This book, The Trailblazers: Chief Executives Who Transformed the Constitution, presents a summary view of American history over the first forty years under the United States Constitution. During this time many events took place and a few distinct personalities added their personal touch in determining the destiny of the United States. Each of these early chief executives left a legacy although, as always, it has been subject to vast interpretations according to one’s individual viewpoint. However, the collective existence of this nation speaks volumes for each of their particular influences during their time at the helm. The trail that they blazed has enabled the Presidency to undergo great change as each succeeding chief executive has added power and substance to the office.

The first elected Constitutional President of the United States, George Washington, came into being when he took office on April 30, 1789. Since his time we have had over forty different personalities who have occupied the office with the transference of power passing to the successor in an orderly manner—even in the midst of our civil war. A lot of credit must be given to the system of government that we have in which the executive role—the ultimate authority and enforcement figure—is assumed in a simple ceremony that only involves an oath of office to be administered to that person. This smooth transition of power is due in large part to the manner in which Washington established the handing over of the Presidency to his successor.

This book of the early chief executives covers a period of 40 years, from 1789 to 1829, during which 20 Congresses convened and adjourned. The trailblazers, starting with George Washington, transformed the country from mere words that stated the intent of the Constitution into a system of government with a firm foundation. In the process, these trailblazers expanded the scope of the Presidency and added to the existing precedents that were established through the Articles of Confederation under the guidance of the chief executives of the Continental Congress. In this effort, George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe and John Quincy Adams made their contributions in a decided manner. In the process, they greatly strengthened the core of the central authority—a necessary force in keeping the nation together as a single continuing union.

George Washington set many of the precedents under the United States Constitution as the first chief executive under the new government. He put down a rebellion, worked for strong financial institutions, expanded the implicit powers of the President, and was at the helm when the New York Stock Exchange was formally established. His strong leadership set the tone of the office of the Presidency, including its elevated social status and its accessibility to the citizens of the country.

John Adams, as the first intellectual in the office, promoted the judicial evolution and in the process created a stronger national government. His abilities as a statesman kept a lid on what could have erupted into a full-scale war between America and England when the young nation was ill prepared to fight again. Although his support of the Alien and Sedition statues went against the grain of freedom, he was still able to fend off another rebellion and keep the country together in its infant years. He also promoted a strong military preparedness and sought to improve the caliber of both the army and the navy.

Thomas Jefferson became the first President from the opposition party—the Democratic-Republicans—and in doing so set the precedent for a peaceful transfer of power from one party to another. Under his term, the country doubled in size due to the purchase of the Louisiana Territory from France. He also took actions that were for the most part in line with a very narrow interpretation of the presidential powers under the Constitution. He was nevertheless successful in keeping America out of the war between France and England.

James Madison guided the nation during perilous times caused by the War of 1812 against Great Britain. Having been the main person behind the formulation of the Constitution, he was a believer in very limited government and opposed building up either the army or the navy. He acted with one eye towards maintaining states’ rights and the other eye towards a very strict interpretation of the Constitution, both of which served to strengthen the freedom under the government. Thus, he did not act in a manner that threatened civil liberties and refused to assume extraordinary powers—even though a war was going on.

James Monroe started a new era in foreign policy for America with the declaration of the Monroe Doctrine—a policy intended to prevent European interference with or colonization of the newfound democracies that were being established in the Western Hemisphere. In domestic affairs he acted to resolve the partisan conflicts that were at the heart of much strife in America. However, he largely ignored the growing controversy over the slave issue, a divisive effect that later contributed to the Civil War.

James Quincy Adams started the trend towards massive public works projects by the government, even though he was opposed by the Federal Congress on many of these. He also opposed slavery although his support of a protective tariff increased the existing tensions between the North and the South. As another gifted intellectual and extraordinary diplomat, he tried to strengthen the central government through efforts in promoting national transportation and in the control of public lands by the government.

The importance of these trailblazers, the early chief executives of the United States, is that in the performance of their duties each displayed an inherited sense of the importance of the United States as a nation of destiny. Somehow, each of them rose above the petty politics to strive for what each considered as best for the country in terms of the general good. These early chief executives helped shape the Presidency—and in doing so greatly contributed towards the creation of the most successful democratic system of government on earth. Each of them should be acknowledged for their individual contributions of social, political and economic transformations that have enabled the people of this nation to enjoy an unprecedented freedom unparalleled by any other form of government in the world.

