sig 05-09 one.p65 - Oklahoma Department of Public Safety

Singing trooper has passion for age-old pastime
Trp. Stan McConnell has
been in high demand for several
years for his singing ability. He
has performed at everything
from church services and
revivals, to graduations,
weddings, funerals, ball
games and even a few
swearing-in ceremonies.
Although he loves
performing, he has gradually
developed a stronger passion
for another talent he has
possessed for many years;
wood carving.
“It’s really kind of
weird to say, but I have
always liked to mess with
wood,” said McConnell. “I
have taken cabinet-making
courses years ago and then a
friend of mine who was
well-versed in wood carving
held classes more recently. I
just really like doing it. I
think it’s neat to take a piece
of wood and carve
something out of it.”
McConnell said
once he started doing it, it
just stuck.
“I have gradually
gotten better because I just like
to do it,” said McConnell. “Not
many people today are doing it.
Most of the time, things like the
highway patrol badge are
programmed and punched out by
a machine that does everything.
There’s just not that many that
do it by hand, but there’s some
and they are generally in
woodcarving groups.”
McConnell took the
eight-week course and two
weeks into it he came up with
the design for the badge and
measured it out.
Trp. Stan McConnell whittled the oversized
badge, a replica of his own. It took him
approximately five to six weeks.
“It took me about five or
six weeks to complete although I
did not work on it constantly and
that included the time it took to
design it,” McConnell said. “I
have carved Santa Clause
figurines, signs that say ‘merry
Christmas’ and I took a chain
saw-carving course and carved
out a bear which was fun. I had
a blast and a wonderful time
doing it. I haven’t yet perfected
myself on that but I still piddle
with it to get better. It’s a little
more time-consuming because
you can’t just grab the project
and put it on your lap and
work on it while watching
TV. Although I’m coming
along, I have a ways to go.
It’s all just fun to do.
He said someday when
he gets good at using the
chain saw he’ll be able to
just drive through any
neighborhood looking for
old, dying trees and
approach the owner about
cutting it down and carving
it. He will be able to detail
the design to what they want
and project the time it will
take to carve it.
“I’ll draw it out before I
carve it but it might not
come out exactly like it
when considering knots in
the tree,” McConnell said.
“Basically you have to
utilize what the tree has
within the design.”
News of McConnell’s
OHP badge has traveled fast and
he has already received several
orders. The singing trooper -
who incidentally has recorded
two CDs that are available - says
the orders he has received will
keep him busy for weeks to
come.
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