Clubs show respect for law

Two local Optimist Clubs on Thursday recognized the people who risk their lives to keep Sedalia and Pettis County safe.

 
The Sedalia Noonday and Sunrise Optimist clubs came together Thursday evening at the Best Western State Fair Inn to honor six individuals from local agencies at their annual Respect for Law awards dinner.

Fred Biggs, Sedalia Noonday Optimist Club member, co-chaired the event with Sedalia Sunrise Optimist Club President Robert Bond.
Bond said the dinner gave the clubs a chance to celebrate what law and safety officials do for the community.

“They put it on the line everyday, and this is just our way of saying thank you,” Bond said, adding the dinner also offered a way to show appreciation to the spouses and family who served as support.

Honored Thursday were Trooper Ryan Smith with the Missouri State Highway Patrol; Patrolman Casey DeVorss with the Sedalia Police Department; Conservation Officer Kevin Polley with the Missouri Department of Conservation; Firefighter Dan Gerlach with the Pettis County Fire Department; Deputy Kelly Simons with the Pettis County Sheriff’s Department; and Firefighter Bill Twenter with the Sedalia Fire Department.

Agency officials presented each award winner with a plaque containing the Optimist Club’s symbol and the recipient’s name and affiliation, along with the Clubs’ names and the date of the award.

Before handing out the awards the group had a moment of silence for Sedalia Firefighter Rick Morris, who was killed in the line of duty in April.
Optimist officials recognized Smithton Elementary School third-grader Logan Tatum, 9, for her drug prevention poster, which won first place in her age group for the group’s Western District.

About 50 people turned out for the dinner. Honorees and their guests were treated to a buffet-style dinner of fried chicken, pork chops and cobbler as they gathered in the Best Western’s Gambler’s Room for the event. Sgt. Dan Green with the MSHP gave a presentation on what a law enforcement officer or first responder goes through in their everyday working life.

The Respect for Law dinner is part of the Optimist Club’s Respect for Law week, Bond said, joining similar events taking place around the world.
Biggs said the program had been going on for at least the 20-plus years he has been with Optimist International.

“We’ve been doing it a long time,” he said.