They Made Me Who I Am

By Joe Alexander

It was September in 1984; I was not quite eight years old. My dad took my big brother and I to our local high school for a hunter education class. I was so nervous; I sat quietly next to my dad looking around taking in all the sights. There were people there setting up an old reel type movie projector. My attention was soon captured by the lawman that entered the room. I asked my dad who is that? He simply replied that's the game ranger.

He was dressed in green and tan, he wore a six-shooter on his hip and as I looked up at him I could see myself in his mirrored aviator style glasses. He stopped and looked down and said with a domineering voice "you going to pass the test little fella?" I just nodded my head as he laughed and began telling his tales to the class. The master storyteller I am speaking of is none other than Fred Sanford. Fred was stationed at the time in Nowata Co. where I grew up. Fred was the first game ranger I had ever seen. He had a style and demeanor all his own. I imagined then what it must be like to have such a job that boasted so many wondrous adventures? My dad became a hunter education instructor a few years later and Fred became a close family friend.

Fred transferred on and a new guy came to town. There was not a whole lot known about him but all the locals kept saying "you better watch out for that new game warden he'll get ya." Well this new guy from out west they were talking about was Jeff Brown. The first time I remember seeing Jeff was one fall morning about 6:45 a.m. while I was walking out to catch the bus for school. I was the first one to be picked up so I had to be rolled out of bed early. I was walking toward our mailbox when all of the sudden I heard someone say my name. I stopped and looked around thinking to myself it's early and I'm hearing things. I kept walking and I heard it again followed by "over here." There nestled behind my dad's shop was what looked like a truck hidden under a big army mesh tarp.

Inside the truck was Jeff waving at me. It seemed he had a report of road hunting activity and was working the decoy deer that morning. We will come back to Jeff in just a bit.

HUNTER SAFETY was the topic in Ken Bruno's physical I education class at Bartlesville High School when David Strong, Washington County wildlife ranger, and Dennis Maxwell. Nowata County wildlife ranger, came to discuss
hunting regulations and display defective equipment.

Game Rangers (later changed to wardens) routinely teach hunter education. This news clipping circa 1980, shows Dave Strang (now retired from Washington Co.), one of Joe's early
mentors, teaching area youngsters the undamentals of safe hunting. Assisting Dave is now retired Lt. Col. Dennis Maxwell.

Sometimes exciting and sometimes just important, Jeff demonstrated to a young Namara Co. Deputy, Joe Alexander, that a warden's job could be as basic as putting a stop to people ruining the pristine countryside with trash-dumping.

We picked up our gear and headed toward the road but, as we got closer I thought to myself - man this farmer is really mad, he's still yelling at us! I could see he was wearing a cowboy hat but , to my surprise as I crossed the fence, there stood a big Oklahoma Highway Patrolman. he was standing where I thought the cowboy should have been. Immediately I found myself lying face-down on the hood of a hot Chevrolet Caprice Classic watching muddy tears stream down my buddy's face. While the trooper was ranting and yelling about how he had just been ambushed and how his patrol car had been shot, I could hear multiple sirens getting louder as they closed in on us from a distance. I could just imagine the frantic call that had gone out over the police radio because suddenly there were three county deputies and one city police unit arriving on scene.

And just when I thought it was all over, a pickup pulled up. I saw it was the game warden. The man that stepped out was tall and we could tell he commanded authority. That warden's name was Dave Strang. Dave was the type of warden who everyone knew and respected. He took my buddy and I back to his truck checked our licenses and guns for plugs (verifying we were hunting with legal equipment). We told him what had happened and that the OHP unit was more than likely 'peppered' with the birdshot. He gave us a stern look and said, "I think you boys need to go home" he assured us he would take care of the trooper. So away we went as fast as we legally could go. From that point on Dave was my hero. This proved to be another shining example of someone who enjoyed their job.

After high school and one Associates degree later, I decided I was through with school and ended up getting a law-enforcement job through friends who were cops. I spent almost a year on with the Nowata Police department before realizing that driving around the city limits of that small community time after time, was going to make me go crazy. Then, one afternoon I bumped into Jeff Brown and we began to talk shop (police work). The subject of me getting tired of what I was doing came up. Jeff began to explain in detail the things he had seen and done while working as a game warden and how much he enjoyed his job. At that moment it hit me like a ton of bricks - I want to be a game warden! I liked law-enforcement and the outdoors and, if you add those together, you get a game warden. I decided to return to college and complete my Bachelors degree in wildlife biology at OSU.

Not wanting to lose my law-enforcement commission status I sat down with the Namara County Sheriff and explained my plan including my career goals. He generously assisted me in pursuit of my career by giving me a great opportunity. He deputized me as a reserve officer assigned to wildlife enforcement. My direct supervisor would be Jeff Brown. As fate and college goes it took me several years to become a state game warden but in that time I traveled many miles riding shotgun with Jeff. I may have become the best gate-opener you have ever seen. In that period, I spent just over eight years working very closely with Jeff. Of all the great wardens that helped get me where I am today, he has probably influenced my future the most. I plan on sharing some of those stories in the future. Even though Jeff has plenty of wisdom to share he is not without faults. Jeff definitely has one serious problem - he's addictively drawn or attracted to snakes! Oh yes snakes, big ones, little ones, rattlers, copperheads, cottonmouths, you name it. Countless times, while patrolling county roads, we'd suddenly come to a stop and he would jump out and engage in a foot-chase running down some snake - just to pick it up and look at it. I know what you're thinking ...crazy isn't it? Once, we were checking fisherman on the river at night and I am making my way to some guys down on the bank. Jeff was quietly easing ahead of me and I was just trying not to slip and fall. I was using a mini streamlight to judge every step. I was almost to the bank when suddenly I realized I'd almost stepped on a stick that started to move. Immediately going to threat level Red I said "snake!" Jeff had just quickly finished the contact and was coming back. He arrived just in time to pick up the copperhead and simply put it in a sack and threw it in the truck. My paralysis was wore off just enough by the time we got back to the truck that I was able to make sure he threw it in the back of the truck.

It has been said that a person should do what you love and love what you do. I believe it is that passion that makes us each the quality of warden that we are. Thank you all that have influenced me and helped make me who I am.