A City Honors Its Selfless Heroes

The City of Pasadena honored the six police officers and 12 firefighters who have lost their lives protecting and defending the City since the first died in 1909 during a solemn event Wednesday led by Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo, along with Pasadena Police Chief Gene Harris, and Fire Chief Chad Augustin.

The memorial unfolded in Centennial Square at the foot of towering City Hall. Emotional family members of some of the fallen men and scores of active-duty police officers and firefighters were in the audience.

City Manager Miguel Márquez, a number of City Councilmembers and City department managers and numerous city residents also sat in the audience.

Mayor Gordo told the assembled, “Today is about service to our community, to our country, to people, and most importantly, to honor families, and individuals who have made such sacrifices in our community.

“To the family members of our police and fire community, who have heard me say this before,” he continued, “I thank you for sacrificing your loved ones, and  not just for today do we honor you, but we honor you every day, because every police officers and leave their homes…and every day you watch them make that commitment personally, to go out and service our community, with every intent of coming home and serving their families.”

After a blessing  from Chaplains Victor Laveaga and Harry Kazarian, and a recital of  “The Fireman’s Prayer,” and “The Police Officer’s Prayer,” Thomas Harkin played a mournful “Amazing Grace” on bagpipes, before Police Chief Harris and Fire Chief Augustin read the names of the fallen police officers and firefighters. 

Referring to their passing as their “End of Watch,” Chief Harris somberly read out Motorcycle Patrolman John T. Slade, End of Watch 1909; Patrolman Clarence E. Peck, End of Watch 1911; Detective James A. Hand, End of Watch 1949; Juvenile Officer Dennis P. Lamar, End of Watch 1961; Sergeant Robert W. Speight, End of Watch 1964; Agent Richard F. Morris, End of Watch 1969; and Officer Kyle Ballard, End of Watch 2006, saying out their names slowly as he stood alongside seven officers’ peaked caps, arranged on a blue ribbon on the steps of City Hall.

Fire Chief Augustin, standing alongside a row of yellow firefighters’ helmets on red ribbons on the City Hall steps, then intoned the names of the honored Pasadena firefighters who died on duty:  Hoseman Arthur L. Johnson, Last Alarm 1928; Hoseman Edgar R. Talbot, Last Alarm 1930; Hoseman Daniel Rogers, Last Alarm 1932; Engineer Erwin C. Draper, Last Alarm 1940, Hoseman George Flannery, Last Alarm 1944; Engineer Hobert Surbur, Last Alarm 1956; Asst. Chief Donald G. Palmer, Last Alarm 1964; Firefighter Henry Salas, Last Alarm 1983; Engineer Kevin Moore, Last Alarm 2011; Captain John Tennant, Last Alarm 2013; Captain Norm Wiles, Last Alarm 2016; and Firefighter Andre Jones, Last Alarm 2017.

Fire Station 33 Engineer O’Brien Malray, standing in the rotunda of City Hall,  then slowly rang the Fire Station bell for the dozen fallen firefighters, before Madeleine Harbison and Phinn McFarland of Blair High School sang “America the Beautiful.”