Carlisle — John E. Wallace Jr. knows he has many more years to serve in a state prison, yet has taken steps to improve himself, as one of 122 graduates to go through a graduation ceremony Thursday in the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility.
The correctional facility had 182 people this year receive educational certificates or degrees.
Wallace Jr., 32, received a bachelor’s degree in business management from Grace College.
It took 41/2 years to complete his degree. He received his degree in December, taking part Thursday in the once-a-year graduation ceremony.
“At first it was tough, not being in school for a long time,” he said, adding the last time he was in a formal school setting was in ninth grade. He earned a GED in prison before starting college studies in 2001.
“Growing up, I didn’t think I was the school type, so that is why I dropped out in the ninth grade. Then another fellow inmate said I should try to go to college.
“It has been a struggle. I had to eat, sleep and drink it, but it has all paid off and is well worth it,” he said.
Wallace said he wants to be a substance-abuse counselor after serving his prison sentence. He plans to take a college course to obtain a substance-abuse counselor certification.
He also is a graduate of, and now a mentor for, the facility’s PLUS, which stands for Purposeful Living Unit Served, a 16-month rehabilitation program that also performs community service. An example of a PLUS project is making quilts for families of soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan for the state of Indiana as well as fundraising for The Villages, a foster care organization.
“I have been locked up 10 years and have stayed out of trouble, trying to prove myself that I want another chance out there and be a productive citizen. I have never been a productive citizen, always been a taker instead of a giver. Now I have learned different skills that have helped and aided me to be a giver instead of a taker,” Wallace said.
“I appreciate this prison with everything they have offered and given us. The prison is starting to be more rehabilitative instead of just warehousing us, sticking us in a cell and say ‘see you in another 25 years,’” he said.
Wallace was 23 when he was sentenced in Clay County to serve a 65-year prison sentence for murder. Wallace admitted suffocating and stabbing a 53-year-old Brazil woman, Marilyn Jo Ann Cooper.
His mother, Cathy Tarwater, 49, of Brazil, attended the graduation ceremony on Thursday.
“It is a great accomplishment for him. He has got in him what I didn’t realize he had in him. He has learned a lot and wants to keep learning and get all the experience that he can get out of college degrees and everything he can try to accomplish while he is here,” she said.
“Instead of wasting his time, he is using his time. I am really proud of him,” Tarwater said. “I think he overcame whatever downfalls he had and is trying to show everybody what he truly is.”
Stephen F. Mooney, 41, will be released Aug. 1 after serving two years for dealing in cocaine. He received a vocational certificate in computer graphics from Vincennes University. He plans to use the knowledge to help advertise a business he plans to start with his father, Lawrence Mooney, in Oaktown.
The business is a lawn-care service business. “I think this program has helped me a lot. It was hard because I had not used my brain since I was troubled with drugs. It took me nine months to complete. It’s a satisfying feeling,” Mooney said.
The correctional facility, which began educational programs in 1992, has been staging graduation ceremonies since 1993. About 21 percent of the prison population is involved in academic programs, said Jack Hendrix, assistant superintendent of re-entry.
“That’s about 450 people in academic programs,” Hendrix said. Indiana State University has the largest number taking courses, with about 150 students.
Hendrix said the facility in the past two years has received increased resources from the state, resulting in a 19 percent increase in the number of graduates.
Karen Richards, supervisor of education, said “ISU was the first college provider starting in the fall of 1994 with 12 students. The number of graduates [at the correctional facility] has grown since, now with 186 graduates for 2006/2007. That is also up from 150 for 2005/2006.”
Those figures include high-school GED graduates who took courses through Vincennes University. This year, that program had 79 graduates, and Vincennes also had 43 graduates with vocational degrees; ISU had 35 graduates with an associate of arts degree and six with bachelor of science degrees; while Grace College had 13 associate of arts degrees and 10 bachelor of science degrees.
Rich Larsen, spokesman for the correctional facility, said GED and vocational education programs are funded by the state at a cost of about $900,000 a year. People seeking college degrees must pay for their studies and can apply for grants from the state, he said.
