Mike worked for a long time and very hard as some of his friends well know, to change his life and his diet and take off a lot of weight. No one was more proud of him than, me, his girl and all his friends and work colleagues. It wasn't easy to do and it wasn't easy to keep the weight off, But these were lifetime changes, just the kind of changes that Mike was willing to do and dedicated to do.
Mike is here at left with his beloved MAX...
BELOW: Mike with Chief Melekian, who conveyed to us his thoughts about Mike...."my sense of Michael as a vibrant and caring human being."
The serious Mike...
It was volunteering,
It was more than volunteering.
It was not play
It was not trying to be a Cop.
It was Mike, dedicating 100's of hours to learn about the department. To learn about the law, about citizens rights, to learn about giving in the spirit of giving.... to serve.
It was about learning from the department and officers,
It was about being the best volunteer and then leader of the COPS (Citizens On Patrol) he could be.... about
helping.
And Mike knew that the responsibility of giving and volunteering was setting an example. One of professionalism, not macho egotism...
And this moment, receiving an award for work he loved doing, for giving time, that he loved giving, is reflected in his face in this photo taken with the Chief of Police.
Mike admired and very much respected our Chief, - his manner, his ideals, his unwavering dedication to his goals for the department , the children, and the people and City of Pasadena.
