1

Offi cers: L.D. Whitton, President • Miles Engelke, Vice-President • Larry Engelke, Secretary-TreasurerExecutive Director: Claude Hart • Editor: Jack Lawler • Production Assistant: JoAnne Smith

TEXAS STATE TROOPERwww.texasstatetroopers.org

NUMBER 307 OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE TEXAS STATE TROOPERS ASSOCIATION MARCH 2016

Continued on page 3

Easter Sunday, 1934: Bonnie and Clyde murder two state troopers. Metcalf memorial monument installed

Supported and reported in 1996 by Texas State Troopers Association, Widow leads outstanding DPS career

Newly-married Texas highway patrolman Edward Wheeler and his wife Doris wanted to go to church that Easter Sunday, but he had to go on patrol. Before he left, they held hands and talked quietly of spiritual things. The popular song “Easter Parade” was playing on the radio. She decided to spend the day with her parents. He met his partner J.D. Murphy, and they headed out from Fort Worth on their motorcycles. On a north Texas country road a few miles outside Grapevine, they came to a black Ford automobile parked at roadside, with two people inside. Thinking that it was someone with car trouble, they stopped, and approached the car.

A farmer, some distance away in a fi eld, heard staccato gunfi re, saw the offi cers fall. Then he saw a man and a woman walk to the fallen ones. More gunfi re. The woman nudged one of the fallen and fi red a shotgun into the body at close range. The killings were a continuation

of the violent rampage of Bonnie and Clyde. It was April 1st, 1934, Highway Patrolman Wheeler and Murphy were the fi rst two state police offi cers killed. Wheeler was 26; Murphy, who was engaged to be married, was 24.

Doris Wheeler, returned from her Easter visit with her parents, was stunned to see a funeral hearse parked at her apartment. “Oh my God, no,” she uttered upon being informed. At the funeral home, she looked at her husband’s body. “I shouldn’t have looked,” she said later.

The widowed young offi cer’s wife had little with which to rebuild her life. There was no state insurance for Texas fallen lawmen. The Texas Department of Public Safety was being formed. It’s fi rst director would be Col. Homer Garrison. Bonnie and Clyde continued robbing

2

COURT’S IN SESSIONby Judge Larry Gist

Judge Gist is completing his 40th year as a Criminal Dis-trict Judge. Previously, he served as an Assistant District Attorney for 10 years. He is a Board Certifi ed Specialist in both Criminal Law and Criminal Appellate Law by the State Bar of Texas. He served as Chair of the Judicial Advisory Council for 19 years before being appointed by the Gover-nor as a member of the Texas Board of Criminal Justice. The fi rst State Jail was named after him and he has twice been elected Chairman of the Criminal Law Section of the State Bar of Texas.

Ballpark Justice

There is probably nothing more misunderstood and suspicious in our criminal justice system than plea bargains. Most people believe it is a horrible misuse of fairness and usually results in signifi cant injustice. Sometimes to the defendant. Sometimes to the community.

So let’s take a look for a moment at what this system is really all about. First, the preferable outcome for any prosecution would be a full blown jury trial. That it is argued would come closer to justice than anything else. But even jury trials are often criticized because the loser feels they were treated unfairly. And sometimes even the victor has a similar feeling.

What’s important to understand in a very practical sense is that even the best court could only try 50 or 60 jury trials a year and in most jurisdictions, the courts get more cases than that in a month. So the backlog begins and as we all know, justice delayed is often justice denied.

The remedy, as unholy as it may be, involved plea bargains. Settlement agreements are reached in 95% of most confl icts, whether criminal or civil. The parties seek to come to a place where both can accept the result. That result is usually not what either would like to see. But it is often much better than losing if a full trial was utilized.

Yet the best efforts of prosecutors and judges have done little to convince the public that this type of perceived smoke-fi lled back room justice is really serving the common good. Law enforcement in general takes a dim view of the process. Yet without it our system would have diffi culty surviving in many areas of our state. So as a practical matter, whether we like it or not, whether we trust it or not, or whether we understand it or not, the plea bargaining process is something that most communities must accept on a daily basis.

But for it to work properly, the agreement must be a truly arm’s length transaction. The strength of both the State’s case as well as the defendant’s must be fairly evaluated. The quality of the witnesses, for better or worse, must be carefully evaluated.

