By VIVIANE GILBERT STEIN of the East Oregonian
PENDLETON - What didn't happen.
That's what strikes David O'Dea most about his 10 years at Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution, as he looks back on the eve of retirement.
The murder of a staff member. The murder of an inmate. A riot or disturbance that staff couldn't quell before it began.
"I think the things that stand out most in my mind are the things that didn't happen," he said Monday on his last day as assistant superintendent of general services.
One staff member was injured, and while O'Dea said that was one too many, it was still only one.
"All of those kinds of things that didn't happen, that I'm probably most proud of," he said. "They didn't make headlines, but not making headlines is the most important thing in this kind of role."
Instead, he said, the institution is a safe place to work and it's a safe place for inmates to do their time.
For the past 10 years, O'Dea has been part of the team that ensures that safety.
He came to Pendleton in February 1988. That was preceded by several years with the North Carolina Department of Corrections, which in turn was preceded by 22 years in the Army. O'Dea retired from the military in 1986.
"I just keep playing around with retirement," he quipped.
Even this, his second retirement, doesn't mean O'Dea will be taking it easy; he starts next Monday at the city police department in Auburn, Wash.
When he started at EOCI as a hearings officer, the west side of the institution was gutted. Only the east side was operational, with an inmate population of only 700.
After two years, he was promoted to assistant superintendent of general services. In that role, he was responsible for the institution's day-to-day operations, which included supervising of the majority of the staff.
While O'Dea was at the prison for most of its construction, he has always regretted that he wasn't present from the beginning. "It's a special thing to be here at the beginning of something," he said.
That's something the current staff will be able to appreciate after the women's wing is operational. Work is progressing quickly on that undertaking, which O'Dea identified as one of the upcoming challenges facing the institution. But, he was quick to add, "They'll make it work. The staff will do it, you can count on it."
Praise of EOCI's staff is a common theme among new and retiring administrators. "That's a fact," O'Dea confirmed. "It's a good bunch. They always do what you need them to do."
O'Dea said he "never quite figured out what it is" that makes the prison's staff so exemplary, although it could be the area's strong work ethic. But he knows one thing for sure: "I'll miss the folks here, there's no doubt about it."
Compliments from visitors to EOCI are also extremely common. And that echoes O'Dea's first impression. When he first visited the institution to interview for the job, Superintendent George Baldwin took him on a tour. Despite the fact that major construction was under way, O'Dea was struck by four things: it was clean, it was quiet, the staff were respectful and the inmates were respectful.
"When I got done with that tour I told myself 'This would be a good place to work,'" he said. "I remember that feeling very well today."
What's more, he hears the same comments from visitors: EOCI is clean, it's quiet, and the staff and inmates are respectful.
With so much good, saying good-bye isn't easy. O'Dea had thought he and his wife's experience of moving so much with the military would make this departure easier to handle, but it's been tough.
"It's a real nice community, an excellent institution ... and the staff is just wonderful," he said.
O'Dea has also enjoyed the good relationship between Pendleton and the prison, a relationship that isn't always so friendly in other prison towns.
"I think EOCI's been good for the community, but the community has been good for EOCI," he said. "It's a good relationship."
But southeast of Seattle, a new job beckons - and that one is much closer to the couple's three grown children. Their son is a police officer in Tacoma, one daughter is stationed in Everett with the Navy and another daughter lives in Silverdale.
He and his wife of 34 years, Mary Louise, are "kind of looking forward to being in the area," he said.
O'Dea's new job will have less responsibility, which is another benefit. But it's hardly a slouch job: he'll supervise operations at the municipal jail and police records.
He believes he's leaving EOCI in good hands. O'Dea was effusive in his praise of Superintendent Jean Hill. "She's excellent," he said.
"I think she's a wonderful person. I support her philosophy on corrections 100 percent. I think her values about staff are right on line." And, he added, "She has excellent leadership skills."
Hill, in turn, was quick to return the compliments.
"Dave O'Dea has been a most valuable asset to EOCI and the Oregon Department of Corrections," she said. "Over the years, his leadership skills have been well utilized, and Dave always delivers in top-notch fashion. His common sense approach, coupled with his fair and even-handed style, will long be remembered at EOCI."