Troopers honor fallen Maryland State Police hero’s daughter at graduation

Eighteen state troopers and first responders stood in for Trooper First Class Mickey Lippy as his daughter, Madison Lippy, graduated from Westminster High School at McDaniel College, turning a student milestone into a stark reminder of how Maryland State Police still show up for fallen officers’ families nearly two decades later.

Hundreds gathered Thursday at McDaniel College in Westminster for the ceremony, and the tribute to Madison followed a pattern the Lippy family has seen for years. Maryland State Police have stood beside the family since 2008, including at Madison’s eighth-grade graduation and her prom, and troopers again took the place of her father as she crossed the stage. After the ceremony, they surprised her with a flyover.

Madison wore her father’s flight wings and class ring during the graduation, a personal detail that tied the day directly back to the career Mickey Lippy left behind. She said it was special to know her father is still being remembered and that people wanted to be there for her when he could not.

Mickey Lippy died on September 28, 2008, at age 34 in a Maryland State Police medevac helicopter crash in Prince George’s County. He was serving as a flight paramedic and had four years of service. He was on board to help transport two critically injured teenagers to the hospital when the helicopter struck trees during severe weather and crashed. Four people died in the crash, including Lippy, the pilot and an EMT, and one teenager survived.

Maryland State Police list Lippy on the department’s Fallen Heroes memorial, and the agency has continued to publicly honor fallen troopers. In May 2024, state police held a memorial ceremony for 43 fallen troopers, a reminder that the department’s losses remain part of its institutional memory years after the funerals end.

Lt. Jon Hill said the presence of the troopers at Madison’s graduation was meant to make sure the family knows, “we never forget.” Madison said she plans to become an EMT, following in her father’s footsteps, carrying that link forward from the Westminster stage.