Living At Alcatraz

Until I talked to Jim Albright, a guard at Alcatraz Penitentiary when it closed in 1963, I did not realize that staff lived on the island with some of the most notorious criminals of the time.

But Jim, 74, formerly of Iowa City and now residing in Terre Haute, Ind., lived with his family in an apartment complex adjacent to the prison. In addition to his wife, Cathy (the former Cathy Wolters of Hills who graduated from City High in 1954), and their son, Kenny, the couple had two children while living there, daughters Vicki and Donna. As noted in today's Ramblin' column in The Gazette, the girls have "Alcatraz" listed on their birth certificates as the place of residence when they were born in San Francisco.

Jim, who wrote his memoirs of Alcatraz in his book, "Last Guard Out," says living on the island was very pleasant. His family socialized with other families, they had a great view of San Francisco and The Golden Gate Bridge, and the boat trips to the mainland were enjoyable. In addition, after Kenny started school in San Francisco, he often had friends make the return trip so they could stay at Alcatraz. Of note: no toy guns were allowed, Jim says.

Working at the prison was a different matter. Jim was only 24 years old and had no experience when he started. Training helped him understand how to deal with the criminals housed at the prison, but that still doesn't take away from the fact the prisoners were some of the most dangerous ever incarcerated. In an interview with the Terre Haute newspaper last year, Jim called them "the scum of the scum."

Jim worked at the prison from August of 1959 until it closed in March, 1963. During that time a couple of escape attempts occurred. The most famous one was on June 11, 1962, when  three men -- Frank Morris, John Anglin and Clarence Anglin -- escaped through carved out vent holes in the prison and attempted to float away from the island on a life raft made of raincoats. Neither the three men, nor their bodies, were ever found, solidifying the story that no prisoner ever escaped Alcatraz alive. The attempt became the basis for the Clint Eastwood movie, "Escape from Alcatraz."

Jim was at Alcatraz last weekend for the 75th anniversary of the opening of the prison. It was also near the 50th anniversary of the day he started work there -- Aug. 24, 1959. Jim was still working at the prison the day it closed, March 21, 1963, but he and his family remained on the island for three months after that as Donna, the youngest daughter, was being treated in San Francisco for a foot problem, which was rectified.

After leaving Alcatraz, Jim spent another 22 years in the prison system, retiring at the age of 50. He worked at prisons in Marion, Ill., Petersburg, Va., Terre Haute, Ind., and Milan, Mich., before returning to Terre Haute.

Since part of his stint included overseeing a prison upholstry shop, Jim and Cathy now repair Cushman motor scooter seats and sell them along with copies of his book at area gatherings.

Thanks to the efforts of childhood friend Don Mahanna, now of Riverside, Jim will speak about his book and his experiences at 2 p.m. on Aug. 18, 2009, at the Hills Bank & Trust Co., 1401 South Gilbert Street, Iowa City. If you want to attend, you should call the bank ahead of time at (319) 338-1277 for reservations.