And in every community, there is a recognized standard

for most types of cases. Those standards are usually set by jury verdicts in similar cases. If those results are consistent, then both sides have to use that as a goal.

Usually, the prosecutor sets the offer close to but below what they anticipate a jury would do in the case. The defendant has to do exactly that same thing. If either unreasonably departs from that standard, no bargain will ever result.

In a very real sense, prosecutors actually serve a judicial function. Through the bargaining process, they set the level or degree of prosecution as well as the punishment. After all, they represent the public and most prosecutors take that opportunity very seriously. Our law even requires that prosecutors have a duty to see that justice is done in every case.

Judges are given authority to either accept or reject all plea bargain agreements. So when a judge follows an agreement, it is an approval of an evaluation made by both sides.

So as a practical matter, most communities could not deal with the growth of crime unless the prosecutor settled most of the cases. Remember that there is always a check on the prosecutor’s judgment and that’s the approval of the agreement by an independent judge. And as long as judges take this supervisory authority seriously and prosecutors make fair, honest and objective evaluations of their cases, the system is really about as good as it can possibly be.

So until next time, you’all be careful out there, you hear.

To our members, other law of-fi cers and new citizen viewers/readers: Remind a friend that they can enjoy Texas State Troop-er each month by clicking onto:

www.texasstatetroopers.orgIt’s about what DPS troopers are doing daily to protect the lives and properties of Texas people, pass the word!

With the highway patrol, there are no routine stops

3

Easter Sunday, 1934..Continued from front page

and killing. They killed 12 people, many of whom were law offi cers. Gov. Miriam “Ma” Ferguson determined that the killers had to be stopped. She commissioned retired Texas Ranger Captain Frank Hamer to personally pursue Bonnie and Clyde. Also soon to be troubling Texas was statewide crime-ridden gambling, with heavy activities around Galveston.

Texas’ next Governor, James V. Allred, called state police Chief L.G. Phares and told him that two “Petticoat Rangers” were needed to infi ltrate gambling syndicates. Doris Wheeler was one of the women selected. She did the job over several months. As a secret agent, she set up gambling “busts.” (Some have referred to her as “the fi rst female Texas Ranger.”)

During these times the Texas legislature created DPS. State Police Chief Phares retired and Homer Garrison became DPS Director. In the years ahead, Doris remarried, worked at DPS Driver Licensing offi ces and the Highway Patrol in San Antonio, Fort Worth and Dallas. After her diverse law enforcement career she worked for North American Aircraft and also the International Brotherhood of Electricians, both in Fort Worth.

In 1996, at age 85, she learned that a Fort Worth Star Telegram columnist, “Bud” Kennedy was writing a story about Bonnie and Clyde. She called him. They met. Then, “Rick” Metcalf, who had started the Memorial Monument program for fallen DPS offi cers (which had been strongly supported by the Texas State Troopers Association) learned of the story and called her.

Metcalf, whose brother Don faithfully carried on his memorial program when Rick soon died, told her he was coming her way to install a memorial monument to troopers Wheeler and Murphy.

“I was thrilled,” she said. “I couldn’t believe that a private citizen would do such a wonderful thing for a trooper killed 62 years earlier.”

When they visited, there was an immediate closeness between Rick Metcalf and Doris Edwards. There were hugs of gratitude and appreciation. A monument site and monument inscription were selected. Phone calls and letters followed. Soon included in the project was Rick’s brother Don Metcalf, plus TSTA editor Jack Lawler and TSTA. The Metcalfs had told Doris of TSTA’s support.

On August 12, 1996, a handsome heavy granite monument, made and donated by Rockdale Monuments (the Paul Luckey family) was put in place near the once country pastoral location where the two troopers were

killed. A huge crowd assembled. Rick Metcalf and he Fort Worth newspaper’s Bud Kennedy had alerted law offi cers, news media, dignitaries and citizens.

Among those present to honor the fallen offi cers and Doris Edwards were the Mayor of Southlake, Rick Stacy, columnist Bud Kennedy, Frank Hamer Jr. (son of the Ranger who stopped Bonnie and Clyde), relatives and descendants of the slain offi cers, a special motorcycle squadron of the Grapevine police department, L.J. Hinton (son of one of the offi cers who was with Texas Ranger Hamer at the gunfi ght with Bonnie and Clyde), many DPS troopers and other law offi cers and the Paul Luckey family.