This book, The Trailblazers: Chief Executives Who Transformed the Constitution, presents a summary view of American history over the first forty years under the United States Constitution. During this time many events took place and a few distinct personalities added their personal touch in determining the destiny of the United States. Each of these early chief executives left a legacy although, as always, it has been subject to vast interpretations according to one’s individual viewpoint. However, the collective existence of this nation speaks volumes for each of their particular influences during their time at the helm. The trail that they blazed has enabled the Presidency to undergo great change as each succeeding chief executive has added power and substance to the office.

The first elected Constitutional President of the United States, George Washington, came into being when he took office on April 30, 1789. Since his time we have had over forty different personalities who have occupied the office with the transference of power passing to the successor in an orderly manner—even in the midst of our civil war. A lot of credit must be given to the system of government that we have in which the executive role—the ultimate authority and enforcement figure—is assumed in a simple ceremony that only involves an oath of office to be administered to that person. This smooth transition of power is due in large part to the manner in which Washington established the handing over of the Presidency to his successor.

This book of the early chief executives covers a period of 40 years, from 1789 to 1829, during which 20 Congresses convened and adjourned. The trailblazers, starting with George Washington, transformed the country from mere words that stated the intent of the Constitution into a system of government with a firm foundation. In the process, these trailblazers expanded the scope of the Presidency and added to the existing precedents that were established through the Articles of Confederation under the guidance of the chief executives of the Continental Congress. In this effort, George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe and John Quincy Adams made their contributions in a decided manner. In the process, they greatly strengthened the core of the central authority—a necessary force in keeping the nation together as a single continuing union.

George Washington set many of the precedents under the United States Constitution as the first chief executive under the new government. He put down a rebellion, worked for strong financial institutions, expanded the implicit powers of the President, and was at the helm when the New York Stock Exchange was formally established. His strong leadership set the tone of the office of the Presidency, including its elevated social status and its accessibility to the citizens of the country.

John Adams, as the first intellectual in the office, promoted the judicial evolution and in the process created a stronger national government. His abilities as a statesman kept a lid on what could have erupted into a full-scale war between America and England when the young nation was ill prepared to fight again. Although his support of the Alien and Sedition statues went against the grain of freedom, he was still able to fend off another rebellion and keep the country together in its infant years. He also promoted a strong military preparedness and sought to improve the caliber of both the army and the navy.

Thomas Jefferson became the first President from the opposition party—the Democratic-Republicans—and in doing so set the precedent for a peaceful transfer of power from one party to another. Under his term, the country doubled in size due to the purchase of the Louisiana Territory from France. He also took actions that were for the most part in line with a very narrow interpretation of the presidential powers under the Constitution. He was nevertheless successful in keeping America out of the war between France and England.

James Madison guided the nation during perilous times caused by the War of 1812 against Great Britain. Having been the main person behind the formulation of the Constitution, he was a believer in very limited government and opposed building up either the army or the navy. He acted with one eye towards maintaining states’ rights and the other eye towards a very strict interpretation of the Constitution, both of which served to strengthen the freedom under the government. Thus, he did not act in a manner that threatened civil liberties and refused to assume extraordinary powers—even though a war was going on.

James Monroe started a new era in foreign policy for America with the declaration of the Monroe Doctrine—a policy intended to prevent European interference with or colonization of the newfound democracies that were being established in the Western Hemisphere. In domestic affairs he acted to resolve the partisan conflicts that were at the heart of much strife in America. However, he largely ignored the growing controversy over the slave issue, a divisive effect that later contributed to the Civil War.

James Quincy Adams started the trend towards massive public works projects by the government, even though he was opposed by the Federal Congress on many of these. He also opposed slavery although his support of a protective tariff increased the existing tensions between the North and the South. As another gifted intellectual and extraordinary diplomat, he tried to strengthen the central government through efforts in promoting national transportation and in the control of public lands by the government.

The importance of these trailblazers, the early chief executives of the United States, is that in the performance of their duties each displayed an inherited sense of the importance of the United States as a nation of destiny. Somehow, each of them rose above the petty politics to strive for what each considered as best for the country in terms of the general good. These early chief executives helped shape the Presidency—and in doing so greatly contributed towards the creation of the most successful democratic system of government on earth. Each of them should be acknowledged for their individual contributions of social, political and economic transformations that have enabled the people of this nation to enjoy an unprecedented freedom unparalleled by any other form of government in the world.

