ELEGY FOR AN OUTLAW (For Ty Heath)

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Photo from Nautilus '75, the Santa Monica High School yearbook.

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TY GRANT HEATH

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30 Nov 1959 -- 10 Sep 1976 

Los Angeles County, California, USA

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Buried at North Fork Cemetery

North Fork, Madera County, California, USA

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ELEGY FOR AN OUTLAW 

(For Ty Heath) 

Written by Stephen T. McCarthy on 8-6-1982

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"YOUTH SLAIN AT BAY COUNTRY CLUB 

IDENTIFIED AS S.M. TEEN"

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He was very shy

And had a round face

With the laugh of a chipmunk.

He was always nervous...... about everything.

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"Authorities have identified an

armed youth slain by police early

Friday at the Brentwood Country Club

as Ty Heath of Santa Monica."

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In Mister Freed's Spanish class

We would mold notebook paper

Into light yet deadly round weapons and 

Hurl them across the room at...... each other.

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"He was shot and killed on the 18th

green of the golf course during a

confrontation with four West Los Angeles

officers responding to a burglary report."

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Once he came into class and hit me

With a paper ball that really stung.

Tearing it apart, I found a hidden rock.

I laughed...... and surrendered.

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"Santa Monica Police said they

received a call from a person identifying

himself as 'Mr. Heath' and that the caller

told them a burglar wearing a cowboy hat

and green coat was at the club."

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I did not contact him during the Summer 

When he saw 'The Outlaw Josey Wales' 

so often 

And became very despondent because

He thought he had...... no friends.

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"Police found Ty Heath, wearing a cowboy hat standing on the green and holding a pistol in each hand. They said they pleaded with him for about 20 minutes to drop the guns but Heath refused. He was shot when he raised the weapons, police said."

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When I answered the phone

And was told that he had been shot and killed

I smiled, because it hurt too much to cry.

Ty Heath, I was...... your friend.

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Click on images to enlarge them.

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In keeping with the God-created concept of "Two Witnesses", Ty Heath contacted me a second (but final) time. In the second visitation, he displayed the fact that humor - also created by God - does exist on "the other side" in the afterlife:

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1976 was the first time that I experienced a Spiritual interaction with someone on "the other side". I've had several such experiences since then. 

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Ty Heath and I met while we were fellow members in a Police Explorer post, and we both attended the 19-week Academy together in 1974. The Academy was extremely stressful, but we both graduated with high grades. In fact, it was Ty who introduced me to a drafting device called a Pickett Freehand Letterliner which greatly improved my notebook grades at the Academy! 52 years later, I still have and occasionally use my handy Pickett template. (Thanks again, Ty!) 

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It was while at the Police Explorer Academy that I learned how and when to apply a tourniquet to a serious wound, and it was that knowledge which allowed me to save my Brother's life a few years later, when he crashed through a window while playing Birdieball, slicing open the artery in his left bicep.

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Somewhere I have a good photograph of Ty and me at the Police Explorer Academy graduation ceremony, and when I find it, I will return here to post it.

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*Very Special Thanks To... 

Karen Burns who created the page for Ty Heath at the Find A Grave website HERE. 

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Julio Seis-Abeja (aka Bryan Pedas) who utilized his best buddy, Botboy, in finding for me the location of Ty Heath's gravesite. My Ma and I attended Ty's funeral, but I lost touch with his Mom shortly afterwards, and until very recently, I did not know where he was laid to rest. 

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May you all Bless & Be Blessed!! 

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~ Stephen T. McCarthy 

(aka D-FensDogG)