LIMA, Ohio – The Lima Noon Optimists hosted a Respect for Law program on Wednesday, featuring a man who taught children in Lima to respect safety in the 1980s and 1990s.
In 1985, Robert Butler, also known as Officer Bob, worked with children at Safety City to teach them the value of safety when dealing with traffic, guns, fire, and strangers. He also gained their respect during his lessons. Officer Bob has been retired for 25 years and is always recognized when he is out and about, and he continues to look out for the kids he taught at Safety City.
“Two ladies saw me, and they came right over and give me a big old hug,” says Butler. “They were in my Safety City class; she has five children. I asked, “Do you have any problems with these kids?” [She said,] “My 11-year-old is getting rowdy.” Okay, sweetheart, I’ll take care of that right now, as I’ve been called away from my Cracker Barrel dinner. ‘Officer Bob, could you speak to my son?’ I’ve been retired since 2000, and I still have an unbelievable number of people who know and love me, and I love them.”
The Optimist Club supports Safety City, and Butler believes they have played an important role in the organization’s success over the past 50 years.
“Willis Meier and I also had a bicycle rodeo- it was not for speed, it was coordination, ability to ride,” Butler told me. “The Optimist Club would fully back me on all that they were always out there to help me.”
This summer, Safety City named their training center after Officer Bob, who has spent over 40 years helping children in the Lima area.