Pearl Harbor and the American Spirit is perhaps the first publication to document the broad human experience of December 7, 1941. In this groundbreaking book, people from all across America recall how their lives were suddenly changed forever by Japan’s “dastardly attack” in Hawaii.

The fascinating stories in this 604-page book carry the reader back in time to vintage diners, filling stations, railroad depots, drug stores, family farms, stadiums, churches, barracks, and other places where the alarming news of the ambush was announced to a stunned nation.

During the war, millions of young Americans left home for duty in military camps, defense plants, and foreign battlefields. The speakers tell how they dutifully answered the call to arms while experiencing dislocation and heartbreaking separation from loved ones in the process. Their fleeting interlude of adolescence had ended with the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

Many narrators discuss significant personal, national, and world events from the time of the Depression through WWII, thus making this book a fine introduction to the momentous Roosevelt era. Readers learn how the children of the Depression era overcame hardship–and acquired the sturdy character that enabled them to emerge as liberators of the world.

WWII veteran contributors include former President George H.W. Bush and famed cartoonist Mort Walker.

Plain-spoken, patriotic, and poignant, these captivating narratives portray a humble, remarkable generation in their grand hour of distinction.

Pearl Harbor and the American Spirit contains over 175 narratives by people who remember December 7, 1941, and describe their reactions to the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor on that day. While explaining how the Japanese strike on the warships and military installations in Hawaii stunned, humiliated, and infuriated the American people, the speakers remain baffled as to how diminutive Japan could have masterminded such an audacious ambush on the mighty United States of America.

Exactly how Japan could execute the maneuver without being detected remains open to debate. What matters most is that the inspired retaliation that followed left no doubt: Americans of the World War II era were a people of prodigious creativity, iron resolve, and boundless courage. They were also intensely patriotic. When their beloved country was suddenly wounded by a violent act of treachery, the spirited Americans lashed back at their antagonists with a mighty fury heard ‘round the world.

Overnight, millions of people’s lives were turned upside down: Dutiful young men left home to confront the enemy; able women hired on at factories to build airplanes and tanks; scrappy kids collected junk metal to feed the mighty war machine; proud parents fretted and placed blue stars in their windows; and countless plans and dreams were smashed like the crippled, sunken ships in the flaming harbor.

In September 2000, in a self-appointed quest to chronicle experiences of Americans during the Great Depression and World War II, I began interviewing senior citizens about their most important memories of those turbulent years. (“The Great Depression? There was nothing great about it,” grumbled one correspondent.) Among other things, I wanted to learn what people were doing on Pearl Harbor Day–the day the United States finally said goodbye to the Depression and hello to World War II.

Although the fiery battle in Hawaii on that unforgettable day is well documented, writers and historians have long neglected the Pearl Harbor Day experience of persons who, on December 7, 1941, lived in the continental states and other places outside Hawaii. I felt it important to record this overlooked dimension of the Pearl Harbor Day experience; so for more than two years I interviewed seniors who explained how their young lives were touched on that faraway, yet still vivid in memory, day of destruction.

The book also includes firsthand testimony from Pearl Harbor survivors, for knowing what happened at Ground Zero is a prerequisite to understanding the explosive reaction that followed elsewhere.

I asked my correspondents many questions: What were your plans for the future on the eve of December 7, 1941? Where were you when you first heard about the attack on Pearl Harbor? How did you and others react to this news? In what ways did Pearl Harbor, and the war, change the direction of your life? The gracious interviewees recalled with clarity the titanic explosion of emotions on that fateful day in which terrible, vivid, indelible memories were branded into the minds of millions.

It is well known that before World War II most Americans were isolationists who opposed involvement in foreign wars. Indeed, even the rapid rise of totalitarianism in the 1930s failed to dislodge Americans from their comfort zone of neutrality. As newsreels graphically detailed the ruthless deeds of the twin evils Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan, the dominant sentiment in the United States remained “Let other countries settle their own quarrels; we have enough problems here at home.”

By the late 1930s, the United States had distanced itself from the leanest years of the Great Depression: Franklin D. Roosevelt announced no new social and economic programs in his annual message to Congress in January 1939. Still, full economic recovery would not take place until later when the scale of wartime production reached awesome proportions. In 1941, with many Americans still struggling to put food on the table, very few wanted to pay higher taxes to finance military involvement in China, Czechoslovakia, Poland, France, Britain and myriad countries with unpronounceable names.

