Memorial   In Memory of  Mary Mabyn Voswinkel Bard October 18, 1931 - October 20, 2000   Chief of Police, Retired,  Rice University Police Department

The service for Mary will be 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, October 25, 2000.  The service will be at the Earthman Funeral Home, 6330 Gulf Freeway, and will be non denominational.  Procession and interment will follow.

The family has requested that donations be made to the American Cancer Society in lieu of flowers.

It is with deepest sorrow that I inform you that Mary Voswinkel, the Chief of Police at Rice University for nearly two decades, passed away this evening [Friday, October 20, 2000] at 8:05 p.m. after a three-month battle with brain cancer.

As we grieve over loosing Mary, we also reflect upon her Legacy.  Mary was deeply committed to the highest standards in University Law Enforcement and devoted to Rice University.  She envisioned and implemented innovative programs to serve the Rice University Community that are models of professionalism, sensitivity, quality and service.  Those of you who knew Mary Voswinkel are aware how much Mary gave of herself to our profession and our organizations.  She was loved and respected by her peers, her staff, the students, faculty, employees and administrators of Rice University.

Mary officially retired as Chief of Police in October of 1999, but willingly stayed at Rice for a few extra months to ensure that the transition for me as the new Chief was smooth and effortless.  It was her style to stay in the background and applaud the achievements of others.  All the while it was really her that gave the encouragement, empowerment, resources and coaching to make things happen.

Mary Voswinkel was our mentor, our role model and our friend!

We will miss her very much.

Bill Taylor
Chief of Police
Director of Public Safety
Rice University Police Department
Houston, Texas   77005-1892

It is with great sorrow that I advise you that our former Chief Mary Voswinkel died this evening at 8:05 pm.  Shortly after her retirement, Mary was diagnosed with brain tumors.  She underwent surgery 2 months ago and was under going radiation therapy.

My wife Sandra and I visited with her shortly before she was able to go home and she continually expressed to us that she never had a negative thought about what she was going through.  But for those of us that know her, that's Mary.

Mary was a strong supporter of crime prevention in policing.  As a result, she mandated that all officers who were employed with the Rice University Police Dept. must be crime prevention trained.  She originated the "College Officer Program" whereby officers would revert back to the "officer on the beat" concept of co-existing with the public.  In this application, it was with the students of Rice University.  This one program has done more to enhance the public relations of our department with the Rice Community than any other effort.

Mary was convinced that the Rape Aggression Defense program was one that her department needed to be involved.  As such, she took the extreme initiative and adopted the program for the "women of Rice".  Rice Police Department was the first agency (and university) in the state of Texas to begin training RAD.  Since that time, other colleges and universities, as well as city and county agencies throughout the state, have followed her lead.  Her vision of protection and safety education for women against violence has truly benefited the "women of Texas".

Mary developed a master plan that Rice University Police Department would evolve into a premier law enforcement-training center for the advancement of the professionalism of policing in today's society.  By her initiatives, RUPD has conducted as many, if not more law enforcement in-service training courses over the past six years than many academies in the state.  She directed that state mandated training would continually be made available for officers as well as the latitude to conduct specialized training classes to address specific needs of officers at all levels of local, county, state and federal policing.

These are just snippets of the many accomplishments Mary Voswinkel achieved in her 40 years of service as a security and police professional.  I had the great pleasure of knowing Mary for almost 20 years and in all of that time, I witnessed nothing but admiration from her peers, subordinates and superiors.  Mary may be gone in body but her legacy will always continue.

When one officer is able to help a student, faculty or staff member of Rice University prevent the loss of property; when one female is able to avoid a confrontation or able to survive an incident of violence; when one officer's life is saved as a result of professional training...Mary Voswinkel will live.
 

Sgt. Jim Baylor, ccps
Coordinator, Crime Prevention & Training, RUPD
Coordinator, RAD Training, RUPD and RAD Texas State Director
President, Texas Gulf Coast Crime Prevention Association
Friend of Mary Voswinkel