CO Stephen Anderon was killed June 25, 2007, while he was transporting an inmate to the University Medical Center for treatment.
By Steve Gehrke
The Salt Lake Tribune
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — Stephen Anderson was remembered Thursday as a family man who enjoyed the simple things in life and was always beaming with a smile.
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Corrections officials formally dedicated a warden’s administration building on the prison grounds to the memory of the fallen officer on Thursday, naming it the Stephen R. Anderson Memorial Building.
The 20-plus-year corrections officer was killed June 25, 2007, while he was transporting inmate Curtis Allgier to the University Medical Center for treatment.
“It is a great honor to dedicate this building to a fine officer,” said Tom Patterson, executive director of the Department of Corrections. “This will serve as a reminder of the sacrifice our dedicated staff makes every day to keep their families and communities safe.”
Anderson’s badge and handcuffs now sit inside a glass cabinet at the building, which now bears his name, so other employees can reflect both on his life and their own.
Anderson’s son, Shawn Anderson, also is a corrections officer. He spoke publicly about his father for the first time at the Thursday ceremony, praising his father for being a cheerful family man.
Corrections spokeswoman Angie Welling said Stephen Anderson’s name would be displayed in two separate places on the outer walls of the administration building, so the public could see it as they pass by and employees could see his name as they entered the prison’s main gates.
Welling said officials considered giving Anderson’s name to the transportation building, where he worked, but the building is in back of the prison grounds and would be less visible to staff members.
Copyright 2008 Salt Lake Tribune