PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
By Jerry DeFoor
The old saying that the older you get the faster time flies is certainly true in my case. It seems that the summer has just begun and we have already had our seven Houston days of autumn! You know, those wonderfully dry cool days and nights when you could image you were in Colorado or somewhere near there. Well, the temperature today was in the 90’s and we expect another two weeks of the same!
Autumn does remind us that the legislative session is right around the corner. Our Legislative Committee is coming together with Steve Lyons agreeing to chair the committee. I will be submitting his name to the Board at the October meeting where I expect they will agree that Steve will serve the HPROA well in Austin. Many of you know that Steve has been the Houston Police Department’s official representative to the legislature for five sessions. He knows his way around Austin and knows many of the folks there.
On another note, Chuck Smith, who has served for many years as our Entertainment Committee Chairperson, has stepped down for a deserved rest. He remains on our Board and I’m sure he will be helping with the reunions and on other HPROA business.
As a replacement for Chuck, I have asked D. A. Miller to serve as Chairperson of the Entertainment Committee and he has agreed to do so. I will also submit his name to the Board at the October meeting. D. A., you will remember, has served our members many times since beginning his service many years ago on the Board of Directors of the old HPROA. His last service with us was on the Legislative Committee and I know that he will do us a great job on the Entertainment Committee. It is my hope that all the folks that have been helping with the reunions and spouses luncheon will continue to serve with D. A. on this important committee.
I am told that the Houston Police Department’s employment program for retired officers (EPRO) has attracted over 230 applications and they have hired 26 retired officers. Two of those hired had service in other police agencies. Although the program is just getting started, there is hope within the department that additional money will be found to fund more positions. Maybe we can get some of those who were hired on this program to let us know how they are being treated and what their jobs are like. It would be interesting to hear about their experiences.
I hope many of you will get to the Hill Country Reunion in Fredericksburg on October 21st. As usual, the campers will be staying at the Lady Bird Johnson Park which is where the meeting will be. It will be great fun, so y’all come on up!