As the memorial monument was unveiled, Doris Edwards said, “God, it’s beautiful.”

Throughout her brief speech of appreciation, she held up well emotionally. But, at the end of the ceremony, when the departing grapevine police motorcycles roared, she broke down. It was the last sound she had heard as her trooper husband left home for work on that Easter Sunday morning 62 years earlier.

The Texas State Troopers Association is glad that, by supporting the monument work by the Metcalf brothers (and other work through the years) it had a part in honoring this gutsy lady, Mrs. Doris Edwards, her fallen young trooper husband Edward Wheeler and his motorcycle partner J.D. Murphy. All are a part of the grim history of Bonnie and Clyde.

The late Rick Metcalf and his surviving brother Don

The big guy assisting Doris (right) is Rick Metcalf.

WE CAREAbout troopers, all our officers, and everyone in public safety work.

Continued on page 4

4

Metcalf, and TSTA and its editor Jack Lawler have long felt honored to have known and served this gallant, grieving lady. She told much of this report to them personally. Her words were bitter about Hollywood’s repeated movie showing “Bonnie and Clyde” (portrayed by Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty), which featured romance between the two and portrayed them as a “Robin Hood type” couple who “robbed the rich and gave to the poor.”

“People today do not know how brutal they were,” she said. “They were vicious murderers.”

On one occasion in her fi nal years, a tourist-oriented Texas city planned a “Bonnie and Clyde” special historic event. Its promoters called Doris Edwards and asked if she would attend. Doris was furious and refused. She later told Metcalf and TSTA’s Lawler, “What did they expect me to do? Sit in front of a tent and cry?” The Texas State Troopers Association sent a stern letter of criticism to the city fathers for its inconsiderate invitation to Doris.

As to her years as a unique DPS employee, (the “Petticoat Ranger”) she said, “I enjoyed every minute of it.”

Was she a stalwart pioneer member of the “DPS family”? Yes. Was she a part of Texas and DPS history? Yes.

The late Mrs. Doris Wheeler Edwards: she should be remembered more than Bonnie and Clyde.

By Jack Lawler

Easter Sunday, 1934..Continued from page 3

Reducing sugar use

Sugar adds calories to food and likely contributes to obesity and possibly other health risks when you consume too much. To keep your sugar consumption in check:

■ Keep products with added sugar out of your home — The primary sources of added sugar are sugar sweetened beverages — including sports and fruit drinks — candy and baked treats such as cakes, cookies and pies.

■ Substitute with healthier foods — Stock up on fresh fruit and keep unsweetened frozen or canned fruit available. Get creative with desserts, for example, preparing baked apples with cinnamon, grilling pineapple or having mixed berries with plain yogurt. Sweeten toast, pancakes or plain oatmeal with fruits or berries, rather than sugary syrups. Fruits and dairy products naturally contain sugar, but it’s part of a nutrient-dense package that delivers lots of nutritional value for the amount of sugar consumed.

■ Drink soda substitutes — Try fl avored or unfl avored sparkling water as a way to add zero-calorie, sugar-free refreshment to your day. Make a smoothie with berries and other fruit mixed with fat-free milk for a nutritious drink.

■ Read nutrition labels — If sugar, corn syrup, dextrose, sucrose, glucose, fructose, maltose, turbinado sugar, molasses or high-fructose corn syrup is listed among the fi rst few ingredients on the label, the product likely has high amounts of added sugar. Often, you can fi nd an equivalent product with little or no added sugar or artifi cial sweeteners.

Reprint from the Mayo Clinic Health Letter, March, 2016.

Health tips

www.texasstatetroopers.orgPlease visit our web site.

If you have an email address, please send it to Claude Hart at:

Claude.Hart@texasstatetroopers.org

TSTA Officer Membership

Advantages• Free Last Will & Testament • Free AD&D Insurance • Emergency Assistance• Legal Assistance • Legislative Represen- tation • Personal Counsel • Monthly Newsletter (Online)

5

The Metcalf brothers: Monuments for the DPS fallen

Rick Metcalfupper left

Started putting up memorial monuments to fall-en DPS offi cers in 1995 after meeting Trooper Carlos Warren, who was shot and killed near Austin, only days after they met.

