David DiGuglielmo, retired superintendent at the State Correctional Institution Graterford, has died at 76
He made it a priority to engage with his staff and the prison population, and he encouraged those who were incarcerated to share their life experiences with at-risk young people.
David DiGuglielmo, 76, of Schwenksville, retired superintendent at the State Correctional Institution Graterford, behavioral psychologist, longtime prisoner advocate, and veteran, died Wednesday, Oct. 30, of transverse myelitis at his home.
Mr. DiGuglielmo spent more than 36 years, from 1974 to 2010, at Graterford Prison in Montgomery County as a psychologist, program manager, deputy superintendent, and superintendent. He was superintendent for seven years, from 2003 to his retirement in 2010, and he managed thousands of incarcerated men in one of the state’s two largest prisons. Graterford, which housed as many as 4,000 men at one time, closed in 2018 and was replaced at the same site by the new State Correctional Institution Phoenix.
Mr. DiGuglielmo was hired as a mental health evaluator at Graterford out of Villanova and Temple Universities in 1974. He became prison program manager and director of treatment in 1982, supervising the psychologists and counselors and overseeing prisoner activities. He rose to deputy superintendent in 1996 and was responsible for medical and food services, facilities management, safety, and security.
He helped steer Graterford through challenging, sometimes violent, times in the 1970s, ’80s, and ’90s. He addressed controversial conditions on death row and executive commutations of life sentences, and expanded the staff of psychologists from two to more than a dozen.
A lifelong champion of rehabilitation and public service, he supported volunteers who worked at the prison and advocated for deserving and high-performing prisoners. He told high school students and others at a 2011 talk at Episcopal Academy: “One of the things I learned early on is that there is salvation in prison.”
In 2010, he told Philadelphia Magazine: “If inmates have no voice, no opportunity when they get out of bed in the morning to think the day is going to be OK, then what happens?”
As superintendent, Mr. DiGuglielmo made it a priority to engage with his staff and the prison population. He took great pride in his safety record and the successes of the former incarcerated men he mentored.
He embraced the power of faith, shared the lessons he learned from his time at Graterford, and encouraged even the lifers at the prison to tell their stories so others could benefit. “A lot can be learned by the years these men have been here,” he told The Inquirer in 2007.
He was named the 2007 Correctional Professional of the Year by the Pennsylvania Prison Society and served on its board from 2010 to 2015. He also partnered with Mural Arts Philadelphia, and The Inquirer published a story in 2004 about prisoner participation in creating some of the murals. “If we can help beautify the city in that way, I think it’s a positive thing,” he said then.
One former colleague noted his “grace under fire” in a tribute and said he was “fair, friendly, just, and always of great good humor. … It was an honor to know him.” Another former colleague said: “He was the most professional and down-to-earth boss I ever had the pleasure to work with.”
He grew up in a large Italian American family in Ardmore, and he and his wife, Barbara, lived in a farmhouse on the Graterford grounds during his time as superintendent. “David spoke often of the ‘Graterford family,’” his family said in a tribute, “and he never lost his unshakable belief in rehabilitation.” His daughter Jennifer said: “It was amazing how he talked about the men.”
Peter David DiGuglielmo was born Aug. 31, 1948, in Bryn Mawr. He graduated from Haverford High School and earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in psychology at Villanova and Temple.
He met Barbara Smith at a party in Ocean City, N.J., and she fell asleep during a John Wayne movie on their first date. They married in 1971, had daughters Jennifer and Laura, and a son, David, and lived in Ardmore and West Chester. “Their marriage was a love of mutual devotion and care, unwavering loyalty, and genuine affection,” his family said.
He served as a medic for several years in the Army Reserve and was discharged in 1976. He considered opening a private psychology practice but found his calling quickly among those most in need at Graterford.
Mr. DiGuglielmo was a foodie and a cook, and he made memorable gnocchi, and introduced dessert after breakfast to his grandchildren. He vacationed for years at the Jersey Shore and liked to watch the kids splash around in his pool.
He ran, lifted weights, and played golf and tennis. He went to the Woodstock music festival in 1969 and later took his wife to see the Rolling Stones and The Who.
He enjoyed scary movies and quoted philosopher and humanitarian Albert Schweitzer often. “I’ve spent my life as a public servant,” he said in 2011. “I didn’t make a fortune in money. But I made a fortune in blessings because I know how good it feels to help other people.”
In addition to his wife and children, Mr. DiGuglielmo is survived by seven grandchildren, a sister, and other relatives. A sister died earlier.
Services were held on Nov. 15.
Donations in his name may be made to Mural Arts Philadelphia’s Restorative Justice Program, Attn: Bryant Girsch, 1727-29 Mount Vernon St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19130.