Legends of Leesburg

The following list of Legends has been compiled by J.B. Anderson, John Pumphrey, Terry Frye, Tommy Downs, Rick Etter and Jim Fazekas. These members have shown great leadership, long service or selfless commitment in helping to make the Fire Company what it is today. In compiling this first list of legends, it was decided that, with two exceptions, we would only consider members who joined prior to 1975. It will be up to the next generation of members to decide who should be added to this list. Information about our membership is limited but we have done our best to honor and remember all of those who have contributed greatly to our Company.

Thomas B Cockey

Thomas B Cockey was the owner of the Cockey Co., a foundry located on King Street by the railroad. It is unknown when he became a member but he was first listed as a fireman in 1872 with the Fire Department. He served as secretary for two more years, then in January 1875, took over as Captain of the Fire Department, relieving J.J. Stansburg. Mr. Stansburg had served at the Captain of the Department since it was reorganized by the Town on December 23, 1870.

In March 1876, the Fire Company fought a fire that did not go well because of issues with the hand pumper and a lack of water. The newspaper made the point that the Town didn’t have the resources to fight fires efficiently. The next day when the Town Council met, one of the first items of business was to receive the yearly report from the Chief. After the report was read “the Council unanimously declined to accept the resignation of the members of the Fire Department, and the Mayor was directed to return to said Department the thanks of the Council for the satisfactory performance of their duties during the last year.”

It may have been that the firemen genuinely wanted to resign or it may have been Captain Cockey playing “hardball” with the Town Council. The result was the firemen didn’t quit and the Town built four cisterns, each with a 5000-gallon capacity.

In 1894, after at least twenty-two years in the Company; nineteen of which as chief, Mr. Thomas Cockey was replaced by Mr. S. W. Norris. DuringChief Cockey’s tenure, the fire company had just moved from the original shed by the Market House to Wirt Street, then to King Street and finally into the Opera House. The Town had gone from having a single company to two and the citizens’ confidence in the fire company was high.  Chief Cockey had also worked diligently to get the Town to supply the Department with needed equipment and resources. He was able to procure from the Town a new hand engine, hose carriage and alarm bell. That bell was first hung on the King Street fire house then moved to the Opera House / Town Hall and is currently located in front of Leesburg Fire Station No. 1 on Loudoun Street. 

Obed C. Cooksey 

It is unknown when Obed Cooksey joined the fire company because of missing records. He was a member of the 1925 reincorporated Fire Company, a firefighter from 1930 until he became a driver for Company 2, in 1936. On January 4, 1937 the members of the Leesburg Fire Company voted to make O. C. Cooksey an honorary member of the company. He was removed from the active member list and was to be paid twenty dollars a year at the same time that the company was paid by the town, as long as he lived. Mr. Cooksey was given all of the privileges of the company and a vote in the company’s meeting if he so desired, “with the exception that he must not take part in and of the company’s active service in fighting fires.” (Emphasis added) 

William J. Perry

It is unknown when he became a member, but there is a “Wm. Perry” listed as a member of the reorganized Fire Department of 1907. He is listed as a member of the 1925 reincorporated Fire Company. From 1930 to 1935, Mr. Perry is listed as a firefighter and Plug Man for Company 2. At the January 29, 1931 Company banquet he was awarded a fine gold tie pin in recognition of his “faithfulness in responding to fire alarms.” The records credited Mr. Perry for responding to 39 out of 41 calls the previous year in 1930.  He is listed as a driver in 1936 and a firefighter again in 1937. On June 19, 1939, William Perry was taken off the rolls for inactivity; however, on July 3, 1939, the members of the Leesburg Fire Company voted him as an Honorary member. He was allowed to keep his uniform and take part in all activities of the fire company, attend meetings whenever he chose to and to offer his assistance any way he saw fit. He did not have a vote in the company’s affairs and did not receive any pay from the town, at his request. “He was made a life member in this manner. “

Louis F. Atwell

Born December 20, 1888, Louis (spelled Lewis in the minutes) F Atwell became a member of the Fire Company on February 16, 1925. He was voted in right after the High School Fire and his election, along with four others that night, brought the membership to a full 20 firemen. The first motorized fire apparatus would arrive a few months later. In 1931, Mr. Atwell became Captain until 1933 when he was elected Assistant Chief through 1934. He served as Chief of the Fire Company from 1935 through 1937 and then was listed as a driver until 1947.  In November 1946, Mr. Atwell was so sick that the membership voted to send him flowers at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. It is assumed that after his illness, he served as a trustee for the Company for many years but the minutes are vague. In 1937 and 1942, Mr. Atwell had perfect meeting attendance. He served on the pool committee in 1953 and the truck committee in 1954 – the one that purchased the GMC. At the January 2, 1961, meeting, the motion was made to have an annual oyster feast. It was amended by LF Atwell to make it a supper for firemen and wives, to be served by another organization. The last record we have of his meeting attendance was in 1962, giving him at least thirty-seven years in the Company. Louis Atwell died in May 1968, at the age of 80.

