History
The Association of Retired Delaware State Police was founded in April 1946. Captain Charles B. Knox served as our first president. The Association is non-political and non-sectarian, and was formed to promote and build a mutual friendship between the retired members of the Delaware State Police and members who have retired from other police agencies within and outside the state of Delaware. We endeavor to assist widows, widowers, and orphans of DSP members as well as members of the Association and to monitor legislative actions that might impact our membership.
Membership is open to any retired and pensioned member of the DSP, either by virtue of serving 20 years of active duty or retired by disability. There are over 700 retirees who belong to the Association. A life member has been a member of the Association for 20 years.
Retirement
When a good man or woman leaves the line and retires to a better life, many are jealous; some are pleased, and yet others, who may have already retired, wonder.
We wonder if they know what they are leaving behind because we already know. We know, for example, that after a lifetime of camaraderie that few experience, it will remain as a longing for those past times.
We know in law enforcement life, there is a fellowship that lasts long after the uniforms are hung up in the back of the closet. We know even if he throws them away, they will be on him with every step and breath that remains in his frame. We also know how the very bearing of the man speaks of what he was and, in his heart, still is.
These are the burdens of the job. You will still look at people suspiciously, still see what others do not see or choose to ignore, and always will look at the rest of the law enforcement world with respect for what they do; only grown in a lifetime of knowing.
Never think for one moment you are escaping from life. You are only escaping the "job," and we are merely allowing you to leave "active" duty.
So what I wish for you is that you ease into retirement, but in your heart, never forget for one moment that "Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called children of God," and you are still a member of the greatest fraternity the world has ever known.
Author unknown
Paul Harvey - POLICEMAN
The beloved ABC News radio broadcaster died on February 28, 2009, surrounded by family members in Phoenix. He was 90 years old.
A longtime friend of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, Mr. Harvey understood the significance of the nation's monument to fallen law enforcement officers in a deeply personal way. That was because of his father, Tulsa (OK) Police Officer Harry Aurandt.
On December 19, 1921, in the midst of a crime spree that had all of Tulsa's officers on the lookout, Officer Aurandt and Tulsa's chief detective, Ike Wilkinson, were driving on a road five miles from the city when they spotted a suspicious vehicle and stopped to investigate. Without warning, they were ambushed by four desperadoes, all with criminal records and all out on bond.
Although Harry raised his arms as he was directed to do by the bandits, they shot him anyway, one bullet piercing his liver, another his lung. Detective Wilkinson fired back, but he was also seriously wounded. Despite his critical injuries, Harry held courageously to the wheel of the car and managed to drive himself and Ike to a farmhouse about a mile away. Ike Wilkinson survived the shooting but permanently lost the use of his legs. Harry Aurandt, at the age of 48, was not so lucky. He died the day after the attack with his wife, Anna, by his side. Son Paul was just 3 years old.
Eleven years later, at the age of 14, Paul got his first radio job at KVOO in Tulsa. He enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Forces in 1943 and received an honorable medical discharge a few months later after a training injury. After his military service, Paul Harvey Aurandt shortened his name to Paul Harvey and moved to Chicago, where he began doing his twice-daily, 15-minute news commentaries.
In 1976, Mr. Harvey began a five-minute daily broadcast called "The Rest of the Story," which became his signature tagline.
In recent years, his "Paul Harvey News and Comment" program attracted 22 million listeners daily.
Even with great fame and popularity, "he was a runner-up in the 1969 Gallup Poll of the most admired man in America." Paul Harvey never forgot his Midwestern roots or his father's sacrifice. He supported many of the Memorial Fund's efforts over the years, and he was a featured speaker at the 1992 Candlelight Vigil at the freshly dedicated Memorial in Washington, DC. A clip of his remarks can be found on the NLEOMF YouTube channel.
Mr. Harvey's wife, Lynne Cooper Harvey, died in 2008. He is survived by his son Paul. Rest in peace, friend.
The obituary in the Washington Post mentions the fact that Paul Harvey agreed to a ten-year, $100 million contract with ABC Radio at the age of 82—which means he still had two more years to go on the contract at the time of his death at age 90. Talk about optimism! Paul Harvey commanded millions in both advertising revenue and employment contracts, with a mammoth listening audience of 22 million people a day. A 1985 survey found that the four most popular radio programs on the air were all Paul Harvey broadcasts in different time slots. He and Walter Cronkite tied for second place in the 1969 Gallup Poll for the Most Admired Man in America.
But why was Paul Harvey so beloved by the American people? The answer is buried at the end of his obituary:
For his newscast, Mr. Harvey relied on what he called his "Aunt Betty" test. Betty was his sister-in-law, an "old-fashioned housewife" who lived in Missouri. If he decided that a story was too complicated or dull for Betty, he either rewrote or discarded it. He wrote his own copy and insisted that he would not endorse a product that he did not believe in.