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Donald Vaughn Sr., 67, prison superintendent

Donald Vaughn Sr., 67, of East Norriton, a retired Pennsylvania Department of Corrections official who helped end a hostage situation at Graterford Prison 30 years ago, died of complications from back surgery Sunday, Oct. 23, at Lankenau Hospital.

Donald Vaughn Sr., 67, of East Norriton, a retired Pennsylvania Department of Corrections official who helped end a hostage situation at Graterford Prison 30 years ago, died of complications from back surgery Sunday, Oct. 23, at Lankenau Hospital.

Mr. Vaughn was major of the guard at Graterford in October 1981 when four inmates with shotguns and pistols took six prison employees hostage after an aborted escape attempt.

During the siege that followed, Mr. Vaughn was chief mediator and assisted Philadelphia Daily News columnist and senior editor Chuck Stone, who negotiated an agreement with the hostage-takers.

A governor's panel that investigated the seige commended Stone and Mr. Vaughn for "outstanding courage."

In 1983, Mr. Vaughan was promoted to deputy superintendent, responsible for the day-to-day operations of the prison in Montgomery County. He became superintendent in 1989.

He and his inmates often gave presentations at schools about crime and punishment, said his son, Donald Jr. "When he spoke, you listened. He would use humor but he could hammer a point," he said.

Mr. Vaughn, a devout Baptist, invited Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua to say Mass in the Graterford chapel in 1994. "These men are children of God," Mr. Vaughn told The Inquirer. "The judge sentences them to be away from society, but most of them will return. We want them to be better."

In 2002, the first episode of a television documentary, Music Behind Bars was filmed at Graterford, showing band members staging a concert for fellow inmates.

When he was interviewed for the documentary, Mr. Vaughn said there were four bands at Graterford. "It's dangerous for inmates to become bored," he said. "Negative things go through their minds. They become violent."

From 2003, until he retired in 2007, Mr. Vaughn was deputy secretary of corrections for the Eastern Region of Pennsylvania.

Mr. Vaughn grew up near a stable in North Philadelphia and was an accomplished horseman in his youth. He graduated from Edison High School in Philadelphia and studied criminal justice at Villanova University and Pennsylvania State University.

In 1967, he became a guard at Eastern State Penitentiary in Fairmount. Mr. Vaughn left Eastern State in 1969 to become a corrections officer at Graterford. Eastern State closed in 1970 and became a museum, and Mr. Vaughn's memories of his time there were recorded for tours.

In the 1970s, he served on the commission to create community service centers to provide drug treatment, counseling, and housing for released prisoners.

Mr. Vaughn was past president of the National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice. He was active with several professional organizations and was a Mason. In 1994, he received the President's Award from the Pennsylvania Prison Wardens Association.

In addition to his son, Mr. Vaughn is survived by his wife of 31 years, Florine B. Williams; daughters Kwanda and Damika; a sister; and six grandchildren. Another son, Erik, died in 1990.

The funeral will be at 11 a.m., Friday, Oct. 28, at Christian Stronghold Baptist Church, 4701 Lancaster Ave., Philadelphia. Friends may call from 9 a.m. Burial will be in Mount Zion Cemetery, Collingdale.