The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1940-03-07
FIRE DEPARTMENT HONORS
FIFTEEN YEAR VETERANS
All Members Are Given RecOgni
ton At 18th Anniversary Gel
ebratiOn Tuesday Evening
DINNER ATTENDED BY 65

Nineteen members of the Oakland
Volunteer Fire Department, Inc,
were especially honored at the fiji :
teenth anniversary celebration held
Tuesday evening at the Manhattan
Hotel for their continuous service to
the community and organization over
long period of years. Other mem
bers of the department were also rec
ognized for their years of service and
activity.
The occasion was observed with a
turkey dinner to which members of the
fire company and about twenty five
other citizens of the community were
invited. Approximately there were
65 persons present upon the occasion.
An organization to fight fire in Oak
land had been active at various times
since 1894, but was not officially
formed until fifteen years ago, in the
early spring of 1925.
Those who had been charter mem
bers of the company and who are still
members Of the department received
the maximum of three 5-year stars
and included Edward A. Shaffer, pres
ident; Walter W. Dawson, Emroy Boil
den, John J. Sweeney, James Carney,
Eugene Carney, Leo Helbig, W. L..
Davis, L. M. Fraley, A. G. Gortner,
William Cover, James Hart, Grover c.
Stemple, C. Milton Sincell, Howard P
Stuck, Robert Wolfe, Ernest Town
shend, Sr., Arthur Lawton, William R.
Browning. Mr.. Browning, in brief
speech, accepted the honors for the
entire group.
Those having been members for ten
years, who received two 5-year stars,
were James Kerins, James Lewis, Err
nest Townshend, Jr., Frank Blake, and
Abraham Lawton.
Those having been members for five
years and who received one star, in
cluded Lee R. Mason, DIR. E. I. Baum
gartner, Michael Maroney, Howard
White, Robert Lohr, Clarence Spear,
Paul Turney, Ralph T. Thayer, Rich
ard Helbig and Robert Stanton.
Membership cards were presented
to John Criss, Joseph Stanton, George
T. Kerins, Michael Dewitt, A. G..
Hesen, Richard Glotfelty and Bud
Lewis.
Walter w. Dawson as POSTMASTER,
called on Grover Stemple, assistant
chief, as a representative of the fire
company, and the following as rep
resentatives of the groups present, for
two minute talks, some of which ran
over the allotted time and some under:
Blaine Giessman, for the County
Commissioners; Clifford Friend, as
State Senator; F. E. Rathbun, for the
schools; Neil C.. Fraley, for enforce
ment officers; DIR. C. Oscar Hall, for
Mountain Lake Park; George Hanst,
for the press, and Julius G.. Rennin-
ger, for the town of Oakland.
Mr.. Dawson pointed out seriously,
between jokes, that the Oakland Fire
Company had an investment of $4,000
in it's trucks and equipment and that
for the past fifteen years had answered
an average of thirty-three calls an
nually for total of Ais calls and that
the company had not been limited as to
distance travelled nor to the type Of
call. Drownings, various calls for re-
suscitation of individuals overcome by
gas and other causes, and journeys to
places as far distant as twenty-five
miles We're pointed out.
Other guests at the dinner included
County Commissioners Cheston r.
Browning and Paul M. Friend, Henry
w. McComas, Earl Shartzer, j. w.
Owens, A. G. Ross, 1. R. Rudy, H. c.
Riggs, Jesse ]. Ashby, Jr., Francis r.
Shaffer, Russell Pancake, w. o. Davis,
Frank A. Smouse, Russell H. Brown
Frank Kley, James Compton and
George Fulk.