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Evansville
Saturday, July 19, 2025

Safety Patrol

As the school year dwindles, many seventh-grade students at Holy Rosary School await an outing during the school day: the annual Safety Patrol trip to Burdette Park Aquatic Center, a reward for students serving in Safety Patrol. Both of my sons have been patrol guards; Jackson, completing seventh grade, celebrated in the swim outing last week. There are nearly 30 students on the patrol squad — most of the seventh grade — and that explains why I recall my son serving about only five times. Most Holy Rosary students arrive to school and are picked up in cars; still quite a few walk or are picked up across Green River Road in the mall parking lot. Guards had to be extra attentive and cautious last week during the Summer Social; in fact, the release of students was delayed a few minutes due to heavy traffic in the area.

I was a Safety Patrol guard when I was in sixth grade at Caze Elementary School. When my mother retired from teaching, also from Caze, she was given the Safety Patrol plaque from the Patrol Room, where guards from 1974 to 1988 were honored by name. The plaque also recognizes the program sponsor, The Independent Insurance Agents of Evansville. I believe my whistle is saved somewhere in a box.

The official School Safety Patrol program was organized in 1920 by the American Automobile Association. Today, AAA reports that more than 630,000 children participate annually in School Safety Patrol programs.

The popularity of Safety Patrol was satirized in a 1998 Disney Move, “Safety Patrol,” that was pretty funny. Famous people who served in the Safety Patrol include Presidents Jimmy Ford and Bill Clinton, five U.S. Supreme Court justices or former justices, 21 astronauts, and five Olympic Gold Medalists including Bruce Jenner.

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Kristen K. Tucker
Kristen K. Tucker
Kristen K. Tucker formed Tucker Publishing Group, Inc., along with her husband, Todd, in September 1999 and published the first issue of Evansville Living in March 2000. Kristen, publisher and editor of Evansville Living, holds a bachelor’s degree in public relations and English from Western Kentucky University and a master’s degree in liberal studies from the University of Southern Indiana. Kristen has recently served on the board of directors of The Catholic Foundation of Evansville, the Board of Advisors for the IU Medical School Evansville, and Indiana Landmarks. In 2007, she helped found the Women’s Fund of Vanderburgh County. She also is a member of the 125-year-old Social Literary Club. Kristen is the 2003 Athena Award recipient and the 2006 recipient of the Indiana Commission for Women’s Torchbearer Award. Tucker Publishing Group, Inc., magazines have won dozens of awards through the years from the City & Regional Magazine Association, the Advertising Federation of Evansville, the Evansville Design Group, and the Indiana Society of Professional Journalists. A native of Des Moines, Iowa, Kristen moved with her family to Evansville, her father’s hometown, in 1971. She attended Caze Elementary School, and Castle Jr. and Castle Sr. High Schools in Newburgh, Indiana. Kristen and Todd have two adult sons, Maxwell and Jackson. Kristen enjoys walking, travel, Pilates, and reading.

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