There was another important reason for the widespread opposition to intervention: The brutal experience of World War I had given Americans a distinct aversion to sending America’s fighting forces “over there.” Over 115,000 American soldiers had died during the Great War, for what purpose is still uncertain. Disillusioned with war and its attendant misery, Americans of the 1930s maintained the convenient attitude of neutrality.

Nonetheless, President Roosevelt and many other government officials realized that the country could not remain neutral forever. The nation’s first peacetime draft law, passed in September 1940, indicated that Uncle Sam was preparing for war. There was much catching up to do. American troops were at that time training with hopelessly outdated rifles and cannon left over from World War I (often there was no ammunition for the vintage weapons). Some military academies still instructed their young recruits in antiquated cavalry techniques. The shortage of adequate housing forced many soldiers to live in tents or tarpaper shacks. Dummy machine guns carved from logs were lugged around on field maneuvers in Louisiana and elsewhere.

Despite the gradual mobilization, most Americans still chose to ignore the inevitable. Having endured a protracted period of economic misery, people felt a compelling need to relax and enjoy themselves. Thus, they listened to Benny Goodman records and watched Shirley Temple movies while leaving it to Asia and Europe to worry about the Rape of Nanking and Kristallnacht. To be sure, the United States sent merchant ships loaded with supplies on dangerous voyages across the Atlantic to aid the victims of Nazi aggression. But until December 7, 1941, the nation seemed lost in a misty cloud of denial.

This complacency dissolved in a flash after more than 2,000 American servicemen were killed during Japan’s unannounced assault on Pearl Harbor. The day after the attack, with images of wrecked airfields and burning battleshi

Pearl Harbor and the American Spirit is perhaps the first publication to document the broad human experience of December 7, 1941. In this groundbreaking book, people from all across America recall how their lives were suddenly changed forever by Japan’s “dastardly attack” in Hawaii.

The fascinating stories in this 604-page book carry the reader back in time to vintage diners, filling stations, railroad depots, drug stores, family farms, stadiums, churches, barracks, and other places where the alarming news of the ambush was announced to a stunned nation.

During the war, millions of young Americans left home for duty in military camps, defense plants, and foreign battlefields. The speakers tell how they dutifully answered the call to arms while experiencing dislocation and heartbreaking separation from loved ones in the process. Their fleeting interlude of adolescence had ended with the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

Many narrators discuss significant personal, national, and world events from the time of the Depression through WWII, thus making this book a fine introduction to the momentous Roosevelt era. Readers learn how the children of the Depression era overcame hardship–and acquired the sturdy character that enabled them to emerge as liberators of the world.

WWII veteran contributors include former President George H.W. Bush and famed cartoonist Mort Walker.

Plain-spoken, patriotic, and poignant, these captivating narratives portray a humble, remarkable generation in their grand hour of distinction.

Pearl Harbor and the American Spirit contains over 175 narratives by people who remember December 7, 1941, and describe their reactions to the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor on that day. While explaining how the Japanese strike on the warships and military installations in Hawaii stunned, humiliated, and infuriated the American people, the speakers remain baffled as to how diminutive Japan could have masterminded such an audacious ambush on the mighty United States of America.

Exactly how Japan could execute the maneuver without being detected remains open to debate. What matters most is that the inspired retaliation that followed left no doubt: Americans of the World War II era were a people of prodigious creativity, iron resolve, and boundless courage. They were also intensely patriotic. When their beloved country was suddenly wounded by a violent act of treachery, the spirited Americans lashed back at their antagonists with a mighty fury heard ‘round the world.

Overnight, millions of people’s lives were turned upside down: Dutiful young men left home to confront the enemy; able women hired on at factories to build airplanes and tanks; scrappy kids collected junk metal to feed the mighty war machine; proud parents fretted and placed blue stars in their windows; and countless plans and dreams were smashed like the crippled, sunken ships in the flaming harbor.

In September 2000, in a self-appointed quest to chronicle experiences of Americans during the Great Depression and World War II, I began interviewing senior citizens about their most important memories of those turbulent years. (“The Great Depression? There was nothing great about it,” grumbled one correspondent.) Among other things, I wanted to learn what people were doing on Pearl Harbor Day–the day the United States finally said goodbye to the Depression and hello to World War II.

Although the fiery battle in Hawaii on that unforgettable day is well documented, writers and historians have long neglected the Pearl Harbor Day experience of persons who, on December 7, 1941, lived in the continental states and other places outside Hawaii. I felt it important to record this overlooked dimension of the Pearl Harbor Day experience; so for more than two years I interviewed seniors who explained how their young lives were touched on that faraway, yet still vivid in memory, day of destruction.

