George Seman
| George Edward (Ted) Seman | |
|---|---|
 Police Chief Seman | |
| Evart Police Department, Evart, Michigan | |
| October 31, 1930 – June 13, 1966 (aged 35) | |
| Nickname | Ted |
| Badge number | 1 |
| Place of birth | Morann, Pennsylvania |
| Service branch | United States |
| Years of service | 1965–1966 |
| Rank | Police Chief (first officer) |
| Awards | American Police Hall of Fame Medal of Honor |
| Relations | Widow, Daughter, 2 Sons |
George "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. Therefore, 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 Seman was born in Morann, Pennsylvania, USA, a town of about 300 people, to Susan and Andrew Seman. He got the nickname "Ted" when he was very young, being built like a teddy bear.
Ted had three brothers, Leonard, Frank, and Eugene and four sisters, Dorothy, Loretta, Irene and Madaline.
After high school, Ted worked in the coal mines in and around Morann, Pennsylvania 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.
On September 19, 1953 George Seman married Mildred Hodge from Millboro, Virginia. They had three children. The Seman family eventually re-located to Evart, MI where Ted was elected as the town police officer in 1965.
Line of Duty Death
On June 12, 1966, George 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 Co. Jail.
The night of the incident
In the evening of June 12, 1966, Officer Seman of Evart, Michigan had 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. He then 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 that had been sent from Reed City observed Officer 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 Blogget 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.
Seman was survived by his wife and his three children, the youngest who was six years and nine months old at the time of the death.
A collection was taken up for Officer Seman's family by the local merchants in Evart.
Background
(Ted) Seman's Funeral was at the Corey Funeral Home in Evart. Service was at Sacred Heart Catholic Church West of Evart.
Due to the small size of the department at the time, Seman was buried without any police honors, such as a flag covering the casket, a 3-volley salute, or the playing of Taps.
The Trial
The suspect was later found not guilty by reason of mental illness, and was 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.
A portion of the street where Seman was killed at 1:55 am on June 13, 1966 was renamed in honor of Seman, after his youngest son contacted State Rep. Darwin Booher (R-Evart), the governor's office, MDOT, and COPS. These agencies eventually came together to create a lasting memorial to Seman in the form of a highway sign, which dedicates a portion of the highway in his name.
Seman is also remembered on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, DC.[1][2][3]
Services
Chief Seman was buried on June 16, 1966, in his uniform. The casket was not draped with a flag, there was no 3-volley salute, and there were no police pallbearers. The town of Evart was shut down and for that week every business was taking up a collection for the Seman Family.
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.[4][5]
References
- ↑ http://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/2007-2008/billanalysis/Senate/pdf/2007-SFA-0943-N.pdf
- ↑ 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 7/26/2009
- ↑ The only other law enforcement officer to have a memorial highway named after him was by Act 142 of 2001, 250.1082 "Kevin Sherwood Memorial Highway" (the portion of highway US-127 in Clare County), Eff. June 15, 2004.
- ↑ Michigan Fallen Heroes Memorial, SEMAN, George Edward • Evart Police Dept. • Officer • Died: 6/13/1966 • Stone: 10, Row: 15 7/26/09
- ↑ MICHIGAN LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS MEMORIAL
External links
- Early Evart, Evart Michigan DDA & LDFA
- Joseph W. Guyton, Michigan Historical Marker
- "Memorial Highway pursuant to an act of the state legislature. (The roadway's official name is still US-10.)[5][6] In 2000, a plaque was given to the city and placed in the police station at 127½ North River street. On the same block where Ted Seman lived."
- "Officer Down Memorial Page - George Edward (Ted) Seman. Retrieved 2009-08-20
- The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial
- Box, Ashley (May 14, 2009), "Seman Honored With Memorial Highway", written at Evart, Michigan, Weekly Voice (Cadillac, Michigan.: Chris Huckle) 3 (1): p12, retrieved 2009-08-01
- Box, Ashley (May 20, 2009), "Fallen Officer Honored", written at Evart, Michigan., Weekly Voice (Cadillac, Michigan.: Chris Huckle) 3 (1): 1–2, retrieved 2009-08-01
- Crees, Jim (May 14, 2009), "Fallen Officer Honored", written at Evart, Michigan, Pioneer, Osceola Edition (Cadillac, Michigan.: The Pioneer Group, published May 20, 2009) 3 (1): 1–2, retrieved 2009-08-01
- State of Michigan v. Carl Edward Wineman, [http://www. 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