16 minute read
Service to Others
By Matthew Karges ‘06
Doing what is right by your neighbor can never be wrong. Service to others will always be right and is just what Mater Dei has also stood for as one of its fundamental pillars ever since opening its doors in 1949. The school has always put faith, academics, social involvement, and service to others at the beginning pages of its history book, guiding students that graduate from here for generations in doing what is good and best for the community. The commitment of teachers, coaches, and clergy to this school has undoubtedly helped bring out the best in some and sometimes unknowingly built the traits for others to become public servants—an honor that has a reward in the service. Mater Dei has etched the motto “Enter to Learn, Go Forth to Serve” into young minds for generations. Over the 70 years this school has been blessed, it has blessed the community with numerous everyday heroes who have chosen to dedicate their lives to giving back to others—simply because it’s what is right. Just as service to others is a fundamental pillar at Mater Dei, so is public safety to society. Without it, there is no public prosperity—which we can all agree is of utmost importance to a quality community. As a Mater Dei graduate (‘06) myself, I gained a lot of guidance that I likely wouldn’t have received elsewhere. The entire staff taught respect, discipline, keeping the faith and didn’t cut corners in learning from my experience. Some of them may recall I wasn’t the easiest to instill these things in, but I can tell you today it stuck with and helped make me the person I am today. Although I was likely brainwashed in becoming a police officer from an early age growing up in a family of cops—I still value all things public safety for all the right reasons. I truly believe in being a part of something bigger than one’s self. I believe society still has its admiration for those who wear a badge that represents them all and protects them all. Because of this, I reached out to Mater Dei and we felt it important to share the stories of Mater Dei graduates who also wear a badge or hat in public safety. Mater Dei students, family, and alumni alike can see some of the graduates who went forth to serve after graduation. Everyone in the MD family can get an insight into what it’s like serving in public safety and how the school has helped develop those who do. Thank you to everyone that works in the public safety field and as a first responder—it’s never wrong, doing what is right.
Daryl Adler ’90 Evansville Fire Department (EFD) Daryl Adler graduated from Mater Dei in 1990, giving praise to the teachers, staff, coaches, and peers for preparing him for his future. He played college baseball and received a degree in education from the University of Southern Indiana. In 2006, Daryl joined the Evansville Fire Department. Growing up like many kids admiring the police and fire shows of the ‘70s, he also admired the Job but says that he didn’t take it further until God opened
Daryl Adler ‘90
a door for him. He’s now getting to live his dream by being a firefighter— something that is a dream of many kids for every generation. A firefighter is a highly trained professional in navigating burning structures to save a life, the ones to keep properties from overwhelming an area with more destruction, and a first responder to anyone hurt and asking for help. They train continuously their entire career to help others and with the mindset that they’ll sacrifice themselves to ensure others always have a chance when asking for help. Being a firefighter is a fulfilling job and building a family with those you work around. Daryl’s co-workers at his station house are family since they share these values and know they can rely on each other just the same when doing their job. In 2016 Daryl was recognized by the city and awarded Firefighter of the Year for his achievements on duty and volunteer work off duty. He’s a member of the department’s Honor Guard—which is a unit that represents the department at funerals, memorials, ceremonies, and other public events. He’s also a member of the peer support team which assists other firefighters and families with support in various times of need or tragedy. Being a firefighter has given Daryl a life of gratitude for being a husband and father as well. He is fulfilled leading a servant lifestyle and states: “Love our neighbors as ourselves”.
Brandon Deig ’06 Indiana State Police (ISP) If you take a look back at the history of the Indiana State Police you may find that they had roots as the Motor Vehicle Police of the 1920’s, being the first agency with statewide traffic enforcement powers. Then to combat the increasingly violent crimes of fleeing felons and more vehicles traveling on the roadways in the 1930’s—came the creation of Indiana State Police. A Trooper’s focus is on keeping our roadways safe throughout the state, but also adding a statewide police force to assist with handling crime anywhere in the state. In 2011, MD graduate Brandon Deig joined the ISP after working for the Capitol Police section in Indianapolis for two years and joined the ranks of this well-known agency.
