An open house to honor Davis will be held following the graduation ceremony at Amanda Elementary School, 1300 Oxford State Road, at 3:30 p.m.
Davis said his emotions are mixed as he watches his last set of students stroll into the classroom, their eager faces waiting for him to teach about pedestrian, car and bus safety. He and his successor, Officer Phil Salm, have taught three classes this week to handle the rush of people wanting to get their kids in the program during his last round of Safety Town.
“I don’t know how to think about it,” Davis said. “I’ve enjoyed it as much as the kids do, because when you are with the little ones, they are cool.
“I thank the guys back in 1984 when they chose me,” he added.
As a part of the celebration of his long career of keeping children safe in Middletown, an auction will be held Friday by Roger Brandenburg, who will sell 14 of the original Safety Town pedal cars used from 1977 to 1992. More than 5,000 kids have raced around the tiny town learning the meaning of stop signs, the rules of the road and how to avoid accidents, Davis said.
Proceeds from the sale will go toward the Safety Town program. The cars have been in storage since they were retired, said Kristy Duritsch, executive director of the Safety Council of Southwest Ohio.
“Mike likes to hold onto things,” she said with a laugh. “But a lot of people love Mike, and if this can raise some money to put into the program for future years, we thought timing was good.”
Safety Town was started by Harvey Poff in 1977 in response to several accidents involving children going to and from school. Davis, who joined the Middletown police force in 1966, took over the program in 1984. His success, he said, has been directly affected by his love of the job and desire to keep children safe. It’s work that has paid him back in more ways than one.
“Maintaining a positive impression and influence with the little ones, that pays so many dividends you don’t even know,” Davis said.
For more information or to bid on the sale, call Duritsch at (513) 423-9758. Absentee bids will also be taken at info@safetycouncil ohio.org. Auction information is available at auctionzip.com.
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