George Seman
| George Edward Seman | |
|---|---|
 Police Chief Seman | |
| Born |
October 31, 1930 Morann, Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died |
June 13, 1966 (aged 35) Grand Rapids, Michigan |
| Other names | Ted |
| Awards | American Police Hall of Fame Medal of Honor |
|
Police career | |
| Department | Evart Police Department, Evart, Michigan, U.S. |
| Badge number | 1 |
| Country | United States |
| Years of service | 1965–1966 |
| Rank | Police Chief (first officer) |
George Edward "Ted" Seman (October 31, 1930 – June 13, 1966) was a Michigan police officer, and the first Evart police officer to be killed in the line of duty. He was a member of the police department during the early years of the agency, before it was more formally organized into the modern police force that it is today. His rank is often listed as "Police Chief" since there was no formal rank structure at the time, and he was the lone officer for the town.
Biography
George Edward "Ted" Seman was born in Morann, Clearfield County, Pennsylvania to Susan and Andrew Seman. He had three brothers and four sisters. After high school, he worked in the local coal mines for a short time, before leaving to work in the Chrysler Lynch Road Assembly Plant in Detroit. In 1950, while making a trip back to Detroit from Morann, Ted was involved in a car-truck accident. Ted was believed to be dead until the ambulance driver heard him moan. Ted lost his left arm above the elbow in the accident. In an ironic twist, the truck that hit him was hauling wood that was to be used to build caskets.
Family
On September 19, 1953, he married Mildred Hodge from Millboro, Virginia. They had three children. The Seman family eventually re-located to Evart, Michigan where Ted was elected as the town police officer in 1965.
Line of Duty Death
On June 12, 1966, Seman became the first police officer to be killed in the line of duty for the Evart Police Department. He was shot by a suspect that he had been transporting to the Osceola County, Michigan jail.
The night of the incident
In the evening of June 12, 1966, Seman placed a suspect under arrest for disorderly conduct. According to police reports, during his transport to the county jail, the suspect produced a hidden knife and went over the seat and stabbed Seman. The suspect got control of Seman's gun, fired two shots into his side, then pushed him from the patrol car and returned to the apartment where he had been arrested.
A State Police Officer sent from Reed City observed Seman sitting down on the side of the roadway across from Evart Municipal Airport and stopped to render assistance. This officer and a second officer transported Seman to Reed City hospital. An ambulance with a police escort transported Seman to Blodgett Hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he later died of his injuries. Officer Seman was the third Osceola County, Michigan officer to be killed in the line of duty. It was the first felonious killing of an Osceola County officer.
Trial
The suspect was later found not guilty by reason of mental illness, and sentenced to 5 years in a mental facility.
In memory
Over thirty years after his death, on May 15, 2000, the nationally recognized Police Officers Memorial Day, Officers from the Evart Police, Osceola County, and surrounding areas, as well as elected officials and members of the Evart community, gathered to pay homage to the officer who had made the ultimate sacrifice so long ago. The service took place at Guyton Memorial Park on Main Street, with an honor guard present for a 3-volley salute, and a plaque with the engraving "Rest in peace, fallen brother" being presented to the Mayor of Evart. The plaque still hangs in the lobby of the police department, alongside a photo of Seman, to this day.
Seman was buried at Forest Hill cemetery outside the town. The same cemetery that Joseph William Guyton, World War I hero from Evart, Michigan, was buried.
Peace Officer Memorial Day
In addition to the plaque, which was originally presented on May 15, 2000, Peace Officers Memorial Day, and is now displayed at the city police station in Evart; a second ceremony took place on May 15, 2004, Peace Officers Memorial Day, during which Seman received the Police Medal of Honor award (posthumously.) His family received the Family Survivor Medal and Family Survivor badge. A three-volley salute was performed for Seman and all police killed in the line of duty.
George Edward (Ted) Seman Memorial Highway
On October 6, 2008, a 9⁄10-mile-long (1.4 km) section of US-10 in Evart, Michigan was named George Edward (Ted) Seman Memorial Highway when Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm signed Senate Bill No. 943 into law.
Seman is also remembered on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C.[1]
The Michigan Fallen Heroes Memorial is the only memorial in the State of Michigan that honors both law enforcement and fire fighters who have lost their lives in the line of duty.[2][3]
References
- ↑ MICHIGAN MEMORIAL HIGHWAY ACT (EXCERPT)
Act 142 of 2001
250.1088 "Hazen Shirley 'Kiki' Cuyler Memorial Highway"; "George Edward (Ted) Seman Memorial Highway."
Sec. 88.
(1) Highway M-72 in Alcona county shall be known as the "Hazen Shirley 'Kiki' Cuyler Memorial Highway".
(2) Highway US-10 in the city of Evart in Osceola county beginning at the intersection of US-10 and River street and continuing west to the intersection of US-10 and 95th street shall be known as the "George Edward (Ted) Seman Memorial Highway".
History: Add. 2008, Act 292, Imd. Eff. Oct. 6, 2008 - ↑ Michigan Fallen Heroes Memorial, SEMAN, George Edward • Evart Police Dept. • Officer • Died: 6/13/1966 • Stone: 10, Row: 15 7/26/09
- ↑ Tribute, mleom.org; accessed November 1, 2014.
External links
- Box, Ashley (May 14, 2009), written at Evart, Michigan, "Seman Honored With Memorial Highway", Weekly Voice, Cadillac, Michigan.: Chris Huckle, 3 (1), p. 12, retrieved 2009-08-01
- Box, Ashley (May 20, 2009), written at Evart, Michigan, "Fallen Officer Honored", Weekly Voice, Cadillac, Michigan.: Chris Huckle, 3 (1), pp. 1–2, retrieved 2009-08-01
- Crees, Jim (May 14, 2009), "Fallen Officer Honored", Pioneer, Osceola Edition, Cadillac, Michigan: The Pioneer Group (published May 20, 2009), 3 (1), pp. 1–2, retrieved 2009-08-01
- State of Michigan v. Carl Edward Wineman, 62-740-66 (Reed City, Michigan 1966-06-13).
- McKinnon, Isaiah (2003), In the line of duty: a tribute to fallen law enforcement officers from the state of Michigan, Paducah, Kentucky: Turner, pp. 94, 138, ISBN 1-56311-883-1