Nobody told him to start, nobody made him stop. In bad health and struggling in business, he spent his own money and time. Learning of his unselfi sh work, the Texas State Troop-ers Association soon began to help him with expenses and publicity. Before his premature death at age 44, he had credited and installed 45 offi cer markers statewide, and enlisted the aid of his brother Don Metcalf, with Don's prom-ise to continue the work after Rick's death. Rick loved DPS troopers. He loved Doris Edwards (Bonnie and Clyde article). At 6'7" and 375 lbs., he became known as the "gentle giant with the big heart."

Don Metcalfupper right

With his brother Rick in failing health, Don made his lifelong promise to continue the DPS Memo-rial Monument work. He used Rick’s fl at-bed trailer, equipped with an overhead hoist and winch for lifting and placing the heavy granite monuments. Like his brother, he worked close-ly with the Luckey Family of Rockdale Memorial Company, who, soon began donating monu-ments. And Don enlisted the aid of his son-in-law Tim Elliot of Austin and other family mem-bers.

Leaving his high-tech consultant business and traveling the state often, Don worked to "catch

up" on past fallen offi cer marker needs. As a new offi cer fell, Don had gentle, considerate meetings with grieving families. As of now, the work is caught up. TSTA still supports it. Since the days of Bonnie and Clyde, there are 90 me-morial monuments installed, one for every DPS fallen offi cer, plus for some other law enforce-ment offi cers killed.

The unselfi sh, voluntary work of the Metcalfs is revered and appreciated by troopers, other DPS offi cers and the Texas Rangers. The most ap-preciation of all comes from the surviving family members, wives, surviving close friends of DPS offi cers killed in the line of duty. It has brought peace and comfort to them. Active duty DPS offi cers today are assured that, if anything hap-pens to them, they will not be forgotten.

Another TSTA Service for Offi cer Members:

AD&D BENEFITWe are pleased to announce to our members that at NO

COST TO YOU, we have renewed your Accidental Death and Dismemberment Benefi t at an increased amount of $4,000 for each of you.

You do not have to return the card if all you want is the $4,000 AD&D benefi t.

However, if you are interested in participating in the Health Services Discount Card which can save your family 20-60% on vision care, hearing care, prescription drugs and chiropractic - along with receiving Child Safe Kits for your children and grandchildren, members should return the reply card for further information.

An American Income Life (AIL) representative will contact you to set up an appointment to deliver and explain the no-cost benefi ts. This program is not insurance, so members are not required to fi ll out forms. All they need to do is show a discount card when they visit a participating pharmacy or health care provider.

The TSTA provider is very strong fi nancially. TSTA has been working with them for the past several years with out-standing service provided on all levels.

TSTA Officer Membership Advantages

• Free Last Will & Testament • Free AD&D Insurance • Emergency Assistance• Legal Assistance • Legislative Representation • Personal Counsel • Monthly Newsletter (Online)

There are no routine stops.

6

WHAT YOUR $25 ANNUAL TSTA DUES BUYSfor Offi cer Members, both current and former

*Free Last Will & Testament -TSTA Member and His/Her SpouseTrooper becomes a commissioned offi cer and puts life on the line every dayTrooper marriesTrooper adds baby(ies) to familyTrooper divorcesTrooper divorces and then remarriesThese are a few reasons TSTA members have taken advantage of this benefi t. All are important reasons to have a

will in place and also redone when circumstances change. TSTA furnishes this service at no cost.

*Free AD&D Insurance - Up to $4,000A TSTA member is killed while on vacation in a freak accident.A TSTA member is killed in the line of duty.No matter how a member meets his end, as long as it is an accident the insurance pays--also if member loses limb

or sight due to an accident the insurance pays.

*Emergency Assistance - Disaster/DeathFlood waters from hurricane ruined their home. Electricity was out and all their food ruined. Furniture, computers

& TV’s all ruined. Homeowners insurance covered some, but not all--not motel bills or insurance deductible. TSTA members got an immediate assistance check through their membership.

A TSTA member was killed in a highway crash. His wife received a $2000 TSTA emergency assistance check immediately (this type gift is not always automatic). It did not heal the grief of the lost husband/father, but it provided fast help until the insurance paid off.

