For the last 11 years Dr. Elena Tootell has been overseeing San Quentin’s strained medical care, a system she described as occasionally “chaotic.” Now the physician is moving north to Pelican Bay State Prison. Dr. Tootell has become more than just another prison physician. She has become a part of the San Quentin community. “I had breast cancer a few years ago, and just the support I got from the inmates was a huge sign that I was doing something good,” she said. “I was invited to the prison Breast Cancer Walk.” Dr. Tootell … [Read more...] about Dr. Tootell’s legacy at San Quentin
Staff Profile
CALPIA GM Chuck Pattillo retires
The longest serving general manager in the history of the California Prison Industry Authority (CALPIA), Charles L. “Chuck” Pattillo is stepping down from that post, but will still assist incarcerated people prepare for good jobs, once released. Pattillo’s effort continue to save taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars in incarceration cost, yearly. Pattillo supervised all 27 CALPIA activities for 14 years. It employs 8,000 offenders throughout California’s 36 prisons. Chuck Pattillo walking with Mark Zuckerberg in San … [Read more...] about CALPIA GM Chuck Pattillo retires
Jon Spurlock BIO
Jon first met the San Quentin News team as part of a social sector-focused experiential learning course during his Berkeley-Haas MBA program. He led the team of fellow students that developed a business plan to ensure the long-term sustainability of the newspaper and to achieve the SQ News staff’s big hairy audacious goal of providing free access to every prisoner in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Jon completed his MBA in May 2015, including coursework in effective non-profit board governance. He stayed on as a … [Read more...] about Jon Spurlock BIO
Linda Xiques BIO
Linda Xiques became a San Quentin News adviser in the spring of 2013. Six years earlier, she had retired from a 30-year career in journalism thinking she had put deadlines behind her for good. But from the moment she walked into the office of San Quentin News —the computers clicking, reporters talking, joking, the vibe full of energy and movement—she was glad to be back in a busy newsroom again. Like the men she now helps to mentor, Xiques learned her journalism skills while on-the-job. A newspaper reader since childhood, she also loved … [Read more...] about Linda Xiques BIO
Steve McNamara BIO
Steve McNamara was one of the three initial advisers of the San Quentin News when Warden Bob Ayers revived it in the spring of 2008. Steve devised the paper’s design and typography, moving it toward its appearance as a real newspaper. When San Quentin’s print shop was closed in 2011, he became the paper’s acting publisher, setting up and running the non-profit structure that pays for the paper’s printing and distribution to other prisons and to donors and interested individuals. He also created the paper’s first website whereby inmates’ family … [Read more...] about Steve McNamara BIO
John C. Eagan BIO
My name is John C. Eagan and I am a retired journalist with more than 30 years in the news business. Born and raised in Florida, I served three years in the U.S. Army in South Carolina and Germany. I graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism. I was a reporter-photographer for the Ft. Lauderdale News and sports editor of the companion newspaper, the Sun Sentinel, before moving to California where I was a reporter- photographer for the Arcadia Tribune and Napa Register, managing editor of the Petaluma … [Read more...] about John C. Eagan BIO
Jill Brown reflects on her time as warden
Former San Quentin Warden Jill Brown’s career allowed her to reinvent herself many times. In the process, she helped to improve the lives of inmates through rehabilitation. Brown started her career working at a state hospital. She later found her way to what was then the California Department of Corrections in San Francisco as a regional parole officer. She became a sergeant at San Quentin for a few years in the 1980s but didn’t wear a uniform. Brown holds a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration with an emphasis in human … [Read more...] about Jill Brown reflects on her time as warden
Looking back on 42 years of service at San Quentin
In June 1975, Donald Graham left the California Department of Corrections’ training academy after two weeks and took his first job assignment at San Quentin State Prison. An Air Force veteran with college degrees in computer science and mathematics from California State University at Sonoma, Graham came to work for the department with a proactive perspective for problem solving. His stance toward the incarcerated population was unique. As a new recruit, fresh out of the academy, he acknowledged that many problems with the correctional staff … [Read more...] about Looking back on 42 years of service at San Quentin
Photographer Nigel Poor Conveys the Stories of SQ Inmates
Ten years ago the post office delivered a letter from San Quentin State Prison to the wrong address. Professor of Photography Nigel Poor received the letter, wondering why. The correct address was nowhere near hers. She redirected the epistle to the correct person, thinking that would be the end of it. But it happened twice more, sparking her interest in San Quentin prison and how people inside communicate. “What people inside have to say is amazing,” said Poor. “They are a huge under utilized resource. If more people heard the stories of … [Read more...] about Photographer Nigel Poor Conveys the Stories of SQ Inmates
San Quentin Nurse Heals One Inmate at a Time
By Tommy Bryant Journalism Guild Writer Diabetes is a serious problem at San Quentin and Elina Appleton has made it her mission to help those affected. “Most inmates have no idea what the disease is or how it affects them until they start losing toes, feet, legs, kidneys, go blind, have heart attacks and/or strokes,” said Appleton a licensed vocational nurse best known as “Red.” The legendary H-Unit nurse filters a hundred questions and symptoms a week. Often the answers indicate diabetes. About 20 San Quentin inmates in H-Unit are on … [Read more...] about San Quentin Nurse Heals One Inmate at a Time