NPSTC Honors the Memory and Strong Voices of Public Safety Communications Advocates
Marilyn J. Praisner served as the Chair of the SAFECOM Executive Committee (EC) from its
inception in 2003 until her death on February 1, 2008. Marilyn was recognized across the
country for her extraordinary leadership on technology and communications issues. Marilyn
brought valuable expertise, insight, and a tireless work ethic to the SAFECOM EC. Under her
leadership, SAFECOM advanced interoperability for emergency responders across all levels of government.
A Tribute to Marilyn Praisner
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Marilyn represented the National Association of Counties (NACo) to the EC and served on the
Montgomery County (Maryland) Council for 17 years. EC Alternate Member Rocky Lopes, NACo, said
of Marilyn, “She was always a steadfast supporter of first responders. When she was first elected,
she began what grew into a commitment of lifelong service to ensuring that people who serve others
were supported. And enabling them to communicate in real time, as needed, and as authorized was a
top priority.”
Prior to her election to the Council, Marilyn served two terms as President of the Montgomery County
Board of Education, before that worked as a Central Intelligence Agency analyst for 16 years.
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Richard Stone DeMello and Alfred J. Mello both dedicated a lifetime of work to public
safety communications needs on city, state, and national levels. Both men were known
for their dedication, warmth and sense of humor, and leadership on behalf of public safety
telecommunications.
Dick DeMello, a man devoted to his family and his religion, passed away at his home
in Portland, Michigan in June 2002. His favorite food was lobster and his favorite
leisure activities, traveling and canoeing with his wife Julie.
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A registered professional engineer, Dick DeMello was born in Massachusetts and moved
to Michigan in 1968. He worked for the state government for 32 years, retiring
in April 2000 from the Telecommunications Division of the Department of Natural
Resources. He was a director-at-large for the Forestry Conservation
Communication Association, the 700 MHz Regional Planning Committee (RPC) Chair for
Region 21, Michigan, a Life Member of the Association of Public Safety Communications
Officials – International (APCO), and a member of the Radio Club of America.
Dick received his first ham license at the age of 14, call sign – K1CYL.
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Marilyn Ward, Executive Director, NPSTC, says that DeMello was instrumental in bringing all
of the frequency coordinators together in NPSTC. "Richard believed that we should
continue the work of PSWAC and develop a broader group of all levels and disciplines of
public safety to work on consensus agreements on FCC filings," Ms. Ward said. "He
remained a steady guiding force as NPSTC matured from its infancy into a mature consensus
body."
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Alfred J. Mello was a key figure in the fire and EMS communications
field and was the director of frequency coordination for the International
Municipal Signal Association (IMSA) and a member of the International
Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) since 1986. He passed away in
January 2006. Mr. Mello was Director of Communications for the City
of Providence, Rhode Island, for 37 years. In 1985, Mello was
appointed a Fellow of the Radio Club of America. He was also one of
the founders of NPSTC. "Al was at the meetings when we began our
organization," says Ward, "and he was very involved in the development of
the CAPRAD database. He sat on the development committee and
remained active until he retired."
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"Al had a way with people. Sometimes he barked, sometimes he whispered, sometimes he
joked, but all of the time he was doing what was right for public safety," says Doug Aiken,
Vice Chair, NPSTC. "Al was past president of IMSA, past chairman of the board, past
president of the IMSA Educational Foundation, past director of the New England section, and
past fellow chief in the fire service. Al had many titles but the one I will always
remember him by is friend."
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