Adrian E. Vernon

Vernon, Adrian E. ?Vern?, 78, of St. Petersburg, died Tuesday November 28, 2006 at St. Anthony?s Hospital. Born in New York, New York, he came here in 1992 from Waipahu, Hawaii. He served in the U.S. Air Force for 28 years in the field of ground and missile safety. In 1964, he received the Outstanding Achievement Award for Strategic Air Command in aerospace education. He continued his safety career in the Civil Service for 15 years as an OSHA inspector on the Inspector General?s team covering construction and maritime in Hawaii and the South Pacific Islands. He was a member of the Hawaii Chapter of Veterans of Safety organization and served as secretary/treasurer for many years. He was honored with the Veterans of Safety Fellowship Award in 1995, a scholarship was created in his name for students pursuing a career in the field of safety. He was recognized as a Contributing and Sustaining Member, of The Safety and Health Hall of Fame International in 1996. He was also a member of AFSA Air Force Sergeants Assn. and ASSE American Society of Safety Engineers. He also served as secretary/treasurer of his Neighborhood Crime Watch in St. Petersburg. He was an avid movie collector and supporter of the Buck Jones Film Festival. Survivors include 2 sons, Richard Vernon Defone of Rochester, New York and Walter Edward Vernon of Waipahu, Hawaii; a daughter, Sherron L. Brooks of St. Petersburg; four grandchildren; and four great-grandsons. He liked to bring a smile into everyone's day. The love and laughter will continue. Anderson-McQueen Funeral & Cremation Centers-NE St. Petersburg