Plaque honors cop who died in 1990

By HAROLD GWIN
VINDICATOR SHARON BUREAU
SHARON, Pa. -- City officials, employees and current and former police officers braved gusting winds to honor a fallen comrade.
The city dedicated a plaque Thursday in memory of Sgt. Michael S. Monoc, a 21-year veteran of the force, who suffered a fatal heart attack while working at the scene of an accident May 16, 1990.
There's a smaller plaque in city council chambers honoring Monoc, but Mayor Robert T. Price said he wanted to do more before he leaves office Dec. 31.
"I wanted to do something special for my friend Mike," he told about 50 people gathered near the police entrance to the municipal building.
Monoc was a dedicated officer who "always brightened my day," Price said.
Widow's reaction: "It's just unbelievable that, after all these years they're still thinking of him," said Monoc's widow, Hazel.
She and her son, Michael, attended the dedication ceremony. Her daughter was teaching school in Ohio and couldn't participate.
Mrs. Monoc said she was surprised when she got a call from Price telling her of his plans. "It's a nice gesture," she said.
The metal plaque, noting Monoc's devoted and faithful service to the police department and the community, is mounted on a small sandstone boulder along a landscaped portion of the driveway leading to the police department.
Three Pennsylvania State Police officers attended the ceremony as did four former police chiefs who worked with Monoc -- Mike Krivosh, Bob Truitt, Gerald Saul and Dave Ryan.
Raymond Greene, the city's current police chief, was a detective when Monoc died.
"He was in my office a half-hour earlier asking me about tickets to a lamb dinner the next day," Greene recalled. "I said I'd see him there tomorrow."
The dedication was followed by a brief reception in the lobby of city hall.
gwin@vindy.com