Thursday, September 10th, 2009 marked attending my fourth National Troopers Coalition Picnic which was hosted this year by the Delaware State Troopers Association.

The day was threatened by an impending rain and wind storm off the Atlantic, but the day started-off with some positive yet cautious promise.

I had settled-in with the other vendors along the tree line and was soon greeted by my friend, Lt Jason Sapp of the Delaware State Police who had advised me and my buddies that there would be a surprise that would give us all goose-bumps a bit later on. "Norm...you're gonna be amazed...trust me" he said.

When I heard the Delaware State Police pipe band marching-up the field a couple of hours later, I figured that "the moment" was at hand and raced-up with camera at the ready as the crowd began to gather. An introduction pointed towards a distinguished elderly gentleman with a vibrant shock of white hair, dressed smartly with jacket and tie and with a most pleasant demeanor.

Situated next to him was a framed copy of the 1958 Norman Rockwell painting
"The Runaway" (seen here)

As most of us can certainly attest, this is a print that can be seen in almost every police station and "cop bar" in North America, and is a universal icon as to the image of "the policeman is your friend". As a proud and serving Auxiliary Staff Sergeant with the Ontario Provincial Police, I can attest that in my many travels throughout Canada and the United States, this image is typically displayed in an area of prominence for every detachment, barracks, precinct house, outpost and academy I have visited. It has been given to perhaps tens of thousands of law enforcement officers on this continent as Christmas, Birthday and Retirement presents for decades.

Well, it didn't take the formal introduction to make me realize that this noble man standing before our crowd, was none other than the officer "himself" from this famous painting, retired Massachusetts State Police Sgt. Richard J. "Dick" Clemens!!!

I had always thought this painting depicted fictional characters, but not so! The crowd of us stood stoic with mouths open to hear of his story and "let it all sink in" that we were looking at and listening to a man who has been immortalized for so many now and for the rest of human history.

He said that he and Norman Rockwell lived 3 houses apart on their street in Stockbridge Massachusetts. The two men got to know each other better due to Mr. Rockwell's wandering basset hound that would sometimes find his way into Clemens' yard, and the return of the dog would have to take place each time resulting in more chit chat.

In April of 1958, Mr. Rockwell approached Clemens on an idea he had for a painting that required a police officer and asked if he was willing to pose for him. The MSP gave the OK, and a secluded photo session was conducted at a Howard Johnson restaurant in Pittsfield. The boy featured in the painting, is Eddie Locke who was also depicted in Rockwell's painting of a doctor giving the lad an injection to the buttock. The original counterman for the painting was a man by the name of Clarence Barrett who was dropped in favor of the featured counterman, Don Johnson. From what Clemens stated, Rockwell felt that the original counterman had too youthful a face and did not offer enough age contrast to the boy.

In addition, the original setting had the "trademark" Howard Johnson's 28 flavors of ice cream etched into the mirror on the back wall behind the counter. This was to get a more rustic feel for the diner, however the stools, floor and coffee cups on the counter are all from the HoJo's session. The original unfinished version and the Saturday Evening Post cover of "The Runaway" hang side-by-side in the Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge.

The rest is history.

A presentation was made to Dick Clemens by Colonel Robert Coupe of the Delaware State Police, and Sarge was treated like a royal celebrity for the rest of the day, which by the way, remained rain and storm-free until just after the picnic wrapped-up in the early evening!

I told my buddies in jest : "God wanted this to happen", but considering how the odds were looking so bad before the picnic, now it doesn't seem so funny.

Sgt Richard "Dick" Clemens and
Colonel Robert Coupe (Delaware State Police)

The following day, my buddy and I drove down to the DSP museum in Dover in the pouring rain and wind to have a look around.

Just a half hour into my visit, my friend, Lt. Jason Sapp, the man who promised me the day earlier of "goose-bumps", provided them again when he came by with Sergeant Clemens who was there for an appearance and print-signing. I was blessed to meet personally with Sarge and have my photograph taken with him as well.

When I asked him if he was tired from all the attention and action at the picnic the day before, he told me how he felt so over-fed. For a man in his eighties, he seems to still be in good shape and holds a conversation well. Nice cologne too! We should all hope to look and sound so good when we cross into our eighties.

In closing, it is not often where we get to meet someone who is "iconic", although I am sure that Dick Clemens would bristle at the sound of that heavy word.

I am sure that when that painting was done, the last thing Dick Clemens thought of was "immortality", but being the subject matter of one of the titans of modern American Art makes you immortal whether you want to believe it or not.

It's like the Iowa farmer saying: "I was just a farmer with a pitch fork in front of my house with the ol' gal when this artist Grant Wood had an idea for a painting called "American Gothic" and now people want to take pictures with me and sign their farm implements...what's all the fuss about?"

In an open message to Sergeant Dick Clemens, I think I speak for thousands-upon-thousands in law enforcement all across this continent of ours when I say that Rockwell could not have picked a better specimen who will live-on forever as the ideal of what a police officer should be seen as by both young and old: A guardian. A servant to the people. A friend.

Aux Staff Sergeant Norm Ratcliffe
Ontario Provincial Police
Aurora Detachment

Update

Dear friends,
Those of you who have been apprised of my opportunity to meet and write about my
encounter with Retired sergeant Dick Clemens depicted for eternity as the friendly Massachusetts
trooper in the 1958 Norman Rockwell painting The Runaway will be interested to know of the sequel
to this recent event.

To summarize, I had sent an email describing the encounter to some close friends of mine along with some photos. One of the friends sent along to some of his friends and so on. One of those people down the line was the man responsible for the publishing of the Massachusetts State Police magazine and the newsletter for the MSP retirees. That person then asked me for the go-ahead to use my email and photos for an upcoming edition of the publications to which I readily approved.

I composed a more detailed story to read better than the original email which eventually made its way to the man himself, Dick Clemens. Sgt Clemens was so pleased with the story, that he offered to sign a print of The Runaway for me.

Long story short: look what arrived for me last week:

Needless to say, this will be a family heirloom to pass from generation to generation in my family. What a consummate gentleman and friend he has turned out to be for me. My thanks to those of you on this list who helped make it all happen.
In addition, I was able to scrounge-up a couple of the original pictures from the photo shoot that lead to the painting. These are 1958 Bill Scovill photos showing the original "too youthful- looking" counterman Clarence Barrett and the "too urban-looking" HoJo mirrored backdrop (showing photo lamp aimed upward). You can even see the cardboard piece over the mirrored sign to the left to prevent reflection of the subjects and the photographer. History-in-the-making.