The book also includes firsthand testimony from Pearl Harbor survivors, for knowing what happened at Ground Zero is a prerequisite to understanding the explosive reaction that followed elsewhere.

I asked my correspondents many questions: What were your plans for the future on the eve of December 7, 1941? Where were you when you first heard about the attack on Pearl Harbor? How did you and others react to this news? In what ways did Pearl Harbor, and the war, change the direction of your life? The gracious interviewees recalled with clarity the titanic explosion of emotions on that fateful day in which terrible, vivid, indelible memories were branded into the minds of millions.

It is well known that before World War II most Americans were isolationists who opposed involvement in foreign wars. Indeed, even the rapid rise of totalitarianism in the 1930s failed to dislodge Americans from their comfort zone of neutrality. As newsreels graphically detailed the ruthless deeds of the twin evils Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan, the dominant sentiment in the United States remained “Let other countries settle their own quarrels; we have enough problems here at home.”

By the late 1930s, the United States had distanced itself from the leanest years of the Great Depression: Franklin D. Roosevelt announced no new social and economic programs in his annual message to Congress in January 1939. Still, full economic recovery would not take place until later when the scale of wartime production reached awesome proportions. In 1941, with many Americans still struggling to put food on the table, very few wanted to pay higher taxes to finance military involvement in China, Czechoslovakia, Poland, France, Britain and myriad countries with unpronounceable names.

There was another important reason for the widespread opposition to intervention: The brutal experience of World War I had given Americans a distinct aversion to sending America’s fighting forces “over there.” Over 115,000 American soldiers had died during the Great War, for what purpose is still uncertain. Disillusioned with war and its attendant misery, Americans of the 1930s maintained the convenient attitude of neutrality.

Nonetheless, President Roosevelt and many other government officials realized that the country could not remain neutral forever. The nation’s first peacetime draft law, passed in September 1940, indicated that Uncle Sam was preparing for war. There was much catching up to do. American troops were at that time training with hopelessly outdated rifles and cannon left over from World War I (often there was no ammunition for the vintage weapons). Some military academies still instructed their young recruits in antiquated cavalry techniques. The shortage of adequate housing forced many soldiers to live in tents or tarpaper shacks. Dummy machine guns carved from logs were lugged around on field maneuvers in Louisiana and elsewhere.

Despite the gradual mobilization, most Americans still chose to ignore the inevitable. Having endured a protracted period of economic misery, people felt a compelling need to relax and enjoy themselves. Thus, they listened to Benny Goodman records and watched Shirley Temple movies while leaving it to Asia and Europe to worry about the Rape of Nanking and Kristallnacht. To be sure, the United States sent merchant ships loaded with supplies on dangerous voyages across the Atlantic to aid the victims of Nazi aggression. But until December 7, 1941, the nation seemed lost in a misty cloud of denial.

This complacency dissolved in a flash after more than 2,000 American servicemen were killed during Japan’s unannounced assault on Pearl Harbor. The day after the attack, with images of wrecked airfields and burning battleshi

When Oklahoma became a state in 1907, there was no state-wide law enforcement agency. Unlike other states that had been created from organized territories settled over long periods of time, Oklahoma was formed from various Indian Territories that were opened to white settlement beginning in 1889. Over a period of only seventeen years, through land runs, lotteries, and sealed bids, this new state was born. Its citizens were proud, independent people determined to maintain local control of their schools, utilities, law enforcement, and other community agencies. By the 1930s, the development of the automobile and roads on which they traveled, brought bootleggers, bandits, and other criminals to all areas of the state. The people of Oklahoma finally agreed to the establishment of the Department of Public Safety with a highway patrol in 1937.

The author uses standard ethnographic research methods to write an account of the early days of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol designed to be of assistance to historians interested in local and state history and yet, be informative and enjoyable to the general public. Factual history has been woven together with personal information from scrapbooks; interviews with nine former patrolmen, family members, and friends; and personal memories of the author, the daughter of a patrolman, to give an account of what it was like to be an Oklahoma Highway Patrolman from 1937 through 1964. Ending a car chase by shooting out tires, sitting at road blocks for days at a time, holding a patient as his arm was amputated, diving into a creek to retrieve the body of a local boy, picking up body parts at the scene of a wreck, conducting a safety quiz show for elementary children, and playing practical jokes on a partner are a few of the stories that are included.

