Friday event celebrates Detective Ferency's life

Jul. 4—The second anniversary of the death of Terre Haute police detective and FBI Task Force Officer Greg Ferency will be observed on Friday at an event at Afterburner brewpub from noon-8 p.m.

Nunquam Fractum, the beer that Afterburner created to honor Ferency, will be available.

Nunquam Fractum, the motto on his uniform when he served in Vietnam, is Latin for Never Broken. It inspired his sister Shelley Klingerman to form the nonprofit Project Never Broken, which aids police officers and brings solace to the families of fallen heroes.

Also available will be reprints of Ferency's book "NARC Ops," which was initially released 20 years ago. It describes adventures he experienced as an undercover narcotics officer.

"It was a collection of his experiences and his stories," said Klingerman, who serves as Project Never Broken's executive director. "When he would come in from a stakeout or doing surveillance, he would capture that. He worked odd hours, so it's hard to come home and go straight to bed, so he would just download what he did that evening in story form."

She said the book reads as if Ferency were sitting across from you telling those stories.

"It's very much written in his voice," said Klingerman. "When his passing happened, it was one of the things that really captured his essence, which is why it was really important for us to bring it back."

Ferency's daughter Payton wrote a new forward to the book. In it, she shares how much she enjoyed watching television with her father — their favorite show was the zombie apocalypse drama "The Walking Dead." She recalls he took her "on a very spontaneous trip" to where the program was shot in Georgia.

"She wants the world to know how awesome her dad was," Klingerman said. "The new forward is very touching."

In addition to writing, Ferency also designed the Terre Haute Police Department's Drug Task Force patch, making him something of a Renaissance man.

"He was," Klingerman said. "He was someone who very much threw himself into what he was passionate about and didn't let a lot of noise of other things that didn't matter to him. When he locked onto something that captured his attention, he would deep-dive into whatever subject it was."

Project Never Broken has sponsored a number of events to assist law enforcement officials and their families and celebrate Ferency's life and legacy, including a speaker series specifically targeted to law enforcement and their spouses or significant others. It also offers sessions for the public.

"The public can hear from the perspective of someone who served in law enforcement, and that helps people understand why we're doing what we're doing," Klingerman said. A couple of more speakers will appear later this year.

Klingman's organization also hosted last year's Wounded Blue Survival Summit in Terre Haute, and will provide underwriting for officers who would like to attend this year's event in Las Vegas. It's also planning retreats for officers and their families.

Project Never Broken also focuses on officers' mental health.

"It sounds kind of sexy and exciting to be an undercover operative, but there's a lot of mental challenges that come with doing that job, a lot of mental gymnastics," Klingerman said. "That takes a toll, as well."

She added, "This organization is truly is going to be in the weeds and committed to finding resources supporting our law enforcement's hope, help and healing."

Klingerman said that Ferency's death in the line of duty has affected the family in a host of ways.

"It's been big, in that we're learning a lot about him that we didn't know," she said. "He was pretty private — when he was with you, he was about what your connection was and he didn't bring a lot of other things into the conversation."

Klingerman added, "You have questions you wish you could ask him now — I've definitely gotten a different perspective on his job."

Greg was the hub and he had a lot of spokes around him and when you pull that hub out, all the spokes are now learning about one another," she said.

Klingerman has shared Greg's story across the country for the law enforcement community, who wants to hear and spread that message. Project Never Broken is supported by groups that bring her in to speak.

"You feel like you have to do something to make a purpose come out of a terrible situation," she said. "It's changed my life and I see what a quiet giant he truly was. I've heard more than a few times that how he made people feel is what they remember."

Klingerman added, "I'm always happy to tell the story — it often comes with tears, and that is something I've had to get past. I wasn't someone who showed a lot of emotion in public before. Hopefully, the message comes through the tears."

In addition to Ferency's book, apparel and Nunquam Fractum glasses will also be on sale, and there will be a raffle, as well.

David Kronke can be reached at 812-231-4232 or at david.kronke@tribstar.com.