Since 1992, there have been 1,197 GED certificates awarded; 152 vocational certificates; 344 associate’s degrees; and 101 bachelor’s degrees at the correctional facility.
Howard Greninger can be reached at (812) 231-4204 or howard.greninger@tribstar.com.
Local & Bistate
Inmates at the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility receive their college degrees
More than 180 inmates receive degrees or educational certrificates
- Local & Bistate
-
-
Montford Point Marine
In 1943, 19-year-old Ezell Odom was on the sandy beach of a tiny South Pacific island about 7,000 miles from his parent’s home in Terre Haute.
-
K-9 officer Shadow honored as a hero
A Terre Haute K-9 officer injured in the line of duty has been honored as a hero by the Indiana Veterinary Medical Association.
-
Freezin’ for a Reason
Hundreds lined up outside Hulman Center amid frigid air to participate in a warm-hearted cause.
-
Even as law, right-to-work dominates crackerbarrel
The flames of the right-to-work debate were gone, but the coals still seemed to smolder.
-
Vigo School Board to give OK on bonds for DeVaney project
The Vigo County School Board will meet at 6 p.m. Monday in the administration building, 686 Wabash Ave.
-
Bridging the gap to ‘forever’
They can be taken from their homes by strangers for reasons they may not understand, with no possessions other than the clothes they are wearing.
-
Students showcase keen problem-solving skills at Rose-Hulman
For the 16th straight year, Honey Creek Middle School students came out on top in the Wabash Valley MATHCOUNTS competition at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.
-
Ivy Tech to celebrate Black History Month
Ivy Tech Community College will celebrate Black History Month with a series of events at its campuses statewide.
-
Whitney Houston, superstar of records, films, dies
Whitney Houston, who ruled as pop music's queen until her majestic voice and regal image were ravaged by drug use, erratic behavior and a tumultuous marriage to singer Bobby Brown, has died. She was 48.
-
Giant welcome home for Steve
Terre Haute was suddenly home to thousands of cheering New York Giants fans Friday as residents welcomed Super Bowl champion Steve Weatherford back home for a parade.
-
‘One for Terre Haute,’ Steve tells crowd at North
“This one was for Terre Haute,” native son Steve Weatherford proclaimed Friday as he shared his Super Bowl victory with the community that helped send him on the path to a world championship.
-
Hometown support vital to success, Weatherford says
Steve Weatherford said Friday he wouldn’t be celebrating a Giants’ Super Bowl victory if not for the support he’s received from his hometown, his parents and mentors in his life.
-
Craning for a rare glimpse
A visitor from the Far East has naturalists flying to Linton, hoping some good comes from one bird’s bad directions.
-
Vigo’s primary election filings complete
The slate is set for the May 8 primary election, with the race for three at-large seats on the Vigo County Council drawing the largest pool of candidates at the county level.
-
Documentary on electric vehicles plays Sunday at Rose
The rising popularity of electric vehicles and their impact on the world eco-system is the focus of a documentary, “Revenge of the Electric Car,” being presented at 3 p.m. Sunday in Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology’s Hatfield Hall Theater.
-
Man gets 10-year sentence in battery case
A West Terre Haute man received a 10-year prison sentence Friday after pleading guilty to aggravated battery for beating a friend caught in bed with the man’s wife.
-
Asian hooded crane lands in Greene County wildlife area
Bird watchers are flocking to a southwestern Indiana wildlife area to try to catch a glimpse of a crane usually spotted only in Asia.
-
Slow drips: It’s maple syrup season in Indiana
More seasonal, colder temperatures will hit the Wabash Valley this weekend, which is ideal weather for maple syrup production, said Keith Ruble, superintendent of the Vigo County Parks and Recreation Department.
However, Ruble voices concern that this year’s maple syrup season may be short.
-
Downtown restaurant celebrates expansion
The streets of Terre Haute were chilly Thursday night, but for the glow of hot pasta inside Louise’s Pizzeria and Cafe.