There is a brief history of Oklahoma with information about the development of the Department of Public Safety and divisions that were established as needs arose. This book also addresses some issues of local and state politics and how they affected the Department of Public Safety, individual patrolmen, as well as their families. Promotions, demotions, transfers, and commendations played an important part in the nature of the life and job of a patrolman.

Difficulties related to attracting competent patrolmen, training them, and keeping them on the job are addressed. The first patrol schools in 1937 were three weeks of intensive military-type training designed to get men out on the roads as soon as possible. Over the years, wars, lack of funding, low pay, and frustrations from political intervention affected the designs of the schools and the quality and quantity of men who were willing to serve as “Soldiers of the Law” in Oklahoma.

Since the author uses her father’s diaries for a great deal of the information, much of the focus of this book is on his career as a patrolman/educator. It follows C.A. Morris as he works in several smaller communities as a trooper and in a large district as a supervisor or second lieutenant, setting up safety education programs as well as carrying out his responsibilities in the area of law enforcement. His frustrations as he tries to encourage other troopers to get along with one another and members of their communities, the increasing numbers of traffic fatalities, and decreasing budgets with aging equipment and additional responsibilities, along with other community changes during the 1960s are threads that weave through this book. The importance of a patrolman’s family and personal life is also a major theme. The story ends when, after twenty-one years, Morris retires from the patrol in 1964 at the age of fifty-seven.

A Post Script gives a brief summary of the lives of each interviewed former trooper after leaving the patrol. This book also includes a Map, eleven Illustrations (vintage photographs), Notes, References, Appendices, and an Index.

When Oklahoma became a state in 1907, there was no state-wide law enforcement agency. Unlike other states that had been created from organized territories settled over long periods of time, Oklahoma was formed from various Indian Territories that were opened to white settlement beginning in 1889. Over a period of only seventeen years, through land runs, lotteries, and sealed bids, this new state was born. Its citizens were proud, independent people determined to maintain local control of their schools, utilities, law enforcement, and other community agencies. By the 1930s, the development of the automobile and roads on which they traveled, brought bootleggers, bandits, and other criminals to all areas of the state. The people of Oklahoma finally agreed to the establishment of the Department of Public Safety with a highway patrol in 1937.

The author uses standard ethnographic research methods to write an account of the early days of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol designed to be of assistance to historians interested in local and state history and yet, be informative and enjoyable to the general public. Factual history has been woven together with personal information from scrapbooks; interviews with nine former patrolmen, family members, and friends; and personal memories of the author, the daughter of a patrolman, to give an account of what it was like to be an Oklahoma Highway Patrolman from 1937 through 1964. Ending a car chase by shooting out tires, sitting at road blocks for days at a time, holding a patient as his arm was amputated, diving into a creek to retrieve the body of a local boy, picking up body parts at the scene of a wreck, conducting a safety quiz show for elementary children, and playing practical jokes on a partner are a few of the stories that are included.

There is a brief history of Oklahoma with information about the development of the Department of Public Safety and divisions that were established as needs arose. This book also addresses some issues of local and state politics and how they affected the Department of Public Safety, individual patrolmen, as well as their families. Promotions, demotions, transfers, and commendations played an important part in the nature of the life and job of a patrolman.

Difficulties related to attracting competent patrolmen, training them, and keeping them on the job are addressed. The first patrol schools in 1937 were three weeks of intensive military-type training designed to get men out on the roads as soon as possible. Over the years, wars, lack of funding, low pay, and frustrations from political intervention affected the designs of the schools and the quality and quantity of men who were willing to serve as “Soldiers of the Law” in Oklahoma.

Since the author uses her father’s diaries for a great deal of the information, much of the focus of this book is on his career as a patrolman/educator. It follows C.A. Morris as he works in several smaller communities as a trooper and in a large district as a supervisor or second lieutenant, setting up safety education programs as well as carrying out his responsibilities in the area of law enforcement. His frustrations as he tries to encourage other troopers to get along with one another and members of their communities, the increasing numbers of traffic fatalities, and decreasing budgets with aging equipment and additional responsibilities, along with other community changes during the 1960s are threads that weave through this book. The importance of a patrolman’s family and personal life is also a major theme. The story ends when, after twenty-one years, Morris retires from the patrol in 1964 at the age of fifty-seven.

A Post Script gives a brief summary of the lives of each interviewed former trooper after leaving the patrol. This book also includes a Map, eleven Illustrations (vintage photographs), Notes, References, Appendices, and an Index.