Folsom in Represa in Sacramento County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
Sergeant C.W. Parker
The "Sarge,” as many called him was well respected by staff and prisoners alike, always known for his word and being an excellent employee, after 24 years of service at Folsom. His last day of work was August 31, 1982, he was forced to retire on September 1, 1982 from Folsom after his year of service, because at that time it was required of you at age 65 to retire. He then went to work for the next five years as a liquor store clerk in Roseville, California, and then spent another 4 years after that as a bus driver for the city of Roseville. At the age of 76, Parker went to work for the return-to-custody facility for minimum-security prisoners for the city of Folsom located next to Folsom State Prison as a Sergeant. He stated he was a workaholic, because of growing up during the Depression years and his POW days where he had very little to eat and was always hungry, so he worked so he could eat. He was once asked during a newspaper interview, what were his hobbies? He answered, "working is my hobby“. He did like to read, and his favorite author was Louis L'Amour. He had every book L'Amour had ever written, Parker once said I started here and read every book. When I got finished I just started over and read them again and again (as a POW he never got to read so he was always trying to make up for all the reading he had missed).
Parker was well respected while working at Folsom Prison, and known for the way he would stand up to the meanest convicts that called the prison home. He had a reputation of taking care of business, and was generally assigned the problem prisoners to deal with. On one occasion Charlie Manson had been escorted over to the prison hospital for medical treatment, Manson told Parker "I've got the evil eye and I'm going to put an evil spell on you". Parker got up in Charlie's face and looked him straight in the eyes, and asked what's wrong with you. Manson stated, "I'm no longer sick take me back to my cell".
During his colorful career at Folsom, Sergeant Parker met Johnny Cash during a couple of concert tours, Parker was in the prison movie "Reprieve” filmed in 1962. The sergeant made $180 for three days of work on the movie portraying a convict. Parker was also in the movie "The Jericho Mile” filmed in 1979.
On the morning of Tuesday, October 12, 2004, at 2:00 AM, Sergeant C.W. Parker passed on to a better place at the age of 87.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Law Enforcement. A significant historical date for this entry is August 5, 1917.
Location. 38° 41.539′ N, 121° 9.674′ W. Marker is in Represa, California, in Sacramento County. It is in Folsom. Marker is on Prison Road, 0.7 miles north of Natoma Street, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Represa CA 95671, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Tree Stump Hitching Post (a few steps from this marker); Fire Extinguisher (a few steps from this marker); Horse Head Hitching Post (a few steps from this marker); Prison Doodlebug (a few steps from this marker); Railroad Gate (within shouting distance of this marker); Who is Fisher? (approx. ¾ mile away); Kuntz Memorial Field (approx. ¾ mile away); Folsom Institute (approx. ¾ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Represa.
More about this marker. The marker is mounted to the exterior of the security office of Folsom State Prison. For those without an accepted reason for being there, further access to the facility is limited to about 20 past the security office to take photos, as well as for access to the Folsom Prison Museum. There will be guards watching to make certain that one does not stray beyond the accepted limits.
Credits. This page was last revised on August 12, 2023. It was originally submitted on February 28, 2022, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 270 times since then and 55 times this year. It was the Marker of the Week August 6, 2023. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 28, 2022, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. 3. submitted on August 5, 2023, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.