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The Amherst Bee's 50th anniversary 'Officer of the Year' Award
The Amherst Bee "Officer of the Year" award was created in 1957 by publisher George J. Measer and chief of police Herbert E. Zimmerman, both of whom have since retired. "I didn't feel the members of the Amherst Police Department received enough recognition for their efforts in protecting the people of Amherst and enforcing the law," said Measer. "Before announcing it, I talked with Chief Zimmerman, a former Bee employee, about how to set it up. Herb set up a committee of three to choose the Officer of the Year." The award has always been presented at the annual Amherst Police Club ball, which was first held 21 years before the Bee award was initiated. The event is now a dinner dance and includes the installation of officers of the Police Club. Detective John Walsh was the first recipient of the award, honored for solving two separate cases. One involved the arrest of a man who swindled a Williamsville woman out of $1,800, and the other was for single-handedly solving a car theft ring that was tied to a total of 28 cases. The name of the award winner or winners is always kept secret until the night of the dinner. In the years that followed, several other awards have been created to honor members of the department. The 1957 event was held at the old Glen Park Casino, with owner Harry Altman donating the site and all amenities to the Police Club for the evening. The entertainment that night was top-shelf and included the Norma Miller Dancers. Known as the "Queen of Swing," Miller began her dancing career at the Savoy Ballroom during the early 1930s in Harlem. The Jaye Brothers sang and "had the house rocking with laughter," according to The Bee. But the best was yet to come.
"The treat of the evening was the appearance of Cab Calloway. He was on stage only a few minutes when the audience joined him in singing 'Minnie the Moocher.'" Recipients of Amherst Bee 'Officer of the Year' award |
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