Camie Jarvis: A Lifetime of Dedication Paul K. Roller PPOA Executive Director proller@ppoa.com
Camie Jarvis … was a member of a generation that believed you had to give something back if you lived in this world and he did that 10 times over, up until the day he died.
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his issue of Star & Shield is dedicated to Camie Jarvis, who passed away last month. For most of you except the “old timers,” Camie’s name may be unfamiliar — but rest assured, he is one of the most important and influential union members in PPOA’s history. Camie joined PPOA in 1965 and has been a member ever since. In those 48 years, Camie was as important to PPOA as anyone. Almost immediately after joining PPOA, Jarvis was elected to the PPOA Board of Directors where he stayed for the next 20 years. During that time, Camie was the president (back then they called the president the chairman) of PPOA three different times. He was on the bargaining committee that negotiated the very first MOU (memorandum of understanding — our contract) with the County of L.A. after the MeyersMilias-Brown Act was passed, which allowed peace officers to bargain with the County over wages, hours and working conditions. Camie also became the editor-in-chief, publisher and principal writer for this publication — Star & Shield magazine — for 15 of the years that he was on the PPOA Board. But perhaps Camie’s greatest accomplishment for PPOA was being a founding member of our credit union. In 1977, Camie and 11 other PPOA members founded POPA Federal Credit Union. Camie chaired the original loan committee and for the past 25 years has been a Board member of the credit union — serving many times as their chairman. His contributions to the credit union were so great that in August of this year, the POPA Federal Credit Union and PPOA jointly dedicated the San Dimas branch of the credit union to Camie Jarvis and co-founder Seth Easley. The San Dimas branch is now known as the Jarvis-Easley Branch and a sign and plaque with their smiling faces greet you as you enter the PPOA lobby. It was great to have both Camie and Seth at the dedication on August 6, 2013. Camie was in fine spirits after a stay in the hospital and the room was packed with friends of both Seth and Camie. In retrospect, we are so thankful that we were able to honor these two men while Camie was still with us. The credit union has always been one of the best benefits of PPOA membership and we honor the foresight of these two men in its creation. Camie Jarvis spent 36 years as a deputy sheriff and D.A. investigator (retiring as a captain in 1988). He also spent 36 years as a credit union leader and 48 years as a
PPOA union leader and newsletter editor. In addition, he was in the Army, OCS, and Reserves, retiring as a full-bird colonel. Not many PPOA members in our 62-year history have a resume as full as that! Two of the major things that have always impressed me about retired PPOA members are the loyalty they continue to show to PPOA in retirement and the fact that so many retirees continue to do good work long after their retirement. Camie was the embodiment of both those qualities. In fact, that’s how I met Camie Jarvis. As the chairman of the credit union, Camie came into my office shortly after I came to PPOA in January 2000 and introduced himself. After that, Camie, Sunny Tan and I would occasionally get together for lunch — mostly dim sum. In San Dimas, Camie would come to the credit union almost every week and most of the time would come upstairs to visit me and to tell old war stories. His stories about our departed friend, Al LeBas, at the old San Dimas station and Camie’s frequent interactions with Sheriff Peter J. Pitchess were especially entertaining. Over the years, I came to know Camie’s son, Alan Jarvis (Retired D.A. captain), quite well as a PPOA delegate. Camie, Alan and Alan’s sons Jason (a deputy at C.J.) and Casey (an L.A. County D.A. prosecutor) make up three generations of L.A. County law enforcement. To them, Camie’s wife, Kathleen, and their son, daughters, Connie and Pamela, grandchildren and friends such as John Fleming, I offer my heartfelt condolences. Camie Jarvis was a great guy — quick with a joke and good conversation. He was a man’s man and a cop’s cop and we will miss him terribly. He was a member of a generation that believed you had to give something back if you lived in this world and he did that 10 times over, up until the day he died. His contributions to PPOA and the POPA Credit Union are immeasurable and even though he was too macho to admit it, he loved them both. Even after the grave, he continues to serve and contribute. He specifically asked that donations, in lieu of flowers, be given in his name to the PPOA Charitable Foundation and/or the CNOA Survivor’s Memorial Fund – both to support the families of officers killed in the line of duty. Camie: You showed us how to live (and how to die) with dignity, with integrity and with an eye always for service to your fellow peace officers. Rest in peace, my friend.
October 2013 | Star&Shield
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