Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1917-09-20
{. v. BOWRON
RETIRES

of Chas. W. Bowron of Green Bay
who has rendered his resignation as
Superintendent of the Wisconsin State
Reformatory, will be sorry to learn
that he has decided to leave this in
stitution. Charley, as he is familiarly
known among the newspaper men is
highly thought of and respected by
the fraternity. He leaves this posi-
ton reluctantly to go back into the
printing business at Oshkosh. We
take pleasure in republishing the fol
lowing about him taken from the Mil
Waukee Journal:
Charles W. Bowron leaves the Wis
consin State Reformatory Oct. /, af-
ter serving sixteen years as its su-
perintendent and seeing the institu-
ton grow from one of the smallest
state penal prisons into the biggest of
its kind in Wisconsin and many of the
other middle west states.
In years to come, visitors will in
spect the records Of this prison and
see what the present institution did.
In his period at the penitentiary, the
prison has grown from small "pen"
covering seven acres with six small
buildings into an institution covering
twenty-eight acres with eighteen
buildings, some of which would do
credit to metropolitan center.
Prisoners Helped Him.
And it has been all done by Bow
ron and his charges. The state has
not spent a cent for labor. The re-
formatory has its own carpenter shop,
it's own brick yard, and its own ma
chine shop. The prisoners have built
all the additions to the prison and are
now engaged in completing a high
twenty foot brick wall around the
grounds and putting the finishing
touches on the prison auditorium
room, which will seat 1900
Supt. Bowron is succeeded by R. NJ.
Coles, who has served five years as
assistant warden at Waupun and, pre-
vious to that was an assistant at Still
water. The new head will take office
the first of the month and he has al
ready been in conference with Mr.
Bowron. It is expected that many of
the improvements begun will be fin
ished under Mr.. Coles.
Long a Newspaperman.
There is an old saying that news
paper man can make good anywhere
and this is what Charlie" Bowron
has done. Previous to his appoint
ment to the reformatory position he
was a newspaper man. Starting at
the foot of the ladder with the old
Nassau, n. Y, Herald, Bowron COW
cred runs for many New York papers,
such as The World and The Sun, and
was Washington correspondent for
IiIS 1AS1dIO lu11ilS SISN ctllIllIII-
istration. He located in Oshkosh,
where he worked on The Northwest
ern. For three years he covered the
city hall and police beat and then
went on the editorial desk. He is part
owner of the Globe Printing Co., Osh-
kosh, being associated with Brig. Gen.
Charles R. Boardman. AS the general
is now busy helping down Kaiser Will
liam, Mr.. Bowron will take full charge
of the plant at Oshkosh.
''In way, | am awfully sorry to
leave, as these boys in here are really
my boys" says Mr.. Bowron. "For six
teen years have given them the best
possible and in that time, mind you,
never have l heard a word from them
against conditions here. Every one of
them know that [ have tried to play
fair, to be their friend, and help them
in every manner"