Vol. 18, No. 31	May 13, 1999

Larry Thornton, Public Safety, spoke at the May 5 meeting of the Professional Advisory Committee in memory of Gary Robert Summerville, the associate director of public safety, who was killed in an automobile accident on April 25. At the age of 47, Maj. Summerville had spent more than half his life in service to the University.

In remembering his colleague, Thornton said, "Gary was a leader, a teacher and a mentor. He was a doer....no job was too small or too large. He was a dedicated and loyal employee to the place he loved....the University of Delaware.

"His Public Safety family was special to him, and he was always doing things to show how much they were appreciated and how important their contribution was," Thornton said. "His Friday 'Ice Cream Day' became a tradition in the department and was his way of saying thank you."

Thornton quoted a note left anonymously on the public safety bulletin board after Major Summerville's death. It read in part:

"Some of us knew you for what seemed a lifetime and some of us only for a little while. But, you touched all of us who walked through that back door....and so many in the community we serve....For those of us who lead, we should try to learn what you already knew.... Treat your people well and never ask them to do what you are not willing to do yourself."

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