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Oct. 4, 2002 -- It’s not the type of message police often hear from college students, but University Public Safety officers clearly appreciate the two baskets full of thank you notes they recently received from UD students.
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| Larry Thornton, director of public safety at UD, thanks Harrington A & B resident assistants (from left) Judy Ou, Bonnie Warrington and Matt Winn for the hundreds of thank you notes Harrington students made for campus and local law enforcement officials. |
“Thank you for protecting us from harm. Thank you for putting your lives in harm’s way every day to keep us safe. You are real-life heroes, and while we don’t show it often enough, we appreciate everything you do for us,” wrote College of Business and Economics sophomore Adam Shaw.
Shaw’s note sums up what hundreds of University of Delaware students living in Harrington Residence Halls A and B wanted to tell local police and firefighters when each created his or her own red, white and blue star-studded thank you note and put them in baskets decorated with little American flags, blue and red crepe paper and white stars.
On Saturday, Sept. 16, a group of students delivered the baskets to the UD Department of Public Safety and Newark police, emergency medical technicians and firefighters.
Larry Thornton, director of public safety at UD, said the messages did not go unnoticed.
“I was in my office reviewing a particularly troubling case when I saw the baskets of notes that had been dropped off that day. As I read them, I was touched by the sincerity of the students and by how much they appreciate what we do to try to keep them safe. It lifted my spirits and made the remainder of my day much brighter. I have spoken to a number of officers since then and they had the same reaction I did.”
Kimberly Austin, a hall director for Harrington Residence Halls, her resident assistants and 224 students designed and wrote the notes emblazoned with glitter stars and stripes and then delivered them.
Inspired by the events of 9/11 and the realization that police and firefighters are out there protecting them 24/7 without much recognition, students wrote their local heroes:
“Thank you for serving UD, but most of all, thank you for serving America.”
“I know we forget to say these few simple words, but Thank You! The students @UDEL greatly appreciate it.”
“The Stars & Stripes wouldn’t be complete without you.”
“Thanks for all you do. Keep up the good work.”
“Thanks for making the campus a safe place. After 9/11, America is a different place. Safety is a huge priority and we appreciate all your hard work.”
Austin said that the first anniversary of the Sept. 11 tragedy and remembering the efforts of the New York City police and firefighters made them understand that if the disaster struck in Newark, Del., it would be UD and Newark public safety, police and firefighters who would put their lives on the line.
“It’s a shame that something like 9/11 has to happen before you realize how important police and firefighters are to our everyday lives,” she said. That realization inspired Austin and resident assistants Bonnie Warrington, Chris Gower, Stephanie Daye, Matt Winn, Sasha Gamburg and Judy Ou to work together on the thank you effort, which was suggested by one of the RAs.
“They keep us safe every day, but we didn’t think about it until 9/11, so to show our appreciation to the police and fire departments in the area that work so hard to make this a safe and enjoyable environment, we all agreed to do this project.” Austin said.
Article by Barbara Garrison
Photo by Duane Perry
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