Published: November 22, 2008 12:17 am         

Thanksgiving memory part of officer's heritage

EDMOND — EDITOR’S NOTE: This is another installment of Edmond’s Finest, an occasional series highlighting deserving Edmond public servants.



BY MARK SCHLACHTENHAUFEN

THE EDMOND SUN



Edmond Police Officer Michael King wears a special memorial bracelet.

Soon after becoming a deputy with the Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office, he learned from his grandmother that his great-grandfather had been a deputy in Rice County, Kan.

The deputy was killed in the line of duty after being hit by a drunk driver on Nov. 24, 1954, Thanksgiving eve.

When he asked his grandmother if his great-grandfather was on the Law Enforcement Officer’s Memorial Wall, she asked, “What wall?”

“It then became my mission to have him honored on the wall,” King said.

Through research, King learned the police reports and other official data regarding his great-grandfather’s death had been lost or destroyed. All he was able to locate were several newspaper articles on microfiche at the Rice County Library.

Fortunately, King said, the articles were enough.

In May 1997, King and his family attended the National Law Enforcement Officer’s Memorial Service during National Police Week and witnessed the name of his great-grandfather, Deputy William Henry Everett, being added to the memorial wall.



Roots of service

An only child, King was raised in Oklahoma, and he was brought up with the philosophy of always helping others.

“I was introduced to volunteering at an early age, and grew up alongside my parents as they served in the community,” King said.

At Jenks High School, King was a multi-sport athlete. He played on a Junior Olympics volleyball team that placed third in the nation, and he dreamt about someday being a member of the U.S. men’s Olympic volleyball team. During his freshman year, his high school cut its boys volleyball program.

Because of his early introduction to volunteering, King was active in KEY Club, the largest high school service organization in the world that promotes community service, leadership development and fellowship.

While in high school, King was voted “Youth Volunteer of the Year” for the Tulsa area, and an annual scholarship was established at Jenks in his name as a result of this award.

Later, King earned an associate’s degree when he obtained his paramedic’s license, and he earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from the University of Central Oklahoma.



April 19, 1995

The horrific events that transpired on April 19, 1995, in downtown Oklahoma City are painfully familiar to Oklahomans who saw the televised news reports from the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building.

King was there. He worked at ground zero every day for two weeks.

At 9:02 a.m., a truck bomb parked in front of the federal building exploded, shattering glass, mortar and hundreds of lives.

“I think what pulled me through psychologically was focusing on the positive things that came from such a negative event,” King said.



Dream fulfilled

King said he is one of the fortunate people who got to fulfill their childhood dream.

“Growing up, I knew I wanted to someday be a police officer,” King said.

“Fortunately, I have an extremely supportive wife and family who supports me 100 percent as an officer. I am very grateful to them for their never-ending understanding and flexibility. I can’t imagine doing anything else. I’m very passionate about being a police officer.”

When King turned 18 in 1991, he started as an emergency medical technician for the Emergency Medical Services Authority. He still works for EMSA part-time as a paramedic.

As soon as he turned 21, he started in law enforcement as a deputy for the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office. He then moved to a municipal police department in the metro area.

“I feel until now I have only had jobs in law enforcement, but not a career, that is, until I was hired by the Edmond Police Department a little over a year ago,” King said. “This department has everything I was looking for when I was working for those other law enforcement agencies.”

Edmond Police Sgt. Bill Gilbert said King is a shining example of a public servant.

“Michael is a well-rounded officer and person with a can-do attitude,” Gilbert said. “He is the kind of person that puts service before self.”

Edmond Police Sgt. Scott Fees, who works with King on the department’s developing critical incident response program, a.k.a. O.A.S.I.S.S., said the program would not be where it is now without King’s involvement.

The Edmond Sun salutes Officer Michael King, one of Edmond’s finest.

     

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