“Being a State Trooper, I must wear a lot of different hats. I am a Field Training Officer (FTO), Background Investigator for new applicants, Marijuana Eradication Coordinator, Meth Suppression Coordinator, and part of the Mobile Field Force (Riot Squad). Being a law enforcement officer, has given me the opportunity to be the Posey County Fraternal Order of Police President for the past six years. In my 13-year police career, I have been able to do and see so much more than I ever imagined I would in my career. I have worked security for Alice Cooper and MC Hammer (I know some of the younger ones reading this might not know either of them). I have worked security for two United States Presidents. I have worked NASCAR races and Indy 500 races. I’ve got to work multiple Indiana State Fairs and different festivals in Indianapolis. I have met numerous celebrities and politicians along the way. I got the opportunity to be sworn in as a Cleveland, Ohio police officer to work security at the Republican National Convention. I have been fortunate enough to attend trainings in Washington D.C., Quantico, VA (Drug Enforcement Administration Academy), Los Angeles, CA, and Jacksonville, FL. I have also been involved in the not-so-fun part of the profession. Last summer, I was sent to Indianapolis and Jeffersonville to protect the cities and their citizens from rioters and other individuals that were looking to cause mayhem and destruction. I have responded to natural disasters that have demolished Indiana towns and attempted to help the citizens put their lives back together after seeing everything they owned destroyed. Unfortunately, the bad comes along with the good in this profession. The thing we must remember is that the good outweighs the bad. I have heard numerous times that as first responders, we have a front-row seat to the best show on earth. You learn to not take anything for granted and live each day to the fullest.” Mater Dei had quite the impact on Brandon’s future career choice too. Assistant football coach Joe Phelps who’s been a staple on the field for several eras of high school football helped coach him. Seeing Phelps’ Evansville Police car parked outside the fence at practice each day helped grow his admiration for the Job. Being a “Mater Dei-ville” police officer, he was under the guidance of Mater Dei school liaison EPD Officer Rob Waller who also developed this confidence and surety for pursuing the career as well. Two MD role models that unknowingly had an impact on a future public servant is a reflection of the school’s character in having the right people a part of its environment. Brandon believes MD’s professionalism, discipline, and consistency that was demanded in not only the sports, but also the schoolwork has stayed with him throughout everyday life, his career, and becoming an elected official (Posey-County Council). “I may not have realized it while in school, but I do today, Mater Dei taught me to do the right thing, at the right time, for the right reason. It instilled in me to follow my dreams and never give up on my goals that I set to reach.”
Keith Wildeman ’98 Indiana Department of Natural Resources Police (DNR) Law enforcement doesn’t just involve chasing bad guys on the city streets, it includes enforcing the law everywhere there’s U.S soil. For 1998 MD graduate Keith Wildeman a lot of the time the soil or rural areas is where most of his work takes place and off the daily routes of city and state roadways. Keith is an officer with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Division (A.K.A Indiana Conservation Officer (ICO).
Brandon Deig ‘06 posing for a photo while on patrol.
Keith Wildeman ‘98 collected an alligator in the Kankakee River while on duty.
ICO’s are easily identifiable by their green uniforms and are our public servants off the beaten path who keep not only us safe but also the wildlife and natural resources in Indiana protected as well. Much of their job takes place out in the “country” of our Indiana counties where they’re usually the only law enforcement around. They have an important public safety job that also includes: a focus on hunting, fishing, trapping, off-road vehicle (ORV), and boating enforcement. ICOs are also tasked with teaching and promoting Hunter and Boater Education, ORV safety, being an active part of our local community, search and rescue operations, and making sure the state’s natural resources aren’t taken advantage of. Much of the time the only voice for these resources and all of the time the only thing standing in a wrongdoer’s way.
Enjoying a conservation event while in boy scouts as a kid sparked Keith’s interest in joining the agency. Knowing this job is what he wanted to do, it was evident that Carl Voegel’s Biology and Tom Dick’s Earth Science were classes he enjoyed most at Mater Dei. After being on the Job a while, Keith also says “I didn’t realize it at the time, but Mary Pattison’s English and Composition classes set the foundation for my ability to write countless detailed incident and investigation reports that have kept me from going to court and in law enforcement that is a big advantage.” Keith graduated from Purdue University in 2002 majoring in Wildlife Management, went on to work in Tennessee as a research technician on a bobtail quail project, returned to Indiana working as a civilian for the DNR in LaPorte and Newton counties. Along with working through college as a research technician, teaching assistant, engaging in student organizations, and even working in Vermont teaching hunter education— working these jobs in the wildlife field all contributed to him being prepared to one day be an Indiana Conservation Officer.
In 2009 Keith became an ICO for the DNR working in Starke County, IN for eight years. He and his wife Sara (formerly Sara Burdette) who works for the state police lab as a drug analyst and is a ’00 MD grad) moved back to Evansville in 2017 and he has been responsible for law enforcement work in Posey County ever since. What one can expect by being an ICO is best explained by Keith: “Throughout my career with the Indiana DNR, I have had some great experiences and witnessed terrible tragedies. These range from interacting with kids successfully harvesting their first deer or turkey to recovering young drowning victims and investigating serious off-road vehicle accidents. Several cases I have made over my career stand out over the others because they came from TIPs from the local community. From a subject that was illegally buying and selling wildlife (deer, raccoons, & turtles) to the Chinatown area of Chicago that turned into an undercover investigation that resulted in a number of felony charges for the sale of wildlife, to a subject poaching deer with a high-powered rifle at night while standing in the sunroof of his compact car and shooting across a busy road on the north side of Vanderburgh County. Sometimes I was in the right place at the right time and once caught a group of waterfowl hunters on the Kentucky side of the Ohio River over bagging on ducks and then dumping the carcasses in the river right in front of me.” No two days are the same in public safety and the same goes for being an ICO. Keith gets to spend a lot of his time checking anglers and hunters, being outside patrolling “God’s country” on a boat or ATV, teaching firearm safety classes to the youth, and interacting with the public. All this along with still responding to emergencies at any given moment. Stuff that’s all in a day’s work for an Indiana Conservation Officer.