Times Mirror Photo, 1936

Arthur B. “Pop” Atwell

Born in 1892, Arthur Atwell served in World War I before joining the Company in 1920. He was first listed as a member in 1925, when he was included on a committee who met with the mayor and town council to upgrade the fire company equipment after the High School Fire. In 1930 through 1933, he was listed as a fireman and in 1937 he held the rank of Chief Engineer. During the next thirty-two years from 1932 to 1964, he served as a driver and pump operator. In December, 1941, just after the United States entered World War II, he and Secretary Matt Pulliam represented the company at the Defense Council meeting in Alexandria. In 1943 he was recognized for having perfect meeting attendance and in 1945, was appointed to a committee to look into a new truck. On March 18, 1963, he and four others were appointed to be Company Directors who were needed to sign the charter before it could be submitted. His signature, along with the eight other trustees and directors, gave the Fire Company their independence from the Town. In August 1963, Mr. Atwell was elected to be a member of the first Board of Directors.

In 1970, the Company honored him with several citations for his fifty years of service, along with a personal fire helmet and the title “Lifetime, Honorary Fire Chief.” During his time in the Company, Mr. Atwell pulled hand carts, operated the first motorized apparatus and moved the Company from the Opera House, to the fire station next door, and then to station 1. He was there for the D.C. parade in 1926, the first carnival, the ball field, the pool and the first beauty pageant. During his time, the Company went from wearing rubber rain slickers to Nomex turnout gear, from two known calls in 1920 to over one hundred in 1970. During his career, emergency notification went an alarm bell, to sirens and ended with dispatchers activating Plectrons and using radios. Arthur Atwell passed away at his home at 119 East Loudoun Street in Leesburg, on July 21, 1976. He was 84.

 Photo – 1969, Company President Karlton Kirk (L) presenting Mr. Arthur Atwell (R) with a citation for his years of service. 1976 Times Mirror Clipping JB Anderson Collection

James E. “Jim” Adrian

Jim Adrian was born on May 23, 1872. It is unknown when he joined the Fire Company but the earliest record of him being a member was in 1925. From 1930 to 1933 he is listed as a Plug Man for Company 2 and in 1937, a Plug Man for Company 1. In 1939, Mr. Adrian was appointed to care for the rec room and the fire house, a job that several other members had held in the past. He was commended for having perfect meeting attendance in 1941 and assisted the surveyor who plotted the newly purchased lot on Loudoun Street in 1949. In 1956, Mr. Adrian was eighty-four-years-old and in failing health. At the April 16, Company Meeting, the membership received Mr. Adrian’s resignation which stated “that he would like to be left on the roll as an honorary member with the privilege of attending meetings and visiting the ball park when he felt well enough to do so.” At the next meeting on May 7, 1956, the Company voted to retire Jim Adrian, after at least twenty-six years in the Company.

Leon T. “Len” Frye

We don’t know when Mr. Frye joined the Fire Company but the earliest account is in a newspaper article from 1923 that noted Chief L. T. Frye presided over the Fire Company Banquet so it is assumed that he became a member between 1907 and 1920. He attended the 1925 school fire and the subsequent meeting in the mayor’s office where the plan for new apparatus was developed. He led the fire company into the modern age of firefighting by going from hose carts and hand engines to a motorized pumper and ladder truck. Training was increased and soon, every man knew his job. Within a few years Leesburg had gained regional recognition as the most modern fire company in the area.  L.T. Frye was listed as a Fireman in Company 1 in 1930 and the Lieutenant of Company 1 in 1931, Chief again in 1932 and Lieutenant again in 1933. He also served as the delegate to the Virginia Firemen’s Association in 1931. In 1935 he became the Assistant Chief, then from 1936 to 1937, was the Plug Man for Company 1. Mr. Frye’s opinion was well respected by the men. In 1936, they voted “to let the town set the price on the “little pumper” and cooperate with anything they would like to do in regards to selling it to Middleburg, as

