Memorial blood drive set

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

A blood drive in memory of a 32-year veteran of the Putnam County Sheriff's Department is set for Friday.

The event will be in honor of Capt. Jim Baugh, who died Jan. 2, 2004.

The drive will be held at the Greencastle Christian Church, and will run from 2 to 6 p.m. It is the second annual drive held in Baugh's memory, and is part of the weeklong, statewide Indiana Fallen Officer Blood Drive initiative.

"Our goal is to have a memorial blood drive in each of our Indiana counties during the week of June 8-14," said Baugh's widow, Lauralee. "The person who started the move to accomplish this is Janice Starnes of Morgan County, whose husband Dan was shot while serving court paperwork and died of his wounds."

The event is being sponsored by the Baugh family and Putnam County Fraternal Order of Police. Putnam County Cattlemen will serve rib eye steak meals to the first 50 donors. Other contributors to the drive are Parke County Rural Electric Membership Corp. and Hendricks Power.

Baugh, 62, died after his patrol car slid off wet pavement on U.S. 231 at the northeast side of Big Walnut Creek Bridge, flipping the vehicle and submerging it upside-down.

Baugh, who was responding to a call about a minor accident elsewhere when the crash that killed him occurred, was pronounced dead at Methodist Hospital, Indianapolis, several hours after the accident.

He was Putnam County's longest-serving deputy and a former two-term mayor. He was set to retire and receive the Sagamore of the Wabash award, the Hoosier state's highest civilian honor, in April 2004.

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  • Even though it has been over 3 years Jim is still missed tremendousely by myself and many others in the community. Stay strong Lauralee and family, and God Bless you.

    -- Posted by Hoosier67 on Tue, Jun 10, 2008, at 6:52 AM
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