrupted into a vocal sea of vulgarity aimed precisely at him. Words and statements it would take years for me to decipher, but left an indelible mark on my psyche. Damn, you could feel the hatred. With that he left, after smiling at me and seeing that I looked to be in state of shock. As he was leaving he gave instructions to the housing unit manager and pointing at me he instructed her” to make sure I get some water. I looked like I’m going to pass out.” It surprised me, but all I could think of was “damn, what the hell is this?” This was my first time being called to a housing unit to work during an emergency mobilization. and it would not be my last. ..Prison Stories To Be Continued…
MJ-Way 
Good ol’ Sweet Lou. After the e
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Good Ol’ Sweet Lou. After 10 inmates escaped from Ryan Correctional Facility in Detroit, Warden Burt and her top staff vanished. In came Warden Rivers. She brought along Lou and met with each department for one specific reason: Lou would handle all security issues; any problems with inmates contact Lou. He was the “Go-To-Guy.”
Governor John Engler & Howard Wolpe had 3 televised debates. Poor Engler didn’t know that an ex-convict was in charge of security at Ryan. Wolpe and the media had a field day. Didn’t matter though: Engler got reelected and made sure that ex-felons could no longer be hired by the Michigan Department of Corrections, and for whatever reason this meant that Lou’s goal to be a Warden someday was slim to none.
Lou transferred to another prison. His going away gift to the inmates in the school building was to have them strip-searched with non-custody staff present. His logic: This way the inmates wouldn’t be subjected to physical abuse… only psychological abuse by him. So yeah, I could not get out of “Nuts & Butts” duty. Perhaps I was a bit traumatized myself.
When Lou arrived at his new correctional facility he presented a welcoming gift to the prisoners: he had maintenance cut down the basketball poles in the mall area.
A year later I missed the opportunity to interview for a teaching position at the very same facility where Lou worked. My window of opportunity to transfer was gone. Yet, somehow, after a few emails, I was able to interview. Their school principal was out on sick leave, but seeing Good Ol’ Sweet Lou on the interview panel was a slam dunk for me.
Lou was alright by me. Lou was the only person who came to my aid over my salary discrepancy. Lou was “OLD SCHOOL” and didn’t believe in coddling the prisoners: You got what was coming to you… good or bad… deal with it. He would have made a great warden, but that never happened.
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Lou was alright by me too. He knew by the look of me I was just some white guy teacher that never heard that kind of vulgarity before. The inmates were opening and slamming their doors, spitting all kind of venom, and I was in total shock!!!! He made sure I got some water.
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… let’s not forget another Mr. Dandy–Principal Brian Freedman. He was one of the Educational Manager’s rising stars. He always had plenty of advice for us teachers at the academic conferences. After a special education meeting at CMU, one of our younger colleagues was approached by Freedman at Bennigan’s. Their slightly abrupt conversation at the bar went something like this (one name has been changed to respect privacy):
“Hi. I’m Brian Freedman, School Principal.”
“Hi, I’m Marvin Shemansky, Human Being.”
Here’s more info regarding the School Principal: https://www.prisonlegalnews.org/news/2020/jul/1/michigan-prisoners-whistleblowing-ged-test-cheating-survives-summary-judgment/ .
Enjoy the read.
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Titles !!! I call them badge shakers. I didn’t last long in the Medical Administration because I payed no attention to titles. I remember one incident where a Doctor actually had their desk elevated on a platform so that they were looking down at their patients. When I pointed out how unwelcoming that is I got a blank stare and what I could only surmise was a hiss!
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