L.T. Frye in the field, 1925LVFC Archive Photo

suggested by L T Frye.”  On August 4 1947 Mr. L.T. Frye asked the Company to accept his resignation. Assistant Chief Matt Pullium, was tasked with writing an article concerning Mr. Frye’s long years of faithful service in the company, to be put in the papers. That September, Assistant Chief Matt Pullium, presented Mr. LT Frye with a watch for his long and faithful service in the Fire Company. Mr. Frye gave a short talk, and a picture of the presentation was made by Mr. Frank Raflo. A year later on December 20, 1948, it was noted in the minutes, that a visitor attended the Company meeting at Christmas time. Mr. LT Frye, now of Stoney Brooke Virginia and one of the towns old retired firemen, went around and shook hands with all of his old friends in the fire company. Chief Dave McDonald expressed his pleasure at having him attend the meeting and hoped that he would attend many more.

L.T. Frye in group photo, circa 1929 LVFC Archive Photo

Dave M. McDonald

Dave McDonald was born on July 22, 1892. In the 1930’s, he was a partner in the McDonald and Jenkins Chevrolet dealership and Garage in Leesburg. The earliest record of his service to the fire company is September 1925. He served as a fireman until May 18, 1931 when he resigned. He was reelected as a fireman on April 15, 1935, a driver for Company No.1 in 1936 and 1937, then elected Assistant Chief from 1938 to 1942. In 1943 he was elected Chief and led the company until 1956.

During his time, the fire company had men serve during World War II and the Korean War. In 1940, at his suggestion, the company purchased and ran an ambulance service for almost ten years. It was Chief McDonald; recognized for having perfect meeting attendance in 1946, who had instituted the first known awards and recognition for best meeting attendance and high call runners. In 1953, he presented Jock Pumphrey with a silver cup for his “fete of having perfect attendance at all meetings and fires.”

In 1951 he oversaw the acquisition of the Littlejohn lot at the corner of Loudoun Street and Dry Mill Road. Named Firemen’s Field, the property featured the only lighted baseball diamond in Loudoun County. For several years after constructing the field, the fire company sponsored a baseball team. In 1956, the only community pool in the county was opened at the field and operated by the firemen.  It was Chief McDonald that motivated the men to give of their free time to take care of the field and assist with events. The capital raised from the field and pool allowed the Company to become financially independent and provided them with the ability to split from the Town in 1961. On July 6, 1953 he oversaw the purchase of the first two Scott self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) by the company. He was such an effective leader and worked so well with Company Secretary Matt Pullium, that throughout most of the 1940’s the Company simply chose to leave the officers the same, at election time. Chief McDonald declined to run for re-election in 1961 and became one of the first Board Members in the newly incorporated 1963 Leesburg Volunteer Fire Company Inc. On February 11, 1965, A dinner was held at the VFW to honor Dave McDonald with a plaque for his many years of service and significant contributions to the fire company.

Chief McDonald in front of the 37 Seagrave. LVFC Archive Photo

Dr. Matthew Pulliam

Born on March 14, 1910, Matt Pulliam was working as a pharmacist when he was elected to the Fire Company on April 27, 1932. A year later, he was the one appointed to buy four sheets of paper for the secretary to use in charting fire alarms; the only order of business at the meeting. Matt served as secretary from 1935 until 1942. He was also listed as Nozzle Man for Company 1, in 1936 and 1937. In December, 1934, Matt served as the Chairman of the Christmas Toys Committee. The members collected toys which were refurbished by the membership and then handed out, along with candy and oranges, to one hundred and sixteen children in Leesburg. In 1935, Matt set up the fire company banquet and in 1937, the membership voted that he and the Chief draw up rules for cleaning and upkeep of the fire house and recreation room. Just days after the Pearl Harbor attack of December 7, 1941, Matt Pullium and Arthur Atwell attended a special meeting of the Defense council in Alexandria as representatives of the Leesburg Fire Company. The following year, Matt was called up for duty in September 1942. He served three years in the South Pacific with the Navy, and after the war

Times Mirror Photo, 1936

ended, was voted back into the Fire Company on December 3, 1945. Two meetings later, Matt was elected Assistant Chief in January 1946, and had perfect meeting attendance for the year. He served two years as the Assistant Chief, before being elected to Secretary again in 1948. 