*Legal AssistanceA Highway Patrol Trooper arrested a young DWI who spent a few hours in jail. The young man’s father, a city council

offi cial in their town, fi led a lawsuit against the Trooper. For various reasons, DPS legal services did not defend him. But TSTA did-with their attorney, whose services were worth big money. The suit was settled peaceably out of court. It happened just that way because the HP Trooper had joined TSTA and paid his $25 annual dues.

*Legislative RepresentationA Highway Patrol Trooper was injured and disabled for life. TSTA helped him fi nancially early. Later, working with

troopers and other DPS friends and utilizing its lobbyist, TSTA helped the injured trooper secure lifetime disability income from the state.

TSTA members are employed by the state. This means that they serve at the discretion of the Texas Legislature, which controls the law enforcement budget. This controls DPS offi cers’ salaries and other fi nancial factors which affect the offi cer’s career and his family. TSTA maintains close relations with senators and state representatives. Yes, TSTA is a lobbyist for DPS trooper/members. Its knowledgeable people often explain trooper needs to these elected offi cials. The TSTA/legislative relationship is a good one, valuable to DPS commissioned offi cers.

*Personal CounselMany situations arise in an offi cer’s life, both professional and personal. They can be discouraging and stressful, such

as illness in the family or injury to the offi cer. TSTA is here for you with advice and assistance -just call.

*Online Monthly NewsletterIf you are a TSTA member and have fi lled out an on-line profi le, it will be delivered straight to your in-box. Otherwise,

you can go to www.texasstatetroopers.org to access. You’ll get unique articles and pictures about troopers, families… their accomplishments and problems. Also DPS events and new equipment, legislative news, courtroom criminal/legal analysis by veteran criminal Judge Larry Gist - and even a few chuckles. Look for it the fi rst week of every month.

OFFICER MEMBERS GET SO MUCH VALUABLE HELP FOR A ONE-TIME ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP FEE OF $25. WHAT A GREAT BARGAIN AND A GREAT GIFT TO YOUR FAMILY.

7

COMING MARCH 26 AT EL PASO

Will you run…to honor Arana? If not you can make a donation to the Troop-er Arana Memorial Fund (scholarships for high school seniors). To register or donate, visit webpage: www.javieraranajrmemorial.com

8

DPS Senior trooper, 37 years service, grateful for TSTA career support

Trooper Jeff Sones, DPS/CVE says the support given him over his entire DPS career has been a positive “plus factor.”

He was with the Department four years prior to his 37 years as an offi cer. He has served with the highway patrol (HP) most of his career. He is with the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement (CVE) now. While with HP, he was a founding member of the DPS SWAT team and served on it 15 years, experiencing many tense and dangerous situations.

Trooper Sones was also on the DPS state pistol team many years. “In the team’s early days,” he says, “TSTA helped us with travel expenses often, the team and I really appreciated the help.”

He has been a member of the Texas State Troopers Association throughout his DPS years. He has long noted other TSTA support, such as helping trooper families during illness or injuries - also in providing DPS offi cers at the Capitol with exercise (rowing) machines and recreation room improvements.

Trooper Sones advises rookies and other young troopers who are not TSTA members to talk with veteran TSTA member troopers about TSTA support.

Troopers! This windshield decal signifi es a public safety supporter!

…providing immediate fi nancial and emotional assistance to families of fi rst-responders who have been killed or in-jured in the line of duty - also providing scholarships to worthy fi rst responders, plus funds for equipment on training. 100 Clubs are citizens who care and are all over Texas.

