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Op-Ed: Getting to Know ‘Subu’ Vedam

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Footage of a much younger Subu Vedam was shown at a meeting of his supporters at the Friends Meeting in State College on Sunday, July 14, 2024.

Marie Hamilton and Janet Irons

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Subramanyam Vedam, a former State College resident incarcerated at the State Correctional Institute at Huntingdon, has for many years been seeking his freedom based on his claim that he is innocent of the 1980 crime of killing another State College resident, Thomas Kinser. This fall Centre County Judge Jonathan Grine ruled that Mr. Vedam is entitled to an evidentiary hearing based in part on the recent discovery of an FBI report that suggests that the bullet that killed Mr. Kinser could not have been fired from the gun that the prosecution claimed Mr. Vedam owned. That hearing is set for Feb, 6-7.

These recent developments make it timely for the local community to learn more about Mr. Vedam as a person, or “Subu,” as he is called by those who know him.  As visitors with the Pennsylvania Prison Society, we have worked not just with Subu but with hundreds of incarcerated people in Pennsylvania. The portrait below is based on our own reflections as well as those of over 150 acquaintances who have written testimonials on Subu’s behalf. 

The collective picture which emerges speaks with one voice about Subu’s peaceful and generous character, a depiction that departs significantly from the distorted portrait of him that was projected in local media at the time of his trial in the 1980s.

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Marie worked with Subu at SCI Huntingdon over a 20-year period in a number of different capacities. She observed Subu’s capacity for leadership and service when he helped out with the Pennsylvania Prison Runathon, which Marie spearheaded. The Runathon raised monies for local community Big Brother/Big Sister programs and for 20 years was the largest inmate volunteer effort in the world. Subu was at various times committee member, top runner, counter and photographer. “Of all the people I got to know in prison,” says Marie, “Subu is probably one of the most comfortable of anybody I know to be with.” In her classes in Creative Nonviolent Conflict Resolution, “his demeanor was so caring, he seemed to be able to touch the love coming from other people. He was articulate and understanding, a joy to be around.”

Janet’s more recent encounters with Subu echo Marie’s experiences. She writes, “Rather than absorb the tensions that are inevitable in a prison context, Subu reflects outward his own efforts to build a rich and generous life. He regularly mentors younger inmates. He has numerous correspondents all over the world. His reading list addresses a wide range of topics. He is actively engaged in current affairs. His network of friends and family is so extensive that more people want to be on his visit list than is permitted by the prison’s quota.”

Our observations jibe with the reflections of others who have known Subu. For example, a mitigation specialist who got to know him in prison writes, “Subu is a compassionate, empathetic, and peaceful soul. He has been a resident of the Honor Block for over 35 years and I know he has been an asset to incarcerated people and staff alike.” A State College resident writes that Subu “is one of the most gentle and sincere people I have ever met. His kindness is evident, and despite his circumstances, he harbors no ill feelings. Rather, he has devoted his time to learning about the world, reading and sharing his abilities to help his fellow inmates.”  

Subu’s history of service is another consistent theme of those who know him. Even in prison, writes one, “Subu has been exemplary, developing his skills, showing leadership in organizing others to benefit others.” In addition to his participation in the Runathon, Subu also wrote a successful grant application to help the prison establish a Literacy Program for inmates, and he tutored fellow inmates for over 30 years. As one supporter writes, endeavors like these have “inspired many in his vast circle of relationships to greater service in their own communities.”

“Subu [is] the best of us,” writes one more, “actively living a life characterized by its generous service to others, to the betterment of himself extending to others, to learning that matters toward making the world a most just, compassionate, humble and love-filled place.”  

While we await the outcome of our judicial processes, let our hearts be attuned to the character of the person whose fate now hangs in the balance.

Marie Hamilton and Janet Irons are Official Visitors of the Pennsylvania Prison Society, a statewide organization whose legislative mandate authorizes its members to visit incarcerated people in Pennsylvania and to monitor their treatment in the state’s 84 jails and prisons. Marie is also a founder of the non-profit CentrePeace and author of the book “Miracles and Marvels.”

Previous StateCollege.com coverage of the Subu Vedam case.