CITY OF FLORISSANT SEWER BACKUP SUPPORT AND RESOURCE FAIR NOV....
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Large Turnout For Robert Lowery Sr. at Police Facility Re-named For Former Chief
Story and photos by Bob Lindsey
Back in 1982, three years after Robert Lowery, Sr. was named police chief of Florissant, many of the lawns throughout the city, had yard signs stating, “Fight Crime for A Dime.”
That year, citizens of Florissant, by more than the required two-thirds majority, passed the ten-cent levy to build a new city police station on N. Lindbergh near New Florissant Road, a dream of Colonel Lowery.
Thirty-two years later, on Saturday, May 17, that dream has come full circle with the ultimate honor—the dedication of that police station as the Robert G. Lowery, Sr. Law Enforcement Center at a program attended by more than 200.
Master of Ceremonies Kim Tucci of Pasta House fame, kept the program flowing with time allotments for the many public and political leaders who attended the ceremony,
They included Florissant, St. Louis County and Missouri legislative leaders. Each had a Bob Lowery story, mostly about his dedication to Florissant, North County and the entire region. They cited many of his accomplishments in law enforcement, civic and public service and his years as mayor of Florissant. Proclamations were read from St. Louis County, the County Council, the Florissant City Council, current Florissant Mayor Tom Schneider, and the Missouri Legislature.
Perhaps the most poignant comment came from one of Lowery’s many grandchildren, when grandson Brendan Burns read a short tribute he wrote to his grandfather that concluded with “my super hero is my grandpa.”
Both Tucci and current Police Chief Timothy Lowery talked about the influence Carol Lowery (the police chief and mayor’s wife and Colonel Tim Lowery’s mother) had with their children as they were growing up in the city. “Carol was the glue that kept the family together,” said Tucci, a life-long friend of Bob and Carol Lowery.
St. Louis Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch respected the way Chief Lowery did his job and his relationship with his officers. “You know what you had with Chief Lowery when his worked with the officers on the street.” The goals were always to get the criminals off the streets, make a proper arrest and present a valid case for prosecution, McCulloch asserted.
Current Mayor Tom Schneider, honoring his predecessor for his 50 years of service to Florissant, pointed to a tree planted near the police station entrance commemorating the day. Schneider said Lowery was “like a big brother and a mentor to me.”
After the banner with the new name (Robert G. Lowery Sr. Law Enforcement Center) was revealed in front of the police station, the former police chief and mayor thanked the many Florissant Police officers, local police leaders, civic leaders, fellow Rotarians, community members, his children, their spouses, grandchildren, and members of Carol’s family for attending.
Lowery, who has said on many occasions how much he loved the city and its people, reminded everyone of Florissant’s reputation as one of the safest cities of its size in the nation, and his mandate for a police officer to be on the scene within three minutes. In his closing remarks, Lowery repeated, “I don’t like retirement.”
