Sergeant C.W. Parker

C.W. Parker was born on August 5, 1917, joined the Navy in 1934 with his father's approval, and served aboard the U.S.S. Lexington, the "Lady Lex," before being taken prisoner by the Japanese after the ship was damaged in an attack, suffered several explosions, and had to be abandoned. Forced to work in Japanese mines for 3 years and 5 months as a POW, he survived through determination and the will to live, then retired from the Navy in 1954 as a Chief Warrant Officer after 20 years of service. He began work at Folsom Prison in 1959 and became widely known as "the Sarge," respected by staff and prisoners alike for keeping his word, standing up to the meanest convicts, and handling problem prisoners. In one incident, when Charlie Manson threatened to put an evil spell on him at the prison hospital, Parker confronted him face to face until Manson said he was no longer sick and wanted to return to his cell. After 24 years at Folsom, Parker's last day there was August 31, 1982, and he was forced to retire on September 1, 1982, because retirement at age 65 was then required. He then worked five years as a liquor store clerk in Roseville, California, four years as a city bus driver there, and at age 76 went to work as a sergeant at the return-to-custody facility for minimum-security prisoners in Folsom. Calling himself a workaholic shaped by the Depression years and by hunger during his POW captivity, he said that working was his hobby, though he also loved reading Louis L'Amour and reread the author's books again and again. During his years at Folsom, he met Johnny Cash during concert tours, appeared in the prison movie "Reprieve" in 1962, earning $180 for three days portraying a convict, and also appeared in "The Jericho Mile" in 1979. Parker died at 2:00 AM on Tuesday, October 12, 2004, at the age of 87.

Folsom, California · United States