Group Seeks to Have Highway Named in Memory of Slain DPS Trooper

A portion of US Highway 67 between McCamey and Rankin will be renamed in memory of slain Department of Public Safety Trooper Sammy Long, said a press release.

Long, a 17-year veteran of DPS, was shot and killed in the line of duty Nov. 21, 1976, about five miles east of Rankin on US 67. After witnessing the attack from a nearby roadside park, a deer hunter from San Angelo, who asked to remain anonymous, shot and killed the assailant. The story of the deer hunter’s futile attempt to save Long’s life has become something of a legend in West Texas.

Forty years after the incident, a group of McCamey High School graduates petitioned the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to erect two signs and name this section of US 67 in Long’s memory. The core committee includes McCamey High School graduates Michael Holguin of Houston, Bruce Fletcher of San Angelo and former DPS sergeant Skipper Hunt of Odessa, who was a rookie patrolman and Long’s partner in 1976.

Fundraising efforts are in place for the creation of the official signage designating the memorial highway. A bank account is also set up at the Wells Fargo Bank branch, 3806 Loop 306, in San Angelo and deposits can be made there. Checks can also be sent to: The Sammy Long Memorial Sign, c/o Bruce Fletcher, 102 Churchill Blvd., San Angelo, TX 76904.

The committee is also sponsoring the Trooper Sammy Long Memorial Golf Tournament on June 20 at Bentwood Country Club in San Angelo. The four-person scramble has a per-player donation of $125, which includes lunch, greens fee and cart rental as well as mulligans and entry into various contests. Individuals and businesses may sponsor individual holes for $100.

Any extra money raised will be donated to the Upton County Fallen Officers Memorial Scholarship Fund in McCamey.

For more information about the tournament, contact Bentwood Pro Shop at 325-944-8575. To sign up for the tournament or sponsor a hole, contact Fletcher at 325-450-7366.