A loud radio call broke the silence as the dispatcher requested, "Unit 79 please respond." There was no response.

Two more times, the voice inquired for the unit to respond. Finally, an officer replied, "Unit 79 is 10-7."

This was his last call.

K-State security guard Michael Patrick Luse was honored in a memorial service at All Faiths Chapel Tuesday afternoon. Luse died Jan. 4 of emphysema. He was 57.

The K-State Police performed the last call at the service to honor Luse. The response 10-7 means the unit is out of service for good.

More than 100 people paid their last respects to the man who was stationed as a security guard in the Veterinary Medicine Complex. Luse worked at K-State for 35 years.

Luse's brother, Paul Martin, shared some of his memories with the assembly.

"Mike had a heart as big as the outdoors," Martin said. "He had a joke or a smile for everybody. I never heard the man say one unkind word about anyone."

Many speakers during the service shared these sentiments and joked about how Luse was proud to be Irish.

"I don't know how many buttons or pins Mike had that said 'I'm Irish,' 'Kiss me, I'm Irish' and 'Erin Go Bragh,'" Martin said with a chuckle.

The service reflected Luse's love of his heritage with music like "Amazing Grace" performed by bagpipes and the popular Irish song, "Danny Boy."

Rick Howard, a friend of Luse's for 21 years, read Luse's eulogy.

"While he was not a tall man in stature, he was definitely a giant among men," he said.

Luse's height was caused by a curvature of the spine, a condition he had since birth, Martin said. As a child, Luse wore braces in the hope that he would grow out of it, Martin said.

However, Luse never did. The curve in Luse's spine caused his organs to be in abnormal postions in his body. Ronnie Grice, campus police director, said Luse loved to work and was dedicated to his job despite his medical condition.

"Many times Mike would say, 'This job is my life,'" Grice said.

Luse is survived by his wife, Terry Luse and his mother, Elizabeth Ann Martin, Leawood, Kan.