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My name is William A. Koen and am retired after 40 years of service with Exxon Corporation. I served as a Gas Plant Superintendent with Exxon for several years, then as a Senior Field Superintendent and Senior Fire Safety Corrdinator responsible for controlling and extinguishing platform and well blow out fires. I retired in 1986 and moved back to Hardin where most of my family still lives. I am an Uncle of Michael Tanton and have been close to him and his sister, Elizabeth. Since our family is close knit with love, compassion and Christian values, we lead our young ones with good values. Ever since Michael was a young child, he stood out in a group with his big smile and out standing manners. He was well liked by other kids in church and school. He was also well liked as a football plaer and admired as being the smallest player on the field. He always had a group of friends around him. My admiration for Michael grew as I watched him attend church not only on Sunday but also during the week to church events. In high school he would get up early, drive 8 miles to attend an early church training program then drive another 8 miles to attend school. He would also get up early on Sunday Mornings to take his younger relatives to early Sunday School. After finishing high school Michael assured me that his goal and intent was to get a college degree and started working to save money for college. After he started driving a wrecker he developed a close relationship with other drivers in that area. He stated that they wer like a family, helping each other, meeting as a group daily and making working a pleasure. I was asked by his mother to speak at his funeral. I decided to speak the words of his friends and visited with several school mates and made a long list of words of love and admiration that these young men and women wanted spoken. I received much more words than I could possibly say during my allotted time. The night before the funeral at the visitation, I was given a copy of letter written by a 14 year old daughter of the man that Michael worked for. Through the tears of an old man's eyes, I realized that this paper covered the love, admiration and feelings of all the other young people that I had talked to. I read this paper at the funeral. A young life was lost. A life filled with dreams and goals was taken away and the worst of all was the fact that it was so unnecessary. Michael was killed by a person that was so drunk that he did not know where he was going. There was no excuse for getting so sloppy drunk that you wipe out the life of a young man like Michael who had come to the rescue of a family in need. My closing words will be the following words given to me to read at the funeral from the family that Michael was helping when he was so brutally killed: "We had trouble and needed help. Michael came to help us and got killed giving us help. We are so sorry" (William A. Koen)

My name is Ronald Scott. I have been a Teacher/Coach at Hardin Independent School District for eight years. This is an unfortunate opportunity, but a privilege to be asked to give a character statement about Michael Tanton. I first met Michael when he entered Jr. High School. I taught Michael Physical Education in the sixth grade. Michael was a great role model for his classmates to follow. Michael entered the seventh grade and joined the athletic program. Michael remained in athletics throughout his Jr. High and High School years. From a coach's point of view, Michael was very coachable. Michael played every sport that Hardin had to offer. Michael enjoyed sports. Michael was very respectful, courteous and mild tempered. Michael was a leader at school and also in the community. Michael was well liked by the staff and faculty. Michael Tanton was a small person with the hart of a giant. (Ronald Scott)

Michael Tanton was a student in my English IV course as a member of the Class of 1998. I thoroughly enjoyed having him in class, and we developed an excellent teacher-student relationship. He was a conscientious student who arrived in my classroom every day with a smile on his face. Michael had a wonderful personality; he was genuine, loyal, and dependable. He was a terrific Christian example for both his teachers and his peers. When someone needed help, Michael was amoung the first to volunteer his assistance. His bubbly demenor and infectious enthusiasm made him very popular among his peers. One of my missions as a teacher is to help my students become productive citizens who help make the world a better place. I believe Michael Tanton was fulfilling that mission for himself before his life was taken in a tragic, needless accident. (Kath Smith)

Michael Tanton worked for our company 4 moths before the tragic accident that took his life. Mike was wonderful person, employee, and we became very close friends. Mike worked for our company and on his time or days off he came to our house to ride motercycles and 3 wheelers with our kids. Our kids looked up to Mike as a big brother. Try to explain to a 9 year old, and 14 year old that the young man they looked up to was killed be a Drunk Driver. Now that Mike had gone he left us with such precious memories of him. Our Daughter explained every perfect detail about Mike in a Book Report that was due the following Monday at School she had to do about famous legends. May God Bless the man, family, friends and the justice system. (Russell and Tammy Terrell and Children)

It is with great sadness that this family should even have to write you to ple that you give this criminal the harshest sentence that the law would allow. It is with great sadness that we are without a family member now because of the wrecklessness of such a person; a person (rather, animal) who did not even ahve the compassion to stop and render aid after hitting Michael. I am Michael's great aunt. I was there to witness his birth and his death. I have watched him grow from a playful child to an admirable young man. A young man who will not be her to celebrate good times with his faimly-not another Christmas, no more birthdays, no more vacations. He won't be able to experience falling in love or having children or to see his sister marry and have a family or embark on a career. All that is gone for Michael. Why should the man responsible for his death be allowed to ever partake in Life again? It doesn't seem fair. Michael was a clean cut, handsome, energetic, hardworking young man. He was always polite to elderly people or young people, it mattered not. He did not just take up air space on this earth, your honor; he lived life with pride. He gave to others. He gave time of himself and he gave joy to those who knew him. He was raised and taught values by a fine family. He knew right from wrong and anyone who knew him witnessed exactly that. Always smile, able to bring a smile to others. Anyone would be proud to say they knew him. Now his life is no more. His family, with a strong Christian belief, knows in their hearts that he will live on in heaven, celebrating life there, but it is still hard not to be able to see him or laugh with him again; to hug him or be hugged by him; to shar joys with him. It mieks it harder to accept knowing his life was snuffed out by a drunken man leaving a bar who seems to contribute nothing to society. Such senselessness! I've always tried to live by the premise put yourself in the other's shoes before you judge. This is my plea your honor-for you to imagine the emptiness that his mother, his sister, his grandmother feels. Feel the ache in their hearts as if it were your child taken from you. If the man responsible goes free, it may be one of your family members that he murders the next time. Our peace of mind is in your hands......hear our heart, hear our hurt. (Glenda Kersh)