On Wednesday, December 3, Bucks County Commissioner Diane M. Ellis-Marseglia, LCSW joined Bucks County police chiefs and representatives from the Bucks County Sheriff, Emergency Services and Security departments to pay tribute to the county’s fallen public-safety heroes. For the sixth consecutive year, the Courthouse rotunda is the setting for the Project Blue Light Memorial Wreath. The wreath is adorned with blue light bulbs and decorated with 12 white ornaments to symbolize the dozen Bucks County law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty since 1914.
Commissioner Ellis-Marseglia, representing her commissioner colleagues Robert G. Loughery and Charles H. Martin, joined Newtown Township Police Chief Rick Pasqualini (president of the Bucks County Police Chiefs Association) at the podium. During her remarks, she expressed the commissioners’ deep appreciation for law enforcement at all levels. She also offered the hope that blue lights will join menorahs and other window symbols as a common sign of holiday remembrance.
After Chief Pasqualini read the honor roll of the Bucks County Project Light honorees, he was joined by Commissioner Ellis-Marseglia to flip the switch illuminating the six-foot wreath, which overlooks the Courthouse Memorial Courtyard.
Project Blue Light, a nationwide recognition that began in 1988 by Dolly Craig of Philadelphia to memorialize her fallen son-in-law, encourages individuals to include a blue light in their holiday decorations to remember law enforcement officials who have given their lives in the performance of their duties. It also honors the men and women who continue to work in law enforcement, putting their lives on the lines daily.
PROJECT BLUE LIGHT MEMORIAL WREATH HONOREES
1914 - Constable Henry H. Kolbe | 1986 - Deputy Sheriff Thomas A. Bateman |
1927 - County Sheriff Abram L. Kulp | 1986 - Deputy Sheriff George M. Warta, Jr. |
1965 - Dublin Borough’s Eli Myers | 1993 - County Park Ranger Stanley Flynn |
1972 - Bristol Township’s George Stuckey | 2002 - Plumstead Twp.’s Joseph Hanusey |
1975 - Bensalem’s James Armstrong | 2005 - Newtown Borough’s Brian Gregg |
1980 - Bensalem’s James Yezzi | 2009 - Middletown Twp.’s Christopher Jones |