History
U.S. Deputy Marshal Peter Hillman
The Peter Hillman Memorial
Interchange was officially
dedicated November 10, 2001, a gesture by
the state of California to forever
keep alive the memory of a
fallen deputy marshal.
The interchange, located at
State Road 168 and Bullard
Avenue in Clovis, is close to
where Hillman used to live.
![Dedication ceremony for former deputy Peter Hillman](hillman.jpg)
On June 8, 2000, Eastern
California Deputy Pete Hillman
was killed when the Marshals
Service prisoner van he was
driving was struck by an oncoming
tractor trailer near Bakersfield,
California.
Special Deputy Mike Del Pupo
was also on board the van. He
continues to go through physical
rehabilitation for his injuries and
has not returned to work.
Hillman's career in the Marshals
Service began in 1986 as a
deputy in Northern California.
He transferred to the Fresno
office of Eastern California two
years later, and that is where he
remained until his death.
His accomplishments as a
deputy marshal include apprehending
fugitives during special
operations, providing security
during the 1996 Olympic Games
in Atlanta and assisting residents
of the US. Virgin Islands after
Hurricane Marilyn did its damage
in 1995.
Nicknamed "The Hillmanator,"
he worked tirelessly during the
1998 recruiting drive to bring
qualified people into the ranks of
the agency.
Fifty people attended the recent dedication ceremony in Clovis. It was
sponsored by the California Department of Transportation, but it was
Eastern California Deputy Dave Hiebert
who coordinated it and did the
majority of the legwork to make
this happen.
Permanent signs on both sides of
the highway announce the name of
the interchange.
The dedication ceremony was
attended by numerous staff and
family members of Eastern
California's Fresno and Sacramento
offices. Members of the
Fresno court family also attended,
as did Hillman's family members, Marshals Service staff, Federal judges,
and California State Assemblyman
Mike Briggs were guest
speakers. It was Briggs who
sponsored the resolution to have
the interchange named for
Hillman.
"It was very nice to honor
Pete this way," said Eastern
California Assistant Chief Tom Figmik. "Because of this interchange,
people will remember
him.
"And they should." |