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MASSARO: Furthering nonviolence, one inmate at a time

By Gary Massaro, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published March 27, 2008 at 12:30 a.m.

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Bruce Thron-Weber works with inmates.

Bruce Thron-Weber works with inmates.

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Bruce Thron-Weber works with men and women whose lives are filled with remorse and anger.

Thron-Weber tries to encourage them to choose reason over weapons in settling disputes so they can live productive lives once they get out.

He works one-on-one with jail inmates, in group sessions with convicts.

Thron-Weber (pronounced Trone) does this for free through an agency he co-founded, New Foundations Nonviolence Center.

Thron-Weber has had a variety of jobs - college instructor, research assistant.

Three things in his life have been long-term - his marriage, his devotion to his faith and his volunteer work, which has been full-time the past year.

For his efforts, he is the March recipient of the Minoru Yasui Community Volunteer Award, named in honor of the late community activist.

Thron-Weber, 58, grew up in Bordentown, N.J. He attended Earlham College in Richmond, Ind.

"It's a Quaker college," he said. "And I'm a Quaker."

He studied psychology. He later earned a master's degree in microbiology from the University of Cincinnati School of Medicine.

He came to Idaho Springs for a religious conference in 1978, where he met his future wife, Penny Thron.

He moved to Denver in 1980, and they married. They have two children in college.

In 1987, he and friend Mark Wessley founded the nonviolence center.

Through two- and three-day workshops with convicts, volunteers work on "affirmation, communication, cooperation, community building and creative conflict resolution," Thron-Weber said.

"Most people in prison are more aware of the negative things about themselves rather than the positive things," he said.

They are encouraged to see the good they can do rather than focus on the bad they have done. "If you feel better about yourself, you're less likely to be set off by what people say about you."

There are success stories. One inmate, freed and clear of parole, volunteered to go back to prison lead a group session. Another was freed, got his professional license reinstated, and married.

"My life's purpose is creating a world of peace, justice and community. And I believe what God has set for me is to work with people in jail and in prison," he said. "How do I know this? One way is when I don't do it, my life feel's empty."

massarog@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5271