This Thursday at 11 a.m., Sheriff Jim Hammond and members of the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office will unveil a new grave marker and lay a wreath for Deputy Charles Garfield, a deputy who was killed in the line of duty on June 2, 1961. HCSO Deputy Charles Garfield was killed after being struck by a drunk driver while riding his motorcycle during a routine patrol in Hixson. Deputy Garfield died later that afternoon at the hospital.
Background Information on new headstone:
In 2016, fifty-seven years later, Dr. Hal McAlister of Decatur, Ga., was visiting the graves of his family at the local White Oak Cemetery when he noticed a grave marker with a law enforcement badge for Deputy Garfield. The grave marker stood out to Dr. McAlister not only because of the badge, but because the deputy had passed away at a young age, having only been twenty-four years old.
In September of 2017, Dr. McAlister once again returned to pay his respects to his family’s graves and during this particular visit, he noticed that Deputy Garfield’s grave marker had been damaged and that the badge that had stood out to him so much was now missing. Concerned as to how it was damaged and what could be done, he researched Deputy Garfield on the Officer Down Memorial Page and found that he was a member of the HCSO.
Dr. McAlister then utilized Facebook to solicit anyone with any information regarding this young officer or his family to please contact him. Surprisingly, the post was seen by a woman who went to school with Dr. McAlister’s wife, who happened to be friends with Sheriff Jim Hammond’s wife, Jeannie. Sheriff Hammond immediately assigned his Neighborhood Relations Coordinator Shannon Wilson with the task of following up on the issue and what could be done to rectify the damaged grave marker.
Ms. Wilson contacted the cemetery staff and Mr. Gene Pike, owner of Chattanooga Funeral Home, along with the White Oak Cemetery, was made aware of the situation. Upon learning of the situation, Mr. Pike volunteered to replace and purchase a new grave marker for Deputy Garfield.
On May 17, 2018, as Deputy Garfield has no living relatives in Hamilton County and his sister, Reba Wagner, who lives in New Mexico was unable to attend the 2018 Law Enforcement Memorial, Sheriff Jim Hammond invited Dr. McAlister to join Deputy Chief Mark King to present a rose for Deputy Garfield during the ceremony.
Since that time, the new donated grave marker has arrived and will be placed on Deputy Garfield’s grave on Thursday. Sheriff Hammond and members of the HCSO will be joined by Dr. McAlister, Mr. Gene Pike, and cemetery personnel as they lay a wreath for Deputy Garfield and place his new grave marker. The public is invited to attend this short, remembrance ceremony.