With the highway patrol, there are no routine stops

The Armed Citizen• When the sound of breaking glass woke up a Tusca-loosa, Ala., apartment dweller early one morning, the res-ident grabbed his handgun and went to investigate. He found two men clad in bandannas and hoodies inside his second-story apartment. The armed citizen fi red at one of the intruders. The wounded assailant ran across the park-ing lot, then he collapsed and died. His cohort, meanwhile, jumped from the victim’s balcony. The culprit sustained several broken bones when he landed on the ground, but he still got away. The police later captured him about a quarter mile from the scene. He has been charged with bur-glary and murder because his accomplice died during the commission of a felony. The resident will not be charged because of the state’s “stand your ground” law, offi cials said. (The Tuscaloosa News, Tuscaloosa, AL, 6/30/15)

• A 72-year-old man was tied up inside his home by two women, but with the help of his gun, he was able to turn the tables on his captors. The Gold Beach, Ore. resident was at home when the two burglars entered his home, bound him to a chair and stole his cash and credit cards. At this point one of the criminals left the scene in the victim’s car while the other stayed behind to guard him. Eventually able to free himself, the elderly man grabbed his handgun and pointed at the remaining woman, who fl ed the scene on foot. The felon who escaped in the man’s vehicle was picked up by the authorities a short time later, but her accomplice is still being sought. (kptv.com, Portland, OR, 9/22/15)

From the Armed Citizen® Archives December 1982 Linda Curtis was walking home from work when a man over-powered her and dragged her into a construction site off an Evanston, Ill. street. As he began to assault her, Curtis, a police offi cer, pulled her service revolver from her purse, shot and killed him. (The Chicago Tribune, Chicago, IL) Reprint from the American Rifl eman, December 11, 2015.

Trooper Jeff Sones, CVE-New Braunfels

9

The story of Fredericksburg’sEaster Fires

however, didn’t understand the meaning of the fi res, and huddled closely waiting for and expecting the worse.

Legend has it that a young German mother, seeing the fear in her children’s eyes, fabricated a story to calm them. Remembering an old German tradition of lighting ‘Easter fi res’, she told the kids that the fi res were in honor of Easter, and that the large bunnies they had encountered (jack rabbits) in this new land were boiling water to make dye for the Easter eggs they were preparing. She insisted the children go quickly to sleep, and the ‘bunny’ would hide the eggs for them to fi nd in the morning.

Is this the beginning of the fabled Easter rabbit tale? Some claim that it is, others have different tales to tell. Regardless, by the following morning a few of the husbands and fathers from the treaty party returned with the good news, and indeed, there was a celebration, including brightly-colored Easter eggs for the children to fi nd.

For generations this tale has been passed down to the Fredericksburg descendants of those early settlers, and in 1948 the community decided to create an annual pageant to recreate the story for others to see. The Gillespie County Fair and Festivals Association (GCFFA) took over the sponsorship of the pageant in 1984, and in December of 1989 a copyright on the two names for the pageant --Fredericksburg Easter Fires Pageant and Easter Fires of Fredericksburg Pageant -- was acquired by the Fair Association.

A special script for the pageant was written by the late Bill Petmecky. It combined history and legend into one story that has been told by a cast of hundreds of volunteers each year until the 2005 season. Because of the large cast and the complicated staging, the GCFFA decided to suspend the event until further notice.

While the production has been halted, temporarily or otherwise, Fredericksburg remains a great spring destination and a place rich in Texas history. And the story of the Fredericksburg Easter Fires - with its legend - lives on.

Reprint: http://texaslesstraveled.com/easter_fi res.htm

A creative way for public safety offi cers to serve

Donate life: Be an organ, eye or tissue donorFor information, visit www.donatelifetexas.org

It was a harsh and wild frontier when John O. Meusebach and fellow German settlers marched up the Pedernales river in the 1840s to the site where the community of Fredericksburg was to be founded. They had made hefty investments in their German homeland, loaded up their belongings and family and boldly set sail across the Atlantic for Galveston Island where they loaded up wagons, hitched up the horses and headed out half way across the Texas frontier in search of a new beginning. It was in the middle of Comanche territory. Their fi rst job was to strike a treaty with the Comanche.

There were tense days and weeks just after their arrival in the Texas Hill Country. The Comanche were well aware of the groups intrusion into their territory. They kept careful watch. They had experienced violent encounters with other groups penetrating their territory. Meusebach’s group seemed different. The Comanche were curious which may have prevented hostilities.

Meusebach and a group of settlers made arrangements to travel to and meet with Quannah Parker, Comanche Chief, at Parker’s village on the San Saba river. While the largest contingent of German men made that march to the river, the remaining women, children and a hand- full of men remaining behind knew they were vulnerable to a raid. War parties were keeping watch from the hills surrounding the settler encampment.

