Hundreds gather for Derek Kotecki golf tournament at Hill Crest Country Club

It was a great day for golfing and remembering Lower Burrell Police’s K-9 Officer Derek Kotecki on Saturday as 136 golfers and hundreds of patrons gathered at Hill Crest Country Club to raise money for scholarships.

In its ninth year, the golf outing pays tribute to Kotecki, who was killed in the line of duty in an ambush in 2011. Scholarships in his honor are awarded annually to students of the Burrell, New Kensington-Arnold and Kiski Area school districts.

“Despite the pandemic, we had a great turnout and were overwhelmed by the support of the golfers, sponsors, vendors and the community,” said Shasta Meixelsberger, of Upper Burrell, co-chair of event and a family friend of the Kotecki family.

Although organizers decided to forgo tapping local businesses for gift baskets because of hard economic times, the community turned out to buy from about 25 vendors selling crafts, local history books and goodies.

“We had a constant stream of the people coming to support this event and to remember Derek,” Meixelsberger said.

The community support for Kotecki and the scholarships was amazing and a much needed bright spot during the pandemic when so many events have been cancelled, some golfers said. Luckily, golfing is one of the few sanctioned outdoor events.

“This is a beautiful event to honor Derek,” said Jim Horwatt, a retired New Kensington detective sergeant, who was a personal friend of Kotecki. The golf outing raises money to help others, and that’s the spirit of Kotecki who never hesitated to help and to work hard, he said.

“He’s a hero. Derek made the ultimate sacrifice for his community,” Horwatt said. “He loved his community, and we loved him and his family.”

Donations to the scholarship fund can be made by check and sent to the Kotecki Memorial Fund, PO Box 2802, Lower Burrell, Pa., 15068.