Game Warden
of the Year Nominees

Eight Oklahoma Wardens were nominated to represent Law Enforcement for 2004. Of these, District One Warden Brek Henry was chosen as Game Warden of the Year. The remaining seven Wardens were briefly interviewed for this article. Congratulate these guys when you see them, for their hard work and dedication.

District Two - Marvin Stanley has been an employee of the Department since he was 16. Now that's not full time of course. He spent four summers doing about everything with I&E, Wildlife and Fisheries Divisions. He began his Law Enforcement career in Stevens County in 1986 and has been assigned to LeFlore County. He presently has a dual assignment in Wagoner and Muskogee Counties. He and his wife are proud parents of two daughters and he enjoys being involved with their activities. His plays golf as does his oldest daughter. Meeting people one-on-one is the part of the job he enjoys most.

District Three - Dru Polk and his wife, Tich, are the latest recruits to parenthood with a new baby daughter in October. He came to the Fisheries Division in 1998 and to Law Enforcement in 2001. His assignment is McCurtain County, which is a good place for someone like him to chase night hunters. He admits that it is the best part of the job. In his spare time he enjoys looking for arrowheads along with drawing wildlife art in pencil.

District Four - Dwight Luther is a twenty-year veteran, starting his career in Oklahoma County. He currently is assigned to Creek and Okfuskee counties. Dwight enjoys working fishermen from the boat and does lots of programs. He is married to Kelley and his daughter Audra is his turkey-hunting partner. He referred to a memorable case about a toilet paper caper. You will have to talk to him about that.

District Five - Wade Farrar is a newcomer to the Department, starting in 2003 with an assignment of Oklahoma county. He does a good job of writing temporary licenses but also enjoys doing programs, which gives him an opportunity to expose the public to who the Department is. Wade enjoys bow hunting and looks for even short time frames of hunting time. He was recognized as the "Top Gun" in his CLEET class. Wade is married to Kelley.

District Six - James Edwards, Jr. is familiar name to the Department as his father is also a Game Warden. James, Jr. is assigned to Caddo County and began his career in 2001. He enjoys doing programs and sees the important of bringing the message of wildlife enforcement to the public. James enjoys fishing and hunting, especially waterfowl. He recently assisted with a major elk case involving hunting on the Wichita Wildlife Refuge, which involved State and Federal charges.

District Seven - Jeff Hedrick has been a Warden for fifteen years. He began in Greer County and has been in Washita County for the last thirteen. The part of his job that he enjoys the most is serving the public. Jeff has two teenage daughters that he devotes some of his spare time to. He also enjoys woodworking. As a local to Burns Flat he has assisted the OHP with their driving school and has taken those skills to his spare time as well and helps teach precision driving at OSU Oklahoma City.

District Eight - Paul Cornett. Paul began his career with the Department in 1989 in Oklahoma County. After a brief stint in Lincoln County, he came to Woodward County in 2001. In some ways, he was right at home as he had been to the northwest part of the state numerous times with his father in his younger years. He is settled in near Sharon with Laura, his wife of two years, and two children and two step children. Paul is passionate about education and even enlisted his stepdaughter, Allie to help with the last Hunter Ed class. He sees directing the last Youth Camp as an important accomplishment in his career. A memorable case was hunters taken 120 ducks in one day in Caddo County.