Mandy Feder — Managing editor
LAKEPORT — There are many written accounts describing life in prison, but here”s a new twist — a Lakeport man spent his childhood and was raised at the Utah State Penitentiary.
John Robert Harris” father was the warden there in the 1930s.
Harris, 80, wrote a book filled with gripping tales of escapes, the death of a prisoner by firing squad and how Harris as a young boy, was able to get inmates to work for him for pennies-on-the-dollar.
He describes his father”s serene nature.
“He was calm, compassionate and effective,” Harris said.
He said the lessons he learned as a result of his unusual childhood remained with him throughout his lifetime.
Where can a person buy this book, one might ask?
The answer is: Nowhere.
Harris is seeking a publisher. His query letter is written and he”s ready to share what it meant to him, to spend a great deal of his youth behind the gates of a state prison.
He began writing because his family urged him to document his experiences.
Harris said his grandchildren love to hear the stories of his unconventional childhood. He said they listen attentively and endlessly. Though the property and buildings took on new functions after World War II, when the prison was converted to “Sugar House Park,” Harris” stories remain vivid on the pages of his book.
He included photographs of the people and some of the paintings his family received from the inmates as gifts.
Harris is in the process of audio-recording the book.
For information about “The Warden and Me,” the autobiography of John Robert Harris, call 263-6659.
Mandy Feder can be reached at mandyfeder@yahoo.com or call directly 263-5636 ext. 32.
