PAST
PRESIDENT’S
NEWSLETTER
Volume 1,
Issue 5
NAMES FROM THE PAST
From the April 1, 1969 University of Maryland Bulletin
Fire Service Extension
On Sunday, February 16,
1969, the Allegany-Garrett
Counties Volunteer Firemen’s
association honored two of
their members. Mr. Felix
Foote, Sr. and Mr. John S.
Prichard, with a testimonial
dinner at the Goodwill Fire
Department Armory in Lonaconing. Following a fine dinner served by the Ladies Auxiliary to the Goodwill Fire
Company, Toastmaster David
E. Kirk lead a program of
presentations, good wishes
and history which spanned
more than half a century. J.
Francis Fatkin reviewed the
sixty-one years of service of
Felix Foots, Sr. Joining Goodwill Fire Company of Lonaconing in March, 1908. Felix
began a career which included
service as President of Goodwill in 1937, treasurer in
1915-1921 and President of
Allegany-Garrett Counties
V.F.A. in 1919 and 1939. He
is the only man ever to hold
this position twice. Felix has
been extremely active in fire
prevention and was on the
scene as a firefighter at most
of the historic fires in western
Maryland since the turn of the
century. During his sixty-one
years as a firefighter he has attended sixty conventions of the
Maryland State Firemen’s Association and every convention of
the AGCVFRA. During the
proceedings Felix responded to a
number of items with the poems
for which he is noted.
Left to right, John S. Prichard,
MSFA President Peter Paul Lochary and Felix Foote, Sr.
Cromwill C. Zembower provided
the historical record for john S.
Prichard which began when he
became a member of the Frostburg Fire department in 1915. A
member of Frostburg until 1934,
he assisted in the organization of
the Grantsville Fire Department
in 1935 and has been a member
of Grantsville since that date. He
has served five terms on the Executive Committee of the State
Association, as President of the
AGCVFA in 1941 and was a
member of the Board of Trustees
of the Maryland State Firemen’s
Association for twenty-five years
from 1943 to 1968. Among the
historic fires Crom cited in John’s
career was the sub-zero temperature Shay building fire, after
which hose remained frozen in
the streets of Frostburg for three
weeks before it could be recovered and thawed.
The citations and presentations to
John and Felix were too many to
mention here. These mementoes
and the presence of many of their
fire service friends from all parts
of the State of Maryland show
clearly the high esteem in which
these two men, with one hundred
and fifteen years of service between them, are held by their
fellow firemen.
November,
2008
Inside thi s issue:
This and That...
Death of John
Berryman
PP Fred Cross hospitalized
PP Christmas Party
New Grandfathers
Gobble, Gobble Quiz
Did you know?
Birthdays
4
Anniversaries
Speci al points of
i nt ere st:
• Name of Charles Burton
added to Landover Hills
stone
National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month
• From the past
•
are living with Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s destroys brain
cells, causing problems with
memory, thinking and behavior
severe enough to affect work,
3
Mary Burton, widow of
PP Charles Burton
• Newest Grandfathers
Alzheimer’s is a progressive
and fatal brain disease which
is the sixth-leading cause of
death in the United States. As
many as 5 million Americans
2
lifelong hobbies or social life.
Alzheimer’s gets worse over
time, and it is fatal. For more
information, check: www.alz.org
Vol ume 1, Issue 5
Page 2
T hi s a n d T h a t
Long time member of MSFA
The MSFA Past President’s
join with Pikesville Volunteer Fire Company, Inc. in
mourning the death of its
Past President and Life
Member, John W. "Bud"
Berryman, Sr. Also a Past
President of the Baltimore
County Volunteer Firemen's
Association, a past Trustee
of the Maryland State Firemen's Association, and the
recipient of the Marberry F.
Gates Service Cup Award in
2007.
He is survived by his wife,
Peggy Zembower (Past
President of the Ladies Auxiliary of the MSFA), his
daughters Martha and
Sharon (Past President of the
Ladies Auxiliary of the
Pikesville Volunteer Fire
Past President’s
Company and the Ladies
Auxiliary of the Baltimore
County Volunteer Firemen’s
Association) and his son,
John W. Berryman, Jr., Retired Captain, Baltimore
County Fire Department and
Life Member and Past Captain and Past President of the
Pikesville Volunteer Fire
Company..
Gobble, gobble: How much do you know about Thanksgiving?
Christmas Dinner
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Time – 6 to 8 PM
Location – Dr Unks Bar & Grille
9636 Stephen Decatur Hwy (RT611) approx 1 mile south of Rt
50 heading towards Assateague
Island
RSVP by Monday, November 24
Roger 410-213-0780, email
[email protected]
N e w G r a n d f a t he r s
Get your dose of fun facts by taking this quiz. Answers are on
page 4.
Jenks 301- 884-8705, email
[email protected]
Past President Phil Hurlock is
the proud grandfather of a new
grandson born in September.
1.
In what year was the first Thanksgiving celebrated?
A. 1493
B. 1621 C. 1778
D. 1622
Knip 301-463-6114, email
[email protected]
2.
Which Native people celebrated the first Thanksgiving
with the Pilgrims? A. The Wampanoag B. The Iroquois
C. The Sioux D. The Choctaw
Cost - $ 16.00 per person (no
charge for our Past President
Widows)
3.
How fast can a wild turkey fly over a short distance?
A. 35 mph B. 15 mph C. 55 mph d. 22 mph
Menu:
4.
