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Trustee's

Tom Branch

Tom Branch I first became involved because I thought it was a shame that men and women who served our community for 20 plus years as a Tulsa Police Officer weren't recognized after their death in the same way that US Military veterans are. A veteran can serve for two years and his grave will be marked with an American Flag every year (and I whole-heartedly support this), but no way exists to recognize the dedication and daily sacrifices of a retired Tulsa Police Officer. Although I still wish there was a way to recognize each and every officer, I am proud that we have located and mark the graves of the 39 Officers who have laid down their lives in the line of duty. This really started for me after Gus Spanos was killed, and then became more of a resolve after Dick Hobson was killed. When the Committee was originally formed Danny Lynchard asked me to serve
to give both an outlet for my passion and to represent all of the Tulsa Police Chaplains. I never imagined it would grow into what it has become today, and words cannot express the pride I feel in being allowed to serve on the Tulsa Police Officers' Memorial Trust.
 

Doug Cash

Doug Cash Doug Cash is a retired Tulsa Police Officer. He served the citizens of Tulsa as a police officer from February 7, 1972 until March 31, 1999. He served as chairman of the Tulsa Police Officers’ Memorial from 1996 until 2001. He took a leave of absence from the Memorial in 2001 to serve two years as a police officer in Kosovo for the United Nations. He returned in January 2004 and has served as a trustee for the Memorial since that time.
 

Gerard Stege

Gerard Stege In 1991 Gus Spanos came into my same squad where we worked overnight in deep north Tulsa. We were a close group and Gus fit in just fine. When he was killed, it hit the squad hard, me no less than any of the other squad mates. We were all rather young and did not know what we could do that would be important enough.

In 1996 when Dick Hobson was killed I was the President of the FOP. Tragic events like this make up the foundation of what I believed the FOP to be built around. Helping officers and surviving family members struggle through and continue into the next day.

When we were still dealing with the funeral and the headlines of the event, citizens were reaching out to the FOP and the police department to help in some way. We had no truly appropriate entity to accept this outpouring of support and I could see that.

The police department is a government operation and is structured to have no "soul" for lack of a better term. The FOP is established to be more or less the "soul" of the police department, but we were structured to care for our own, ready to move on without help from outside our ranks.

In the fall of 1996 a small group of folks from the FOP Auxiliary, and within the ranks of the FOP presented the idea of the Tulsa Police Officer's Memorial to the members of the FOP. It was just an idea then and they needed a bigger group of people to push that idea forward. The Memorial sounded like the important thing I was looking for. I signed on then and have been there ever since.
 

Harry Stege

Harry Stege As Chief of Police 1977 to 1983, five of the officers recognized at the Tulsa Police Officers' Memorial, fell during his term as chief. One of the more tragic incidents was the helicopter crash that killed two officers in one instance. During Chief Stege’s term, many new components were added to the Police Department and the Aviation Unit was one of these new components. Also, as a young officer working I.D. or the 1970's version of "CSI", Stege was among the first officers to respond to Thurman Spybuck when Spybuck was shot and killed in the line of duty. Chief Stege retired and went to civilian life moving to the western United States to take up another career.

Moving back to Tulsa in 2002 he was privileged to become involved in the Tulsa Police Officers’ Memorial Trust. His reason for doing so was simple: The men and women of the Tulsa Police Department should be recognized for the willingness to serve, to honor the Oath of Office and the willingness to go in harms way and to give, ". . . that last full measure of devotion," when called upon. The physical Memorial is a symbol of our continuing respect for the sacrifices made by each of these Police Officers.
 

Ron Trekell

Ron Trekell I joined the Tulsa Police Department in 1964 and Retired in 1987. I have served as the department's historian from 1980 to present, which has enabled me to assist the Tulsa Police Officers' Memorial since 1996.
 

Ken Aery

Ken Aery I joined Tulsa Auxiliary Police in 1965 and the Tulsa Police Department in 1967, serving the people of Tulsa in several different assignments. In 1971 an Officer involved shooting took place during a drug raid, resulting in the death of Sgt. Thurman Spybuck, Chief Jack Purdie ask Sgt. Harry Ekiss to assemble a group of Officers to serve has Honor Guard for Sgt. Spybuck's upcoming service, which resulted in the forming of Tulsa Police Department's first formal Honor Guard of which I was a member and it's first coordinator. I served until my Retirement January 1, 1988. In February 2003, I attended my first Tulsa Police Officers' Memorial committee meeting, asking if my Son (Danny, TPD Honor Guard's first bugler, as a ninth grade student), his wife (Janet) and Lisa Zerbey (daughter of Lt. Bill Jones, Retired) could sing the National Anthem for the Service in May. After working with the Tulsa Police Committee for several months I was invited to continue to serve as a member of the Committee to handle the production of the Memorial Services. In 2006 I became the Construction Coordinator and in 2009 I was elected to the board of Trustee's.
 

Marcie Brannon

Marcie Brannon I joined the Tulsa Police Department in July 1984. The majority of my career (as of now) has been as a patrol officer. I was in the Tulsa Police Honor Guard for 2 years. It was a very rewarding two years. I joined the Tulsa Police Officers' Memorial Trust shortly after it was formed. I started out as a trustee and was the Chairman for 3 years and now I am the Co-Chair. I joined because I wanted to be involved with something that remembered and honored our Fallen Officers and their families.
 

Lisa Ford

Lisa Ford I first got involved as FOP Auxiliary President with a meeting with Doug Cash and Mark Walmerhouser at an FOP Conference and we were talking about the State Memorial and National Memorial and that we should do something for the Tulsa Officers that were killed in the line of duty. As a wife of a Tulsa Police Officer (Ross Ford) and a daughter of a Retired Tulsa Police Sgt. (Ollie Harris) this was definitely something I was very interested in being a part of.

As Mark and Doug made some sketches of what our memorial could look like, the project in my eyes was already underway. I am proud of what has been accomplished by so many dedicated retired and still serving officers, wives of officers and Chaplains. We are so close to completion and I am proud to be a part of the Tulsa Police Memorial Trust.
 

Maureen Goree

Maureen Goree Maureen has been a member of the Tulsa Police Officers' Memorial Committee since 1996. She is a Memorial Trustee and is the Recording Secretary. She married Tulsa Police Officer W.S. (Bill) Goree in June of 1989. They have two teenage sons and Maureen is a full time Mom.
 

Karen Rovan

Karen Rovan I retired from the Tulsa Police Department in December 0f 2010 after 29 years of service. I moved to Tulsa to join Tulsa Police Department from Arizona where I grew up and went to college. I got involved with the Tulsa Police Officers' Memorial Committee five years ago when I was assigned to the Training Division. My role was to be the Academy's liaison with the Tulsa Police Officers' Memorial Committee. I have always believed in the mission of the Tulsa Police Officers' Memorial and my new connection just increased my commitment even after I left my Training Division assignment. I now serve as the Treasurer for the Trust.
 
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