Patch, Insignia

Object number2007.178.5 a,b

Date1974-1999

MediumFabric

Credit LineGift of Joe Davis

DescriptionTwo (2) security patches. Oval with flat top and points on sides and bottom. Grey with red and gold embroidered company name with image of United States.Dimensions3.375 x 3.375 in. (8.6 x 8.6 cm)
InscriptionsRed and gold embroidery: "AM-GARD / [image of United States superimposed with a superimposed "A" and "G"]".
Historical NotesArnold Herbert Smith was a Pittsburgh police officer before spending twelve years with the Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh Police Force. Some officers take on a second job as local security guards, which may be the reason Smith had these patches. Arnold Herbert Smith, Sr., was born on October 11, 1923, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Schenley High School in 1942, and quickly enlisted in the U.S. Navy, serving in the Pacific Theater. Three years later he married Mattie Lesesne; four children were born to this marriage. Years after his divorce to Mattie, he married Estella Pennington, with whom he had one son. Smith worked as a steelworker before joining the Pittsburgh Police Force in 1974; he eventually worked for the Housing Authority before retiring in 1986. Smith was also active in organizations, being a 32nd Degree Mason, a Shriner, and a member of both the Veterans of Foreign Affairs and the Fraternal Order of Police. He died September 19, 1999. According to the Pittsburgh Business Times, Pittsburgh's leading business news weekly, AM-GARD was the largest Pittsburgh-area women-owned business in 2002. Based on the number of local full-time employees, AM-GARD, with thousands of employees, moved up from the number-two spot in 2001 to number one in 2002.

Related institution Pittsburgh Bureau of Police

Previous owner Arnold Herbert Smith Sr. (1923 - 1999)

Related institution AM-GARD

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