What is the name for the skin that hangs from a turkey’s
neck? A. Snark B. Wattle C. Swag D. Garble
President Frank Underwood
became a grandfather for the
first time October 17th when
Emily joined his family.
Frank says he couldn’t help
buying the first pink outfit he
saw that said “My Grandpa’s a
Firefighter. He bought one of
each size, so she will be wearing them until she’s two.
5.
What sound does a turkey make to communicate danger is
near? A. Gobble Gobble B. Turk Turk Turk C. Putt D.
Clack Clack
6.
About how many feathers does a mature turkey have? A.
3,500 B. 2,000 C. 5,000 D. 1,500
Veggie/Cheese Tray
Garden Salad
Roast Beef, Turkey & Ham with
Gravy
Mashed Potatoes
Mac/cheese
Green Beans
P a s t P r e s i d e nt F r e d C r o s s
During the funeral of the
young EMT from the Texas
Station #17, PP Fred Cross
had driven the Engine to the
church along with two other
members from his company.
While Fred was waiting for
the service to begin, he began to feel sick so he got up
and walked out of the main
church into the vestibule and
immediately passed out.
When he awoke lots of fellow fire personnel were
standing around him and
medics were starting an IV.
Fred was taken to Greater
Baltimore Medical Center
Emergency Room. When
his family arrived, Fred was
awake and alert, much to
their relief. Hooked up to an
IV and monitor, they obtained blood samples. His
family doctor was also contacted for his history. When
the results were complete,
the ER doctor said all the
tests showed everything was
normal and he felt that what
Fred had experienced was an
Vaso Vegal Episode caused
Dinner Rolls
by stress or the an emotional
reaction caused by the loss
of the young fireman who
had just passed away.
Fred is resting at home for
several days and doing nothing. He looks and feels fine
now. Feeling embarrassed
by all of the attention, Pat
told him he should thank
God that it happened there
instead of someplace else,
like while he was driving to
the church. We all wish a
speedy recovery for Fred.
Coffee, Tea & Soda are included
Dessert will be provided by
Sandy Jacobs
** The bar will be open and
drinks can be purchased at Happy
Hour prices **
You can contact the Francis Scott
Key Motel for a room under the
MSFA Executive Committee
meeting for $ 52.00 per night,
please contact them direct at 410213-0088.
The motel is located on Rt 50
across from the White Marlin
Mall.
Vol ume 1, Issue 5
Page 3
D i d Yo u K n o w … . . .
According to her daughter,
Maureen, Mary Burton,
widow of PP Charles Burton, has been doing
well. She has her ups and
downs, but for the most part
she's "UP". She goes to
speech therapy twice a
week. One visit is just her
and the doctor, the other
visit is a group. Sometimes
she feels like the group isn't
really adding any special
help, but then Maureen reminds her that it's an opportunity for
"COMMUNICATING". It's
also good to hear what the
others are experiencing,
which helps her realize that
she is truly making progressGREAT PROGRESS!
On September 27, 2008, one
of Mary’s most treasured
wishes came true. Prince
George's County has a memorial to their Fallen Firefighter's at the Cranford/
Graves Fire Services Building in Landover Hills, right
behind the station Charlie
loved so much. Each year
they recognize those that
have given their lives in the
line of duty. The memorial
is surrounded by individual
stones recognizing each department in Prince George's
County and is known as the
Founder's Circle. As part
of the annual ceremony,
names are added to the surrounding stones. These are
the names of individuals
who have been nominated
for recognition of their service and dedication to their
individual departments. The
name Charles Burton was
added to the Fallen Firefighter Memorial in 2000,
the year after his death. But
Mary always felt that his
name REALLY belonged on
the Landover Hills stone
surrounding the memorialhis first love.
Maureen tried to keep the
event a surprise, but was
unable to intercept the invitation sent to Mary in the
mail. Oh well. As you can
see from the picture below,
the skies were full of moisture and boy, did they let
loose.
Tom, Joan, Mary, Barbara & Maureen
Mary at the Landover Hills Founders Stone.
Grandchildren and Great Grandchildren.
Everyone headed inside and
finished the ceremony
there. Appropriately, the
room they were in was
called "The Charles B. Burton Training Center". Once
the skies cleared, everyone
was able to venture back
outside for pictures. Quite a
few family members were
unable to attend (mostly due
to distance), but there was
still a good showing by the
Burton Clan.
Mary placing flowers for Charlie.
Fallen Fighter Memorial.
Mary and Christie Linell.
Christie Linell’s father,
George, passed away in
2007. His death was recently ruled a "line-of-duty"
death. A Trauma Coordinator/Family Services Advocate at Prince George's
Community Hospital Center,
he was always there to take
care of Charlie’s needs
whenever he was hospitalized. George was there for
Charlie right up to the
end. It seems ironic that
they both died as a result of
something they so loved to
do.
Fallen Fighter Memorial.
Photos courtesy of Maureen Barber
Nancy Cox
December 10
Rosa and John Maher
December 1
Rosa Maher
December 14
Carl and Eileen Edelin
December 28
Patricia Adkins
December 17
Glema Balta
December 18
Margaret Springer December 22
Roger Steger Sr.
December 30
Enjoy the little things for one day you may look
back and realize they were the big things.
Robert Brault
Answers from page 1: 1B, 2A, 3C, 4B, 5C, 6A
Robert E. Knippenburg
17608 Old Dan’s Rock Road, SW
Frostburg, Maryland 21532
Phone: 301-463-6114
Cell: 301-268-3792
E-mail: [email protected]