WHEREAS, Will Bachofner became Chief of the Washington State Patrol when Governor Rossellini appointed him on January 15, 1964; and
     WHEREAS, Bachofner was reappointed by new Governor Dan Evans on January 11, 1965; and
     WHEREAS, Chief Bachofner retired in 1971 and then served as Executive Secretary of the Washington State Horse Racing Commission; and
     WHEREAS, Governor Evans asked Bachofner to come out of retirement to again serve as Chief, and appointed him again on January 11, 1973; and
     WHEREAS, Bachofner served as Chief of the Washington State Patrol until his retirement on April 30, 1977, making him the longest-serving Chief in the history of the Washington State Patrol; and
     WHEREAS, His career with the Washington State Patrol began on March 14, 1942, as a bridge guard during World War II; and
     WHEREAS, Bachofner became a commissioned trooper on November 20, 1943, and was assigned to North Bend; and
     WHEREAS, On January 1, 1947, he was promoted to sergeant in Wenatchee, later serving as a sergeant in Yakima and Olympia; and
     WHEREAS, On August 19, 1957, he was promoted to Lieutenant in Yakima, then served in Olympia and Seattle before being promoted to captain and district commander in Yakima on December 4, 1961; and
     WHEREAS, Under his leadership as Chief, Bachofner reformed the state patrol to open hiring to women and minorities; and
     WHEREAS, Chief Bachofner expanded the Washington State Patrol Training Academy in Shelton to make it a comprehensive center and benchmark for law enforcement training; and
     WHEREAS, Under his leadership in the 1965 legislative session, he worked with lawmakers to create the special highway safety account, which gave the Washington State Patrol more flexibility by removing the special highway safety account from the general fund; and
     WHEREAS, Bachofner and his wife, Ramona, a former newspaper reporter for the Yakima Herald-Republic and The Olympian, have been married 60 years;
     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives recognize and honor the distinguished career and contributions of Chief Will Bachofner; and
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be immediately transmitted by the Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives to Chief Will Bachofner.