Lasting Tribute: Scholarship honors fallen police officer Keith A. Ferguson

Last year, more than 600 people who participated in the Sgt. Keith A. Ferguson run helped Jazmin Rangel confirm her life’s passion, protecting and serving her community.

Now the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College criminal justice student is hoping more than 900 people will contribute to another student’s opportunity to pursue a degree through the Sgt. Keith A. Ferguson Run/ Walk in New York that takes place today.

On Jan. 31, 2004, Ferguson, son of Sonia Ferguson, a UTB-TSC nursing professor, suffered a heart attack while he was chasing a suspect, while responding to a fellow officer’s call for back up. Chasing a suspected illegal street vendor on foot, Ferguson collapsed and died. He was 38.

Within days of her son’s funeral, an event that drew 10,000 mourners to a church in Manhattan, Cunningham had launched the scholarship fund in honor of her beloved oldest child.

"I was able to pay for my classes; I bought my textbooks," Rangel said. "It is really great that Sonia Cunningham is helping students to go to college and earn their criminal justice degree. It’s inspiring to me to know that Keith was a police officer and he died while helping (the community) to become a safer place."

This summer Rangel was awarded the Sgt. Keith A. Ferguson Scholarship, funded through two 5K run/ walks each year held on the UTB-TSC campus and New York City.

The money provided the senior criminal justice major the opportunity to take an internship course with the Brownsville Police Department.

"I really enjoyed being an intern, because you just don’t realize how much the police department does," she said. "I was able to do ride-alongs and speak to a lot of police officers, judges and detectives and I received a lot of advice that I will be able to take with me. It fed more to my calling of going into the criminal justice field."

This year’s race will be held at 8:30 a.m. today, starting at City Hall Park in New York City.

The Ferguson Run is the only racecourse that goes up and back across the Brooklyn Bridge and that starts and culminates in City Hall Park.

"Time goes on and people move on. It’s the nature of all us, in our work and in our lives, "said Det. Joe Penny of the NPYD. "But every year, knowing this run is coming up, it reminds us of all the good memories that we have of our friend, Keith."

In the first run in New York City, 125 runners and walkers participated. The funds raised helped to increase the endowment, which stood at more than $30,000 — all from individual contributions sent by friends and co-workers.

This year, a group of Weight Watchers participants are planning to run as part of a new aspect of the weight-loss program that incorporates exercise into their routine.

Now in its fifth year, the run has contributed to the endowment valued in excess of $60,000 and more than a dozen students have received scholarships.

Two years ago, Cunningham gave herself a new goal of raising $500,000 for the Sgt. Keith A Ferguson Endowed Chair for Criminal Justice, which would be the first endowed chair for the department.

"I don’t want Keith to be forgotten," Cunningham said. "Someone in the future may say, ‘I got a scholarship to go to college’ and they may mention Keith’s name. I’ll be happy with that."