Allison Farmer ’15 Evansville Police Department (EPD) Allison Farmer graduated Mater Dei in 2015 and spent her entire life being around public safety as an Evansville Firemen’s daughter. Her dad as her role model helped shape her idea of wanting to be a part of something in this community that allowed her to give back and help those in need. Wanting to have an impact on the community that had such an impact on her, she looked to becoming a police officer. There aremany aspects of fulfillment that can be accomplished by becoming a public servant in any fashion. Law enforcement holds many but remains one of the most diverse fields within its own profession when it comes to “wearing many hats” that draw a lot of people to the job.
Keith Wildeman ‘98 and another DNR officer worked a large scale felony sale of wildlife.
Because of this, many people don’t fully know what it’s like to be a cop until you do it. When you watch the shows “Cops” or “Live PD” you usually get the more interesting or exciting parts of law enforcement all in a half-hour. These episodes ring true for a lot of city cops, but it’s not the only things that go on for an officer. Municipal police work comes with all the elements of city life. There are bars--so there are bar fights, there are large weekly events--so there are large event problems/safety concerns, there’s an endless sea of porch lights and reflective intersection signs at night--so there’s of course continuous calls of family disputes, intoxicated subjects, break-ins, break-ups, and even vehicle break-downs. A city cop may take three, hour-long complaints or vandalism reports in succession and when trying to text back a loved one—receive a call about a subject with a gun who just threatened to shoot someone. You may sign on to your computer for duty one day and immediately get sent to a car accident that’s backed up traffic on the Lloyd Expressway. After completing the various forms, absorbing the distaste for how long it took to complete everything, you pull off and try “finding the bad guys” before lunch/dinner but get interrupted with a call of a lady being beaten across town. Your “Job” instincts (five months of academy training with five more months of field training mixed with the inherent urge to help someone—which is what motivated most to put the uniform on) kick in and you rush to the address. This puts you on another collision course with destiny in a very real and memorable day with a stranger that quite “right now!” needs help. Sometimes a cop gets there and the abuser has fled because this idea we have known as the “cops” were coming—which is one thing that stops bad people from doing bad things. Sometimes they’re still there pleading their case and now you have a trained protector of the streets turning into a referee or debate moderator. Trying to not only find the truth but sometimes trying to maintain control of this rapidly evolving or deteriorating situation. If an arrest is made, hopefully, it goes smoothly and safely, but not always. If only a report is made, then back to the car and type it while other neighbor complaints are holding or someone needs a “standby” while they move out of their apartment. This is just a blip in the daily roller coaster of public safety in the city of Evansville. Some nights are surreal and you just hear the noises of cars speeding off in the night while the window is cracked (it helps to hear someone walking up or possible breaks in the structure of city noise that may need your attention like a yell or gunshot) and you get to solve someone’s problem at some point. Some days are a few theft reports and car stops, but nothing more. It’s definitely not just the “Cops” episode we all have seen but makes for an exciting episode of a career nonetheless. These aspects factor into the fulfillment Allison has in being in law enforcement as well stating: “At Mater Dei, we are always taught to go forth and serve. This message is something that I have kept with me through college and on into my career. I have made it a mission to go into the community and protect those within it while providing a sense of compassion. Mater Dei showed me what it was like to be a part of something that is able to make such a great impression and, going forward, I knew I wanted to continue in a field that held the same standard. Mater Dei prepared me to do great things and EPD continuously gives me chances to do so.” Being on the EPD has allowed Allison to be involved in many ups and downs of the law enforcement roller coaster so far and given her opportunities she may not have found elsewhere. Not only has she been awarded in helping save a subject’s life in a dangerous situation, but she’s also currently a Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) member too who is specially trained to handle dispatch calls for suicidal subjects or someone who is concerned that a loved one might be. She is also a department Humane Officer who has extra training and direction in handling animal abuse or safety issues that a lot of other patrol officers or detectives may not have the time to fully investigate. Both of these jobs are just some of the pillars of compassion that a public servant in law enforcement possesses. She’s able to personally help someone in their worst moments when sometimes there is no one else. When a goal of hers has always been to give back, being an Evansville city police officer she’s been able to do just that.
Allison Farmer ‘15 poses for a photo with a kitten while on duty.