Matt Pullium was very industrious individual and did a tremendous job for the Fire Company. The secretary back then was the second most important member of the fire company. The fire chief set plans in motion and relied on the secretary to take care of all the details. The duties included write and receive all correspondence, coordinate with all venders and interested parties and take part in just about every committee in the company. In the days before decent phones and the internet, you had to write letters and lots of them. Matt did that and more. In 1946 he began writing a weekly series for the newspaper about the Fire Company which received very good comments. In the 1950’s Matt Pullium worked with many of the committees responsible for the baseball team, the athletic field and associated events. He was responsible for researching other fire companies, contacting vendors for pricing and then purchasing the fireworks needed for the for the first Fourth of July firework display at Firemen’s Field.  On May 2, 1955, after 22 years with the Fire Company, Dr. Matt Pulliam tendered his resignation – it was accepted with regret. No reason was provided for his decision.

James B. “Big Jim” Anderson Sr.

James Anderson moved to Leesburg in 1932, when his job as a Lineman for the C&P Telephone Company brought him to Loudoun. He was elected into the Fire Company in 1935, when Jim Jackson left. In 1936 he was a driver for Company 1 and fixed the rope on the alarm bell in the town hall, when the siren broke. He was later appointed to keep the siren oiled. Mr. Anderson was recognized by the Town Council in 1938, for his “very valuable assistance during the emergency at the town pumping station, by operating the fire pumper in order that the town citizens would not be entirely without water.” He ran the pumper for over twenty-four hours, probably keeping the water tank filled until repairs could be made. Jim also received the sum of five dollars as a small compensation for his valuable assistance to the town. Big Jim continued to be listed as a driver for the Company through 1953. He was also appointed as a Company delegate to the Virginia Firemen’s Association and attended state conventions as far away as Cape Charles Virginia.

Jim Anderson in front of the
 37 Seagrave,  Matt Pullium to his right. 
1937 Company photo, LVFC Archives 

In late 1947, just after arriving at a house fire at the Lindsey farm near Lucketts, Big Jim was pulling hose when he heard gun shots. “Let’s get out of here, Dave,” he yelled, “their shooting at us.” “No, nobody’s shooting!” Chief Dave McDonald replied, “Let’s go in.” Shortly after the firemen made it inside, the dynamite stored in the basement exploded, injuring Jim Anderson and Owen Hough. Jim recalled later that the explosion slammed the door of the refrigerator into the pit of his stomach and he spent several days in the hospital with serious injuries that included a broken hand. The man who owned the house worked at a gun shop and had lots of bullets in addition to the dynamite; used for clearing tree stumps, he claimed.  Big Jim’s injury required the attention of Dr. J.T. Jackson in Leesburg and a Washington bone specialist. They did the best that they could but he never  regained the use of two of his fingers.

Chief Dispatcher Jim Anderson
at work. Times Mirror Newspaper
photo, DJ Wimer collection 

Jim Anderson went on to serve the Fire Company in many capacities, including the January 1955 committee assigned to look into purchasing and installing a swimming pool. On August 22, 1955, J.B. Anderson resigned and was made an Honorary Member. In 1959, he went to work for the County as a dispatcher at the just established Central Fire Control. He worked there for the next seventeen  years, retiring as Chief Dispatcher in 1976. Jim Anderson was known as a great teller of stories. The January 4, 1954 minutes show that “J.B. Anderson made an extended speech about the election of new officers.” In the 1970’s, the Loudoun Times ran a series of interviews with Big Jim, allowing him to pass along much of the history that he lived through.

James C.  Flemming Jim Flemming was born on Augus 3, 1905 and joined the Company in 1937 and assigned to be a nozzleman of Company 1. The following year he tied with Chief L. F. Atwell, Number one driver C. E. Newton, for perfect meeting attendance. In 1939, he was elected Lieutenant 2 and the following year was a Captain of Company 1. Also, in 1940, Jim Flemming and Stanley Reed were asked to attend the First Aid School that the Company was invited to participate in. He remained Captain until 1943 then was Assistant Chief until 1945. He was a driver from 1946 until 1948 when he was elected Lieutenant and tied with Oden Semone for fourth place in meeting attendance. Jim Flemming served the next seven years as a Lieutenant before retiring in 1956 with nineteen years of service.

