Room dedication honors memory of Major Summerville

3:28 p.m., Aug. 4, 2004--Approximately 35 former colleagues, family members and friends of the late Major Gary Summerville gathered in the conference room of UD’s Public Safety Building Tuesday afternoon, Aug. 3, to honor his memory by dedicating the room in recognition of his contribution of 25 years of service to the University.

The ceremony began with a moment of silence and a prayer led by the Rev. Russell Bohner of St. Barnabas Episcopal Church in Wilmington, who worked with Major Summerville as a student and colleague at UD. Other speakers were Maxine Colm, vice president for administration; Larry Thornton, director of public safety; Jim Grimes, captain and senior assistant director of public safety; and Douglas Tuttle, instructor in UD’s School of Urban Affairs and former director of public safety at UD.

Colm recalled how Summerville drove her to and from work and assisted her in countless ways during her recuperation from hip-replacement surgery.

She spoke of her fond memories of Major Summerville and of his kindness to her. “I thank him in my prayers, and I thank all of you for being here,” she said.

Thornton remembered Major Summerville for his generous spirit. “Gary was a leader, a teacher, a mentor and a doer,” he said, “but, most of all, he was a doer. He didn’t like the limelight, but he was always working in the background. One of his particular strengths was his skill with the student workers. He listened to them, and they bonded with him.

“When we moved into this building three years ago, we wanted to do something special for Gary, so we’re here to dedicate this room to him,” Thornton said.

Tuttle said that a room in Major Summerville’s honor is important to preserve his memory. “Time marches on,” he said, “and I’d like to remind you that this agency is beginning to fill up with people who never met Gary. This room, Gary’s photograph and the dedication plaque will help to carry on the memory of Gary.

“Gary was a low-key guy. He didn’t like a lot of fanfare, so we chose something that reflected this,” Tuttle explained about the bronze badge-shaped plaque that now decorates the east wall of the conference room.

Major Summerville, who began his career at the University while still a student, was killed in a motorcycle accident in 1999.

In addition to the conference room and plaque, the final mile of the annual Special Olympics torch run in Newark is known as “Gary’s Mile,” in tribute to him and his support of Special Olympics.

Article by Becca Hutchinson
Photo by Kathy Atkinson

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