By Cass Rains
HELENA – Don Leon Frech is man with many monikers — including Correctional Officer Supervisor of the Year.
Frech was given the award by the State of Oklahoma Department of Corrections, making him 2005’s best supervisor for his work at the James Crabtree Correctional Facility as a correctional security manager.
Lt. Frech has been with the prison since November of 1988, serving in positions ranging from correctional officer to correctional counselor to the facility’s sniper.
Frech gives most of the credit for receiving the award to the people he works with.
“To be a good supervisor as an individual isn’t possible,” he said. “You can never achieve this alone, it’s the people around you.
“Surround yourself with the best, and it will help you improve.”
Frech said he submitted an application for the award, as does every correctional facility. One is selected from each district, and those officers and supervisors are interviewed in Oklahoma City.
“Before I had driven back, they had called my supervisor,” Frech said. “He called and told me when I got home.”
Frech said he had gone to school to become a diesel mechanic, but applied to be a corrections officer when he realized being a mechanic didn’t offer the same type of retirement and benefits the Department of Corrections does.
Working for almost 18 years at Crabtree, Frech has picked up a few skills which he uses to teach others.
He teaches firearms courses to other corrections officers and different law enforcement agencies throughout the state, something he calls a “privilege.”
“When I first started, it was a challenge to pass it,” Frech said of the facility’s shooting test. “I grew to love it and took an interest in it. It’s really a privilege to be a firearms instructor.”
Along with being a firearms instructor, Frech also has been with the Helena Fire Department for 10 years, and is now serving as chief. He’s also an emergency medical technician and will soon be a reserve officer for the Helena Police Department.
When he’s not enjoying hunting, fishing and camping, Frech also volunteers his time at Timberlake High School, building props for the drama class and school plays.
If that were not enough, Frech is a husband and a father of five, three girls and two boys.
With various spring sports seasons beginning, the hectic schedule elicits a little stress from Frech.
“It’s pretty hectic around the spring,” he said, “with softball and baseball.”
Frech is the son of Dennis and Jan Frech, of Aline. He is the grandson of Margaret Frech, of Helena, and Rufus Parker, of Fairview.
Frech was born and raised in Helena where he lives with his wife of 18 years, Katryna, and their five children: Kasya, 17; Kendra, 15; Kaytlynn, 9; and Brandon and Camdon, both 5.
