OHS Alumni give scholarships and recognize Alumni of the Year

Attendees at the 110th Osbourn Alumni Association banquet were able to hear more about a police officer who has been in the national news for the past several months.

He is Jessie Hempen, Class of 2002, who was one of two Alumni of Year cited at the event on June 4 at the Park-West Lions Club building.

Telling the gathering about Hempen was Jerry Martin, active in military and community service in the Manassas area.

“If you ask any police officer why they chose to enter the field of law enforcement, most will say something like ‘I want to help people’ or ‘I want to make a difference in my community’ or ‘I want a job with some excitement.

“Some will tell a story of being a small child who saw officers do something brave or courageous that inspired them to follow in their footsteps while others will relate that family members before them were in law enforcement and they wanted to carry on the tradition.”

Martin continued: “Our alumnus of the year will tell you he didn’t want an office job. He wanted a job where he could be out working in the community, not sitting still, and like his fellow officers, make a difference helping people. Other than a simple desire to be part of a noble and honorable profession, he has no uniquely inspirational or spiritually moving story. And that’s okay.”

“What he won’t tell you,” Martin said, “ is that he’s a hero or special because of the tragic event he was part of in February. During that incident Officer Ashley Guindon was killed in the line of duty and Officer Dave McKeown was seriously injured. This evening’s honoree, who was standing alongside Guindon and McKeown, suffered significant injuries as well.

“What those officers experienced that evening was something every police officer who has ever pinned on a badge hopes to never go through. Those who have, are changed for forever when they do.”

Hempen ran track and cross country as a student-athlete at Osbourn. After high school he attended James Madison University where he graduated in 2006. A year later, he had returned home and in June 2007 he began his law enforcement career with the Prince William County Police Department.

His wife Jessica is a fellow Osbourn classmate and she too, was a runner in high school. They have a one-year-old daughter, Quinn, who brings the most sincere smile and look of pride to his face whenever he mentions her name.

While Hempen is still on light duty as a result of the injuries he suffered, he eagerly anticipates returning to full duty near the end of this month.

Also selected as an Alumni of the year was Danny Barrett, Class of 1955, for his many contributions to the community. Barrett was cited as “a generous man that gives to the community and expects nothing back.

When the community wanted to start a hospital, he and many others knocked on doors to build Prince William Hospital while also making a contribution.

He is a long-term member of the Manassas Baptist Church for 69 years and has been a frequent donator of mulch, topsoil and stone to the church as well as other churches in the area.

Barrett volunteers annually in the Manassas and Manassas Park Christmas parades and gives free fire wood in the winter for those in need. He assists the elderly, pushing snow and cleaning out driveways for those who can’t get out. He does Meal on Wheels, and on weekends visits the sick and shut in. He has worked with the Medical Missionaries more than 10 years. He donates generously to the Alumni scholarship fund and the Prince William County Trim a Tree while caring and sharing to keep the county beautiful.

Four scholarships were awarded and they included:
* Osbourn High School—Allison Paige Boston, $4,000; Fiona Ann Campbell and Quentin James Rice, $1,000 each.
* Osbourn Park High School—Abigail Faith Holbrook, $4,000.
The current president of the association is Julie Sailors Hentz, Class of 1974.