The watchful Comanche sent smoke signals from hill top to hill top to keep up with the progress of the meeting between the two groups. The settlers knew that if treaty efforts failed, they were going to have to fi ght for their lives. The mood was tense and heavy.

After a day of successful negotiations, word was fi nally sent out by smoke signal from hill to hill, fi nally reaching the Comanche on watch above the settler’s camp. Suddenly, as the sun set on the valley, a local legend has it that the war parties, receiving word that all had gone well and a treaty had been reached, set huge fi res on the hill tops to celebrate. The settlers camped below,

If you cannot be a pen to write someone’s happiness then try to be an eraser to remove their sadness.

10

Save money on quality JUSTIN

TROOPER BOOTS!•soft, durable leather • cushion insole • high abrasion, oil-resistant sole and heel • long-wearing • meet DPS uniform requirements!

Price includes shipping

This is a special members’ benefit purchase through TSTA arrangements with Richland Shoe Company. To order, call TSTA at 1-800-289-8782.

Kuempel’s Korner

hand-craftedin USA!

10-inchCOWBOY

$139.00

“A little bit of knowledge is a good thing, unless it is mistaken for a lot of knowledge.”

* * * *

Dynamite often comes in little packages.

* * * *

Life is like a game of tennis. He who serves seldom loses.

* * * *

“Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.” - Mark Twain

* * * *

Abraham Lincoln’s reply, after being called “two-faced” by a political enemy: “If I had two faces, would I be wearing this one?”

* * * *

Victory does not always belong to those who fi nish fi rst.

* * * *

Money isn’t everything, but it keeps the kids in touch.

* * * *

I complained about no shoes - until I met a man with no feet.

* * * *

Do mosquitoes have any redeeming social value?

* * * *

It’s a good thing that chickens can’t talk. There’s enough foul language around already.

* * * *

The golfer was in a sand pit, hacking away unsuccessfully trying to lift the golf ball out. The ball was in an ant bed. Each time he swung, he scattered ants. Finally, a last remaining ant said to another: “Hey, if we’re going to get out of here alive, we gotta get on the ball!”

* * * *

It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.

* * * *

Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people.

* * * *

There was this Aggie who bought a Zebra for a pet. He named him “Spot.”

* * * *

The best place to spend a vacation is somewhere near your budget.

* * * *

If bankers can count, why do they have eight windows and only four tellers?

11

New education opportunities for DPS and other Texas law offi cers/veteransSullivan University offers strong discount credit hour rate for law offi cers/veterans

This large, accredited and modern Kentucky University which has long emphasized helping military personnel earn college degrees, is now helping law offi cers graduate from college. It has recognized the unique and special contributions of law offi cers to their communities and is now rewarding them with a reduced rate on tuition. Only a handful of universities are doing this. Sullivan is giving Texas law offi cers low military rates. As the current median costs with other universities has often been prohibitive, this is worth looking at.

advisors are prepared to help students explore scholarship, grant, and loan opportunities, and are available to assist students wanting to turn the goal of a college education into a reality.

This University has programs designed to fi t into a law offi cer’s duty schedule. Whether you prefer day, evening, or online classes, or a combination, they work hard to help you get what you need. It offers everything from certifi cates and diplomas to advanced degrees, so no matter what your personal or professional responsibilities and schedule might be, its programs are designed to provide you the convenience and fl exibility that you need. Many students choose to take advantage of Sullivan University’s unique “stairstep” approach to education, through which student’s progress from diploma or certifi cate in as little as nine-months, and then begin working in their career fi eld while continuing forward into Associates, Bachelors, Masters, and even Doctoral degree programs.

Worth repeating: Texas law offi cers can get a degree online if they are willing to study during off-duty hours. And Sullivan University has a representative in Texas who can get you started.

Why should a DPS offi cer seek a college degree? It can help him get promotions. It can help him change laterally. (Example: investigative work.) And, it can provide something to fall back on upon retirement, or should he leave his law enforcement career.

Sullivan University is regionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) to award Associates, Bachelors, Masters, and Doctorate degrees. If interested you can contact the SACS Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of Sullivan University.

If you would like more information about Sullivan University’s Law Enforcement Discount and its many online degree programs, please contact Rey Cordero at 502-724-3083. He’s in Texas. Or, call TSTA at 1-800-289-8782.

