Officer Polston

[Cocktooth]

Alot of us know OP. He was the Dare officer when we were in Elememtary. He has been fighting Lung Cancer for 5 years. Apparently, that battle is going to come to an end very soon. I just wanted to make a post about how much he really did mean to alot of people. Not everyone on here is from Warsaw, but he has been apart of alot of younger kids lives for over 15 years.

[Orgazmo]

I'm sorry to hear that. He's always been a good dude.

[Cocktooth]

I have received preliminary word that he passed away this morning. That isn't confirmed.

[BigDongedHoe]

He passed away at 1:20 P.M. this afternoon.

[Pliedes]

I still remember sitting in class at Jefferson Elementary- and this big, jolly ol' cop telling us that "acid would let you see music and hear colors"! All I could think was, where do we find this stuff?!? DARE was stupid and didn't really work; but Officer Polston did.

His sister (Connie Jetter) is like a mother to me. She would talk about how he was always in trouble with the police dept and had a complaint file as big as the cabinet....not because he was a bad cop or did terrible things, but rather because he cared so much about all the kids in the community that he was always letting them off or trying to keep them out of trouble. He really was a good man who just wanted the best for everyone.

I'm not trying to be all sappy, but I don't think there is a person more beloved by the city of Warsaw.

This past July 4th Zack Jetter, some friends and I camped out on Chapman Lake and got drunk as shit while watching the fireworks. The next morning we stumbled over to the Chapman Lakes Conservation Club's Annual Pancake Breakfast (i know it sounds lame but it's sorta a local tradition). Of course who was sitting right in the middle of the room- eating a giant stack of pancakes- Officer Polston (or Uncle Chub, as zack called him). He didn't care that we reeked of whiskey or could barely keep our eyes open- he sat there with us, laughing and chatting, making sure to catch up with each one of us. When we were ready to leave he gave each one of us a big hug and told us to stay out of trouble, laughing as he said it. That's the last time I saw him alive.

That's a good memory. I have lots of good memories of him. Probably the only cop I'll ever trust.

I raise my glass to Terry Polston- I don't think anyone I know lived as full and happy a life as he did.

[BigDongedHoe]

OP was amazing at how he could remember every student he'd ever had. I saw him 2 years after high school which would of been 6 or 7 after I went through DARE with him. I wasn't a special student by any means or even a student that I thought he would remember. He of course remembered me instantly and acted like I was his best friend, the funny thing is every person definitely had that same type of rapport with him.

He came and spoke at Grace's chapel a year or two ago. He basically talked about how he hadn't smoked a cigarette a day in his life but was still diagnosed with lung cancer. I know you hear all those stereotypical "I have terminal cancer but I won't let it bring me down" type stories but this man lived it. He went on to say the day he died he would be so happy because he could be with the lord. I'm not exactly a man of faith but if that's what he believed then I commend him for the way he lived and left the world.

[Pliedes]

I hear ya, BDH. Regardless of what label you put on it, his ability to see through the bullshit of life and just be happy anyway...well, that's a pretty good way to live if you ask me.

The irony is inescapable: a DARE officer who has never smoked a cigarette a day in his life winds up dead from lung cancer. It shows that whether you drink or smoke, or not, really isn't the big issue after all.

This has all been a long time coming. It's been over 6 years since he was first diagnosed- we all knew it would end this way. But this final chapter brings the story full circle....puts it all in perspective, so to say. I'm not gonna start praying or stop drinking- but it does remind me what a good life I have, and that I should always try to make it better.

[Repugnant Abomination]

Damn, this is really sad. He sounded like a great guy and I'm glad you guys have fond memories of him.

[Cocktooth]

Working at the hospital when he found out the cancer can back was an expericance. He still walked into the Oncology building like he had just won the lottery. Same smile on his face, and same personality sitting in the chair the was recieving theropy. My last memory besides talking to him in that building was me playing softball. I played on the KCH softball team, in which his son Justin played on. Anyone that knows me, knows I have bad habit of chewing tobacco from college. He walked up to me and handed me my can of chew. He looked at me and said that he " Pissed in my can, cause that is what it was anyways." He said it with the same smile as he had when I was in 6th grade. I went 2 weeks without taking a dip after he said that because I respected him that much. After today, I have been thinking alot, and I want to make him proud of me. ( I was the number 2 student at Madison my 6th grade year in DARE.) I might not quit tomorrow or by the end of the week, but damnit, I will quit. He meant so much to this communty and me, I owe him that much.

[Ugly Bastard]

Longtime Warsaw D.A.R.E. officer dies after battle with lung cancer

[Orgazmo]

"He said 'I'm only halfway through D.A.R.E., the kids need the rest of the D.A.R.E. lessons,' and I said, 'Terry, don't worry about it, we'll get that taken care of,'" explains Polston's brother.

.

[Pliedes]

The final lesson was implicit.

I want to think his brother, an elemetary school principal, understood what he meant....

No amount of govt-backed indoctrination will keep kids off drugs... but a person- a life- an example; someone who inspired you to strive for something better than addiction and mediocrity.... well, i like to think that is his final lesson.....


But that's just me. Clearly this is quite personal to me, but if you really want to think about it and learn something, it's not "don't do drugs"; it's "love life, cause that's all we have".