Alivia Ogle, Reporter

Former NWACC Chief of Police Steve Tosh will be awarded the 2023 Honorary Associate Degree posthumously. The award is given to individuals who perform beyond their occupational pursuits and enhance the quality of life, according to a news release from the public relations office at NWACC.

Tosh’s family will accept the honorary degree at the May 16 commencement ceremony at the Walmart AMP in Rogers.

Tosh served in law enforcement for almost 51 years. Tosh started his career in 1970 as a 911 operator for Coffeyville Kansas Police Department. At the age of 19, he became the youngest certified police officer in Kansas and served the next five years as the city’s patrolman. Tosh served with Kansas Highway Patrol for 26 years and retired as a sergeant.

After his retirement, he became a city commissioner for Coffeyville, and in 2007, he moved to Arkansas and began his career at NWACC as a patrolman. He was later promoted to sergeant and then to police chief in 2015. Tosh retired from NWACC on June 1, 2021 and died on Sept. 6 later that year.  

            “I met Steve when he started working at the college,” said Stacy Brockus-Reagan, who previously worked in business development for NWACC’s workforce department. “We learned we both were from Kansas and became instant friends. Steve had the best personality. He loved people and had a serving spirit. He would do anything for anyone.”

 “Steve was a man I had the most respect for,” she said. “He believed in integrity and took his position very seriously. You always knew you would be safe, protected and have a great time if Steve Tosh was involved.”

Tosh had a straightforward personality, said Cecil White, Tosh’s former lieutenant and successor as police chief. “You usually knew where you stood with him,” he said.

“I think what people recall about him most on this campus is a lot of times you knew he was coming because he was whistling in the hallway. He would always whistle, he was always upbeat,” White said. “I think [about] how genuine he was and how he cared for others … and always wanted the best for the college,” he said.

Photo was taken by NWACC Marketing and used in the PR release of Steve Tosh.