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By Marcia E. Phillips, Park guide, National Mall and Memorial Parks, and
Edward Donnen, Washington Ringing Society
On May 18, the official bells of the U.S. Congress were rung in honor of NPS law
enforcement personnel who died n the line of duty during the year since the last
National Peace Officers Memorial Day in May 2005. The Bells of Congress are
located in the tower of the Old Post Office on Pennsylvania Avenue. The tower is
managed by the NPS as a part of the National Mall and memorial Parks.
Park Ranger Jeffrey A. Christensen fell from a rugged mountain trail in Rocky
Mountain NP, while conducting a back-country patrol in the remote Mummy Range.
He died on July 29, 2005. He served as a seasonal ranger for four years. Special
Agent Daniel P. Madrid experienced a fatal heart attack while investigating the
death of a hiker in Yosemite NP. He was on temporary assignment to the Pacific
West Region. He died on Sept. 24, 2005.
The bells were rung in sequence 1,260 times to honor their memory and their
sacrifice. This length of ringing is known as a quarter peal. The tradition of
change ringing (ringing a set of tuned bells in a continually varying order)
goes back several hundred years and is a time-honored method to show respect for
the recently deceased. The complex, sustained sequences of ringing require
concentration and practice to master, and serve as a fitting way to pay tribute
to those who have given their lives in service to the public. |
