George Wigfall has never been to Alcatraz, but when he heads to “The Rock” in the early morning hours of Aug.
29, it won’t be so he can beat the crowd anxious to glimpse the cells of the prison that once housed Al Capone and “Machine Gun” Kelly. Wigfall, who goes by George the Painter because he’s a professional painter who does exteriors, interiors and specializes in electrostatic painting, actually won’t even set foot on the famed island in San Francisco Bay. A tour of the joint will have to wait. Anyone wanting to contribute to the fund that will benefit the Children’s Home of Stockton can send checks to Lion Mike Arishin/Lion George Wigfall, 5337 N. Pershing Ave. No. G15, Stockton, CA 95207. Wigfall also can be reached at georgethepaintercagmail.com if anyone wants to send messages of encouragement. Wigfall’s venture will end on the south side of Alcatraz when he jumps from a boat into the frigid water as one of 375 swimmers who signed on for the seventh annual “Alcatraz Classic: Swim with the Centurions” event. The 51-year-old Stockton man, who has spent the past several months training in the pool at In-Shape Sport: Marina, at 6545 Embarcadero Drive in Stockton, will attempt the 11/4-mile swim that ends in the cove below Ghirardelli Square.
His goal is to finish in the same hour and three minutes it takes him to swim a mile and a half in a pool.