From the Archives: Stapley's 1995 story on de Vries

Editor's Note: This is Garth Stapley's story on de Vries published in The Bee on July 3, 1995.

Michael de Vries' mind got out on parole nine years ago.

Today he will taste the fruits: two bachelor's degrees, one in social science from San Jose State University and the other in agriculture from the University of Missouri.

And after the ceremony at Deuel Vocational Institution, de Vries -- who has never set foot on either campus -- will fold his graduation gown, return to his cell and plan more strategy on getting other inmates excited about exploring the world from inside concrete walls and barbed wire.

"Getting out (of prison) is not in my consciousness," said de Vries, 51, who is serving a life sentence at Deuel for murder. "What is realistic is my ability to do something in here. Every time I touch a convict and help him want to better himself and his family, I feel I'm doing something."

The key is nontraditional education. That means studying without actually being in a classroom, typically done by mail and by television.

Distance learning, once he discovered its magic, changed de Vries' life, he said. He's taken nearly 300 units from more than two dozen colleges and has a stack of reference letters from instructors saying he is the model student -- and motivator.

De Vries "initiated contact with several other inmates ... and guided and counseled them through the confusing and intimidating registration process at Modesto Junior College," reads one letter, written by anthropology instructor Don Lenkeit.

Although he has no immediate hope for release, de Vries has given countless presentations to other inmates on the threshold of parole on how to improve their futures through community

colleges. His expertise doesn't come from being there, but from having done it all long-distance.

And he's compiling that expertise into two guides, one for inmates and the other for law enforcement officers, on all the distance education programs available.

"I'm involved in spreading the gospel of nontraditional education," de Vries said. "People say it over and over again, but if you can save two or three people, it's worth it."

De Vries will be joined at today's ceremony by two other inmates who have earned colleges degrees, one from Saint John's University in Springfield, La., and the other from the University of California in Los Angeles. Twenty-eight others will receive high school equivalency certificates and 26 more will be honored for completing vocational courses.

For the first time, Deuel's annual graduation ceremony will feature a live rendition of Pomp and Circumstance from the five-man Black Magic Band, composed of inmate musicians. Graduates, as always, will wear caps and gowns, wave at family members and listen to motivational speakers. But they won't bat beach balls or fling their caps.

"Kids tend to clown around," Correctional Education Programs Supervisor Shirley Larson said, "but not these guys. They appreciate it."

Graduation to inmates is an island of success in a sea of tears, instructor Ayodele Okanlawon said.

Added instructor Tom Pisarek: "This might be the first time they can show their families, "Hey, look what I did.' This is one of the things that makes teaching worthwhile."

If education had taken a bigger role earlier in his life, de Vries said, he probably would not have been convicted of murder 11 years ago. If he ever gets out -- he's been passed up once for parole -- he would like to return, as a prison instructor. For now, he'll keep working as a clerk in the prison for $48 a month -- and talking inmates into taking classes.

"I'm here for a reason -- I committed a crime," de Vries said. "Now I'm into atoning in a way that I hope will help other people going through this."

This story was originally published January 8, 2012 at 12:21 AM with the headline "From the Archives: Stapley's 1995 story on de Vries."