DPS and other Texas law offi cers are now able to take advantage of $160 per credit hour tuition and an online fee of $50 per credit hour, totaling a discounted rate of $210 per credit hour. This is far less than a $334 per credit hour median cost for non-military or non law enforcement students. Currently no other university in the U.S. offers a discount this signifi cant to law offi cers.

Sullivan University is Kentucky’s largest private college or university, (campuses in Louisville, Lexington and Fort Knox). One of its core beliefs is that anyone should be able to afford a quality college education and so it offers competitive tuition rates to the law enforcement community of Texas. Experienced, professional fi nancial

TSTA wholeheartedly supports all 100 Clubs of Texas.

TSTA Officer Membership

Advantages• Free Last Will & Testament • Free AD&D Insurance • Emergency Assistance• Legal Assistance • Legislative Represen- tation • Personal Counsel • Monthly Newsletter (Online)

www.texasstatetroopers.orgPlease visit our web site.

If you have an email address, please send it to Claude Hart at: Claude.Hart@texasstatetroopers.org

12

2016Application for Membership

TEXAS STATE TROOPERS ASSOCIATION5555 N. Lamar, Ste. D111, Austin, Texas 78751

www.texasstatetroopers.orgDues $25

Name (Last) (First) (M) Date of Birth Rank/Service/Region

Home Address (Street, City, State, Zip Code) Home Phone Number (include area code)

Office Address (Street, City, State, Zip Code) Office Phone Number (include area code)

Date Employed Date of Commission Date of Termination (if no longer w/DPS)

Membership dues paid to TSTA are not deductible as gifts or charitable contributions but may be deductible under an IRC Section other than Section 170 (c).

I,__________________________________________, request membership into the Texas State Troopers Association, and if accepted agree to abide by the Constitution and Bylaws of the Association, the rules and decisions of its of-ficers. I also agree to pay annual dues of Twenty-Five (25) Dollars for all of a calendar year or any part thereof.

I understand that any unreasonable failure to assist a fellow member of the Texas State Troop-ers Association will result in this membership being cancelled by the board of directors at their option.

I also understand this membership will terminate immediately if I am promoted to any supervisory rank of sergeant or above.

Signature of Applicant Date E-mail address

Date_______________

Jacket Size__________

For Office Use Only

LRE_________________

Payment_____________

Statement of Purpose

Texas State Trooper is an offi cial publication of the Texas State Troopers Association. Should you have news you would like published, mail it to:

Texas State Troopers Association 5555 North Lamar, Ste. D111 Austin, TX 78751 E-mail us at TSTAMAIL@aol.com Website: www.texasstatetroopers.orgThe Texas State Troopers Association is open to all fi rst-line commis-

sioned members of the Department of Public Safety, both current and former.

TSTA intends no indictment of those of supervisory rank through their ex-clusion as members of this organization. We do understand, however, that no association can be all things to all people. Therefore, we have chosen to repre-sent those who need our services more: fi rst-line troopers. This policy negates the probability of confl ict of interest that stems from multi-class representation.

TSTA will work hard for the betterment of life for every member of the department.

FOR MEMBERSHIP: Complete the application below. Mail it and a check for $25 payable to the Texas State Troopers Association to the address at the top of the application. Include your jacket size: M, L, XL, XXL or XXXL. Your cap and jacket will be mailed to you. Or you may register and pay your dues on-line at www.texasstatetroopers.org and click Join TSTA .

WILLS: Members are reminded that one of your benefi ts from TSTA is the free preparation of a last will and testament. This service is performed by Lee Johnson. He may be contacted at:

Lee Johnson, Attorney-at-Law 12710 Koawood, Beaumont, TX 77713 Telephone: (C) 409-351-9090 E-mail: leejatty@gmail.com

MOVING? OR E-MAIL CHANGE

Print Old Address and/or E-Mail here:

Name___________________________________

Address_________________________________

City__________________State____Zip_______

E-Mail__________________________________

Print your New Address and/or E-Mail here:

Name___________________________________

Address_________________________________

City__________________State____Zip_______

E-Mail__________________________________

Mail to: TSTA, 5555 North Lamar, Ste. D111, Austin, TX 78751 or E-mail to: Claude.Hart@texasstatetroopers.org.

�����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������