Sergeant R.L. (Scoop) Usher - December 6, 1913 – April 20, 1985

By Barbara and Bobby Usher, His Loving Children

Scoop Usher was born in Hannibal in 1913. He served on the Hannibal Police Department as a motorcycle patrolman in the late 30's and joined the Missouri State Highway Patrol (MSHP) in 1939. He was assigned to Troop B in 1946 and remained in Macon until his death in 1985.

He was well known by every school kid in North Missouri from the late 40's through the early 70's. As the Troop B Safety Officer, Scoop traveled the 16 counties of Troop B showing driving safety films and putting on Annie Oakley type shooting demonstrations with pistols. Scoop could consistently put 10-20 shots into a silver dollar sized bullseye from 100 feet away; split playing cards edgewise with a .45 caliber; strike a kitchen match with a .38 caliber; and shoot a .22 caliber through a standard size mint Lifesaver candy ... without breaking it! He was also famous for rabbit hunting with a .22 pistol. Some shot huh?

He was 1st runner up in 1957, 1958 and 1959 to a Detroit Officer named Harry Reeves as the Nation's Champion Pistol Shooter. Trust me, you wouldn't want either of these policemen shooting at you.

And he was just as good a shot on the basketball court having played semi-professional ball in his youth on a team in Hannibal and Detroit that regularly beat the original Harlem Globetrotters. In his 40's and 50's he would outshoot Macon's best high school players in the annual Teachers vs. Students Charity Basketball games.

Scoop retired from the Missouri State Highway Patrol so he could fill the unexpired term of Republican State Representative Ronald M. Belt - who had held that position from 1958 until 1972.¹

After winning that seat in a special election in 1973, he was then reelected by popular vote as Missouri's 12th District Democratic Representative - so he ended up serving a total of 5 years in the Missouri Legislature.²

Scoop was loved and respected by every person who met him, including all the school children he educated and amazed with his sharp shooting skills, his fellow officers in Troop B, his competitors in shooting contests, the many high school students he outshot in charity basketball games for over a decade and the other Missouri State Legislators he served with - as well as his family, friends and neighbors. He served his community and the state of Missouri faithfully for over 40 years as a patrolman and state representative. He loved his work because he was a people person, so he really enjoyed interacting with them on a daily basis. He was an outstanding person who emulated the spirit of Macon and he is remembered fondly and lovingly by everyone who had the pleasure to know him ... especially his children, Barbara and Bobby.

Please click to read more about Troop B of the Missouri Highway Patrol

¹ - Reference     ² - Reference