-
Contract signed for new Y
Papers are signed and the ink is in place for a new YMCA to operate in Terre Haute.
-
City to impose $30 release fee on towed vehicles
The Terre Haute City Council voted without opposition Thursday to impose a new $30 release fee on vehicles towed and impounded by the police as part of a criminal investigation.
-
Valley educators cautious on Indiana’s ‘No Child’ waiver
Indiana is one of 10 states to receive a waiver from federal No Child Left Behind requirements.
-
Driver dies after Illinois school bus crash
“Brace yourself. Brace yourself,” Fay Pickering shouted to her students just before the school bus she was driving crossed U.S. 40 and landed in a ditch Thursday morning.
-
Trial date set for former WTH police chief
A July 23 trial date has been set for a former police chief of West Terre Haute accused of theft.
-
Motorcycle gang member pleads guilty in federal court
A member of an Indianapolis motorcycle gang who delivered methamphetamine to a Terre Haute dealer has pleaded guilty to drug charges in federal court.
-
July trial date set for mother charged with child neglect
A July 30 trial date has been set for a Terre Haute mother charged with neglecting and battering her toddler.
-
Business hosting SPPRAK fundraiser
Java Haute is hosting the latest fundraiser sponsored by SPPRAK — Special People Performing Random Acts of Kindness.
-
Valley high school cooking competition under way today
Clabber Girl Corp. and Gordon Food Services will host the fourth-annual High School Chef Competition, beginning today through Saturday, and again Feb. 18, in the Culinary Classroom at Clabber Girl.
- UPDATE: Marshall, Ill., school bus driver involved in accident dies; cause appears to be cardiac-related
-
Terre Haute road name game
What used to be called U.S. 40 from the Wabash River west through West Terre Haute to Interstate 70 needs to be renamed and, probably, get new street addresses, a Vigo County planner recommends.
- More Local & Bistate Headlines
-
Pop Music Superstar Whitney Houston Dies at 48
Raw Video: Whitney Houston's Last Performance
Police: Houston Found Dead in Her Hotel Room
Fans 'Speechless' Over Houston's Death
Reaction to Houston's Death at Clive Davis Party
Recording Superstar Whitney Houston Dead at 48
Paul Suffers Narrow Loss to Romney in Maine
Palin Brings Anti-Washington Message to CPAC
Whitney Houston's Church Mourns Her Passing
Maine GOP Chairman Says Romney Wins Caucuses
Raw Video: Deadly Blasts in Syria
Obama Scraps Birth Control Mandate
Snow Strands Italian Towns
Winter Slamming North Asia, Parts of Europe
Latest Jason Wu Collection Shows Chinese Roots
US Airmen's Killer Sentenced to Life in Germany
Raw Video: Rough Seas Stop Oil Removal
ShowBiz Minute: Madonna, Beresford-Redman, Pawsc
The Pits: Israelis Spit Olives for Glory
Video of M.I.A's Obscene Halftime Gesture
2012 Grammys: LL Cool J
Exclusive Video - Whitney's Bodybag
FUEL TV: Punk Payback Gym tips
Raw Video: Child Rescued After Kosovo Avalanche
Whitney's Final Days - EXCLUSIVE
Raw Video: Aurora Borealis As Seen From Space
First glimpse of Blue Ivy Carter
Lusetich: AT&T Rd. 3 recap
Peek inside Barbie's closet
Romney Tops Santorum in CPAC Straw Poll
Madonna's Daughter Shaves Head
Angry Dad Shoots Teens Laptop
Absolute Lin-sanity
5 Killed in Wrong-way Crash on I-10 in La.
Test on Comforter in Powell Unit Shows Blood
Hero Driver Saves Kids From Burning Bus
Funeral to be held for Powell boys
Sandusky on having to stay inside and people turning on him
Uzbek Man Pleads Guilty in Plot to Kill Obama
Woolly Mammoth Caught on Camera?
