Stephen Reid (writer) facts for kids

Stephen Reid (March 13, 1950 – June 12, 2018) was a Canadian writer. He was also known for being a member of the famous Stopwatch Gang and for his involvement in bank robberies. Reid spent time in many prisons in both Canada and the United States.

Early Life and the Stopwatch Gang

Stephen Reid was born in Massey, Ontario, on March 13, 1950. He had both Irish and Ojibwa heritage.

Reid worked with two other Canadians, Paddy Mitchell and Lionel Wright. Together, they were known as the Stopwatch Gang. This group was famous for their very quick robberies.

They took about $15 million from over 140 banks and other places. Most of these robberies happened in the 1970s and 1980s across Canada and the U.S.

The gang got their name because Reid often wore a stopwatch around his neck. In 1974, they successfully took $750,000 in gold bars from the Ottawa Airport.

After that robbery, they were caught. However, all of them managed to escape from prison by 1979.

A New Chapter: Writing from Prison

In 1980, Reid was arrested again in Arizona. While he was in prison in Kent Institution in Agassiz, British Columbia, he started writing in 1984.

He sent his writing to Susan Musgrave, who was a writer at the University of Waterloo at the time. They began writing letters to each other, and in 1986, they got married while he was still in prison.

That same year, Reid published his first novel, called Jackrabbit Parole.

Life After Prison

Stephen Reid was released from prison in June 1987. He lived with Susan Musgrave and her daughters in Sidney, British Columbia.

He taught creative writing at Camosun College. He also worked as a youth counsellor in the Northwest Territories, helping young people.

In June 1999, he was involved in another bank robbery in Victoria, British Columbia. He was sent back to prison for a long time. He was granted release again in February 2014.

Awards and Recognition

In 2007, a National Film Board of Canada documentary film was made about Reid. It was called Inside Time. This film won a Golden Sheaf Award in 2008 for being a great social or political documentary.

Reid also won the 2013 Victoria Book Award. He received it for his second book, A Crowbar in the Buddhist Garden: Writing from Prison.

Later Years

Stephen Reid passed away in a hospital near his home on Haida Gwaii on June 12, 2018. Susan Musgrave shared that he died due to health problems.

His writings and other important papers are kept at McMaster University. They are part of the William Ready Division of Archives and Research Collections.

See also

• Roger Caron