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Captain Larry G. Beery was on patrol checking buildings,
when he was murdered by a person or persons unknown in the early morning
hours of Sunday, April 15, 1973.
__From the Medal of Valor
certificate presented by the National Police Hall of Fame
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Larry Gene Beery was born July 23, 1943, in Wichita, Kansas,
one of four children born to Nola Laird Beery and Iven J. Beery.
He attended school in Wichita
and graduated from East
High School. He joined
the Air Force in 1960 and was discharged in 1964 with the rank of E/3.
On May 18, 1963, while stationed at Lackland Air Force
Base in Texas he met and married Jerrie I.
Grimes, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Levi Grimes from Marquez, Texas.
To them were born a son, Gregory Lloyd, and a daughter, Lisa Dawn.
Larry returned to Wichita
after his discharge from the Air Force and became a Wichita Police Reserve
Officer, graduating from the Wichita
Police Reserve
Academy on April 9,
1968. He became a member of the Wichita Police Reserve 500 Hour Club on
August 15, 1970. This represented 500 hours of unpaid service to the
Community.
With a background of these Police Reserve hours to his
credit he was hired by the Kingman Police Department as a full-time officer
on November 11, 1971. He attended the Kansas
law Enforcement
Training Academy,
graduating May 25, 1972.
He was promoted to Assistant chief of Police August 30,
1972. During his years on the Kingman Police Department he completed the
Kansas University Emergency Medical Care Course February 11, 1972.
He received 4 letters of Commendation, plus letters of
Appreciation from other officers and the public.
As a resident of Wichita,
Larry and his family were active members of the Gideon Baptist
Church and they
continued their support of the Church while living in Kingman.
In 1972, when the Kingman Police Department was in need
of a new Police chief, Larry Beery was unanimously supported as Chief by all
members of the Department.
On April 15, 1973, Captain Beery gave his life in the
line of duty. Larry Beery was a brave man, very devoted to his duty as a Law
Enforcement Officer and a Christian.
From the program for the dedication of the Beery Firing Range
held May 2, 1981
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