State Police History Focus of Slide Show
The Lisbon Historical Society met Wednesday, May 13
with Society Vice President Dr. Karen Marks Lemke as the speaker.
Dr. Lemke presented a slide show on the
history of the Maine State Police, inspired by the career of her father,
the late Major John E. Marks (aka Eddie Marks), who served 50 years on
the State Police force. Major Marks was named Dean of the Nation's State
Police in 1976 by President Gerald R. Ford.
Karen Lemke has worked to preserve the
institutional history of the Maine State Police through taping sessions
with retired troopers, locating archival documents and writing
commemorative articles for the Bangor Daily News, the Sun Journal and
the American Journal.
She has researched major criminal cases
handled by the Maine State Police from its founding in 1925,
reconstructing them in two popular books, "Down East Detective" (1987)
and "The Return of the Down East Detective" (1998).
A number of the cases featured her father from his early patrol days on
his Harley Davidson with "Minnie," his 375-pound black bear sidecar
companion.
Karen Lemke was made an honorary captain of the Maine State Police by
Gov. Angus King in 2002, the first woman to receive the commendation.
She is a professor at Saint Joseph's College in Standish and resides in
Lisbon Falls with her husband, Bill Lemke.
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Artifacts on Display at Slide Show Left to Right - Back 1. President Gerald Ford's Documents to J. Eddie Marks 2. Major J. Eddie Marks in his fur major's jacket and Stetson Hat. 3. Major Marks on his Indian motorcycle. In front other documents and the first photo of the Maine State Highway Police, later call the Maine State Police. Photo taken 5-13-2009 by D. J. Smith |