Former Alcatraz guards, inmates to reunite

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 7 (UPI) -- At least two former inmates and a few former guards of Alcatraz Island prison are set to reunite at the San Francisco locale, an official says.

National Park Service ranger John Cantwell said former Alcatraz inmates Fred Dekker and Darwin Coon will be among those attending this weekend's reunion of the so-called Alcatraz alumni in honor of the 75th anniversary of Alcatraz as a federal prison, the San Francisco Chronicle said Friday.

"They used to be dying to get away from Alcatraz," Cantwell said. "Now they're dying to get out here."

A few former Alcatraz prison guards will be on hand Sunday, while family members of former guards will also attend the anniversary event.

The Alcatraz alumni members are attempting to raise funds to rebuild some of the buildings on the island site, which became a federal prison locale in 1934.

The Chronicle said the final Alcatraz inmates left the prison on March 21, 1963. Multiple buildings on the island were destroyed while a group of American Indians occupied the site in 1969 and 1970, the newspaper said.