Yesterday was the anniversary of our Uncle Clarence Bunch Fugate’s death. Many of you might not know who he is or what he was all about but the Jefferson County Colorado Sheriff’s Department does and they never forget. Here’s an email I received yesterday from one of my friends who is a deputy sheriff in the department.
On this day, October 12, we remember Jefferson County Undersheriff Clarence Fugate. Gone, but never forgotten.
Undersheriff Fugate was killed in the line of duty on October 12, 1940, when he went to Lee’s Tavern in Arvada with the intention of arresting the bartender who had shot a man earlier that evening. After the undersheriff arrived, he was misdirected by the bartender to the kitchen to search for the weapon. Then the suspect opened fire and killed him. Deputies shot the bartender but he later recovered and was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Today we ask everyone to pause and take a moment to remember Undersheriff Fugate and all he accomplished during his service at the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.
Every deputy signs up for this challenging job knowing that one day he or she may have to make the ultimate sacrifice for our community. Therefore, it is imperative we take the time to reflect on those individuals who have died in the line of duty, to ensure they are never forgotten.
At 8:00 a.m. today we will take a special moment to remember Undersheriff Clarence Fugate over the radio and over the speakers in Headquarters.
Undersheriff Fugate may be gone, but he will never be forgotten.
Nice! Uncle CB was the first Sheriff killed in the line of duty. It’s remarkable how much dad looked like him. The Department is always nice to remember him and whenever I go down there, I (and all Fugates) are revered as one of them. All officers have a special bond. They also just finished their annual auction where they raised $10,000 for fallen or injured officers. I always try to help and this year secured them some auction items that apparently raised the bulk of the money. One of the items I came up with were a pair of Metallica tickets to the November show in Las Vegas through my buddy James and Deputy Swanson emailed me yesterday that they have a gift for both of us. Of course we didn’t expect anything but it’ll be fun to see what they have for us! They also invited us down to some private fishing place in Southern Colorado where a number of the Colorado Rockies fish, what fun! In the end we’re just happy they raised so much money for families that put their lives on the line for all of us.
So, remember Uncle CB. He was also instrumental in the homesteading of the ranch. Tommy has his badge that we found when cleaning out Mom’s house. We also found a bunch of pictures of him that I have somewhere in a box.
Today Jag has a soccer game by Winter Park. He needs to be at school at 9 and we’re off at 7:30 so we’re not sure how he’s getting to school. Meanwhile Ty needs to clean his room. Lori and I should be back by 2 or so and tomorrow they say cold and snow temperatures will arrive.
Harley did great at training yesterday! After an hour at the park we (Harley, Marc our trainer and I) went to the mall in Castle Rock and walked all around with lots of people, kids and other dogs and she was perfect. I have two days scheduled next week but she is on it. Marc told me that it’s the other end of the leash, meaning the handler or me, that usually needs training more than the dog. The dog will pick things up pretty quick. He’s been training for over 40 years and his wife is the International Schutzhund Judge so they know what they’re doing.
That’s about it, hope all’s well, take care, be safe and God Bless.
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