[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 65 (Monday, May 23, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: May 23, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
   PEACE OFFICERS' MEMORIAL WEEK: A TRIBUTE TO LAW ENFORCEMENT HEROES

                                 ______


                            HON. JOHN BRYANT

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, May 23, 1994

  Mr. BRYANT. Mr. Speaker, in observance of Peace Officers' Memorial 
Week, those of us who live in the Fifth Congressional District of Texas 
join the rest of the Nation in pausing to honor the memory of our 
public safety officers who have given their lives in the line of duty.
  Among the 751 Texas officers who have made the supreme sacrifice 
while protecting us, our family, friends, and neighbors, we honor 
especially the 96 heroes who have fallen within the boundaries of the 
Fifth Congressional District of Texas.
  A large portion of Dallas County lies within the Fifth District, and, 
since such records have been kept, the Dallas County Sheriff's 
Department and the various local police departments of its cities have 
seen more than 80 of their officers lost while performing their sworn 
duties.
  Representatives of these heroic men and women and the more than 
13,000 American law enforcement officers who have been killed in the 
line of duty in the last two centuries, dating back to 1794, I call the 
attention of my colleagues and the American people to just a few of the 
officers who have died protecting the citizens of the eleven counties 
of the fifth district--our relatives, ancestors and neighbors, American 
heroes as surely as are their brothers and sisters who have given their 
lives in our American Armed Forces:
  Anderson County.--A lifelong resident of Anderson County, Sheriff's 
Deputy Derrell Honea of Frankston was still engaged in his life's work 
at the age of 62 in 1985 when, on routine patrol, his squad car was 
involved in a traffic accident that claimed his life. He was survived 
by his wife, daughter, two grandchildren and mother, taken at an age 
when most Americans are looking forward to retirement and more time to 
devote to their loved ones and to recreation and other activities 
marking a fulfilling retirement.
  Brazos County.--A native Texan, Major J.E. Kennedy, acting chief of 
the College Station Police who joined the department after 20 years in 
the U.S. Navy, died June 22, 1992, 4 days after his 51st birthday. A 
colleague said of him, ``He put everything into his job, seldom took a 
vacation, and just always was on top of things. . . . He did rise up 
quickly due to his morale, devotion to the job and department. I don't 
think there was anyone more trustworthy and devoted than John Kennedy. 
He considered the police department second only to his own family.'' He 
is survived by his wife, a daughter, and a son.
  Freestone County.--Three peace officers were killed in the line of 
duty between 1872 and 1928--Freestone County Sheriff James B. Rogers, 
was shot from ambush and killed while pursuing horse thieves in 1872; 
Constable Bragg Dunbar was killed in 1918 while arresting robbery and 
burglary suspects; and Special Texas Ranger Tim S. Willard was shot and 
killed in 1928 while raiding an illegal whisky distillery.
  Henderson County.--A courthouse ceremony sponsored by the Henderson 
County Peace Officers Association this week honored five officers who 
have died in the line of duty beginning with Texas Ranger Dan McDuffie, 
who was killed in 1931. Troopers Kohler C. Winn and Larry Hobson of the 
Texas Department of Public Safety were killed in an automobile accident 
in the line of duty in 1974. Henderson County Deputy Sheriff Charlie 
Fields, Sr., whose son later served as Sheriff, was killed in a gunfire 
while arresting a suspect in 1956. And Athens Police Department Lt. 
Bennie R. Everett was killed in a jailhouse struggle with a prisoner in 
1977.
  Limestone County. Two Limestone County Sheriffs died in the line of 
duty--Harry James Dunlap shot and killed in the course of an arrest in 
1955 and Connor Grafton Spivey who died during a disturbance at a 
street dance in 1975. Mexia Police Officer Ricky Lee Ward, a 32-year-
old 3-year veteran of the department, was shot and killed in August 
1993, in the course of a theft investigation, during which he pursued a 
suspect. Officer Ward is survived by his wife and two stepsons.
  Robertson County. Deputy Sheriff Thomas J. Brown of the Robertson 
County Sheriff's Office was killed in the line of duty in November, 
1988.
  Smith County. Deputy Sheriff Walter L. Terry of the Smith County 
Sheriff's Office died in the line of duty in October, 1985. Four Tyler 
Police Department patrolmen lost their lives in the line of duty: M.J. 
Buie in 1946, Burl Whittington in 1955, Milus F. Nichol in 1962, and 
Eugene Verdall Vickers in 1963.
  Kaufman County. A young police officer from Terrell in Kaufman County 
also became one of the grim statistics on this honor roll almost 15 
years ago. Like his colleagues, his memory lives on with the family, 
friends, and officers he served. I quote directly Terrell Police Sgt. 
Pat Burnett, who tells the story of this young man that is similar to 
those of others who have given their lives to protect their 
communities:
  ``He was Patrol Officer William Robert Stout, but everyone called him 
Bob and he was my best friend. He was killed at 1:05 a.m. on the night 
of June 5, 1980. He answered a disturbance call in a government 
project. A parolee jumped him from behind and rammed his head into a 
brick wall. Bob's revolver fell out when his holster was torn open from 
the force of the impact. His assailant grabbed the gun and expended all 
six rounds. Only one hit Bob, but it killed him.
  ``One of his daughters was four years old and the other about a year 
old when they lost their father. Kelly will graduate from Duncanville 
High School this month, and Tracy is 15. Nancy, their mother and Bob's 
widow, has done a great job of raising those two girls--we're all very 
proud of them. Nancy is with the Dallas County Sheriff's Department. 
One of the girls was in Terrell a couple of weeks ago, and I took her 
for a ride in my squad car.''
  Nancy, Kelly, and Tracy Stout and Sgt. Burnett are no different from 
the families and friends of those 13,000 American law enforcement 
officers who have lost their lives doing their jobs for us for the past 
200 years. All the families and all the friends were deprived of men 
and women who were very important in their lives and who gave their 
lives for the safety of us all.
  We can never adequately express our appreciation or that of our 
communities to these gallant men and women killed in the line of duty. 
They will forever be an important part of our history.
  This week we remind ourselves of the debt we owe those officers and 
their families and friends--a debt we can never repay, only 
acknowledge.

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