TRIBUTE TO FALLEN TROOPER
Normally, they would have spent their Thanksgiving playing football on Ward Street in Watertown. But this year, fallen state Trooper David J. Lane's friends volunteered at the annual Salvation Army Thanksgiving dinner in Mr. Lane's honor.
"He was a great guy, who would always lend an ear or a laugh to our friends. We are a very tight-knit group that gets together a lot for weddings and trips, and we thought this would be a good way to pay tribute to our friend, and to give back to our community," said Graeme Spicer, who grew up in Watertown and now lives in New York City.
Mr. Lane, 30, originally of Dexter, was a state trooper who was killed on duty in a car accident Nov. 4 in Catskill. Mr. Lane was a son of Stephen R. and Cheryl D. Lane, Dexter, and a 1997 graduate of General Brown High School.
The group decided they wanted to volunteer in their friend's honor because he served so much, and to give back to the community where they grew up. Mr. Lane served the state as a trooper and the country while he was in the Army, Mr. Spicer said.
Mr. Spicer sent an e-mail to his friends with an idea about volunteering at the dinner a few days after Mr. Lane's funeral. And while it was Mr. Spicer's idea, he emphasized that he didn't have to pull anyone's arm to help out.
"This is something that's in all of us. Everyone has family obligations today. But we only have to sacrifice a couple hours," Mr. Spicer said.
The group of friends is made up of about 20 or 25 people who knew Mr. Lane through high school sports or as a fellow student at Jefferson Community College. About 10 of those friends decided to spend two hours of their Thanksgiving serving food at the Salvation Army.
The group joined other volunteers to form an assembly line in the kitchen. Some scooped vegetables, others scooped stuffing and gravy onto plates. They all wore hair nets and red Salvation Army aprons, and joked around with the other volunteers.
Matthew F. Juravich, a 1997 graduate of Watertown High School, knew Mr. Lane through high school sports, as their teams, Watertown and General Brown, faced off often.
"We were all close friends with Dave Lane. Because of the legacy he left in serving his country, we wanted to do some community service in his honor. He was definitely a leader among my group of close friends," Mr. Juravich said.
The friends were planning to visit Mr. Lane's family in Dexter over the weekend, Mr. Spicer said.
About half of the group members have moved away since high school, and the other half still live in the north country. Most of the friends come back to celebrate Thanksgiving with their families every year, and to play in a traditional football tournament they've been having for years.
The tournament will still happen this year, but on Saturday instead of Thanksgiving Day. And this year, the group started a new tradition that they plan to continue in the future.
"We're doing it to give back to those in the community who are less fortunate," Mr. Spicer said. This is the community that has made us who we are, and I think this is just the start for most of us.