James Flemming standing behind Dave McDonald in the 1937 Company Photo. LVFC Archives

Howard J. Leigh

Howard Leigh was born on June 17, 1910 and joined the Fire Company on December 4, 1939. Mr. Leigh was listed as a driver from 1941 through 1943, served a Company 2 Lieutenant in 1946, and then a driver again from 1950 to 1955. He was Captain of Company 1 from 1956 to 1958, Lieutenant of Company 2 in 1959 and then a driver through 1963. In October 1963, at the age of 53, Howard Leigh, along with Billy Fiske, Joe Grehan, Tom Donahoe and Currel Tiffany, completed the Fire School held in Purcellville. In 1964, Mr. Leigh was elected Lieutenant of Company 1.

Throughout the 1940’s, 50’s and 60’s, Howard Leigh served on many committees. From research on a new pool, ideas for new apparatus, a new siren to work on the Miss Honorable Fire Chief Beauty Pageant, he did as much as he could to help. In February 1959, he even donated a tow chain and two shovels to be carried on the trucks, probably due to a heavy snow. When the ball field was built, Mr. Leigh took charge of the gate, selling tickets and overseeing games and scheduling. Once the ball field and pool were closed, Mr. Leigh became the Chief Engineer as well as the acting Chaplin from 1971 to 1974.

On August 2, 1976, Mr. Leigh requested to be placed on inactive status; the Company instead voted to make him a lifetime, honorary chief of the Company. The following March, Howard Leigh thanked the Company for the honorary chief’s hat and the monitor that he received for his years of service.  In September 1977, after thirty-nine years in the Fire Company, Howard Leigh passed away. Letters in memory of Howard Leigh were received for over a month and read at the Company meetings. On July 17, 1978, the Company voted to purchase two flag poles in memory of Howard Leigh. Mr. Howard Leigh worked tirelessly in every aspect of the Fire Company; no job was too big or too small for him to give his full attention. Whatever the Company needed, he was ready to serve.

Tommy Downs presents Howard Leigh with his Lifetime Honorary Fire Chief Helmet. LVFC Archive Photo

A very proud Honorary Chief LVFC Archive Photo

Joe Grehan

Elected on August 3, 1942, Joe Grehan became a driver in 1943, and then was elected Lieutenant that May, serving such until 1945. On January 5, 1945, Joe left for active duty with the Army, served for about one year and then rejoined the Fire Company upon his return, on February 4, 1946. Joe resigned in 1947, and returned to the Company in 1955, serving as a firefighter for two years before becoming the Chief Engineer in 1957. He worked with Jock Pumphrey, not only in repairing apparatus but teaching new members how to operate them. Joe also worked the basket room at the pool and spent extra time assisting with maintenance. Joe was a driver in 1961, then a Lieutenant from 1962 to 1964. In August 1963, Joe was elected to the first Board of Directors and that October, graduated from the Fire School in Purcellville with Fiske, Leigh, Donahoe, Tiffany and Welch. He remained a Director of the company for several more years and in 1965, he was elected Captain. Joe Grehan was a trusted leader of the Fire Company whose contributions were significant.

Howard Gill

Howard Gill was the owner of Gills Service Station, located at the Market Street, Loudoun Street split on the east side of Town where Mom’s Apple Pie is today. He was elected into the Fire Company in 1946, and in 1948, was elected Assistant Chief, serving as such until 1962. In 1949, he made the motion, which was seconded by Clark Swain, that the Company buy the Littlejohn lot for $10,000. Once the ball park was built, Howard ran the concession stand and did a great job. Years later, J.B. Anderson remembers Howard made the best hamburgers in Town. At the end of the baseball season in 1950, Howard Gill turned in over $1500 in profit from the refreshment stand. At the January 21, 1952 meeting, Howard Gill made the motion, second by Jim C. Flemming, that the Company start a fund drive for the swimming pool, with a goal of $25,000 – it passed. The following year, Mr. Gill led the swimming pool committee, responsible for researching ideas for the new pool.

From 1955 to 1957, he was a Town Council member and still working on the pool for the Fire Company. In 1957, he bought the old ambulance and in January 1962, made the motion, seconded by Dave McDonald, that the Company become Leesburg Volunteer Fire Company Inc. That year, after fourteen years as Assistant Chief; mostly under Chief McDonald, Howard Gill was elected Chief. Also, in 1963, he was elected to the first Board of Directors.  He was Chief again in 1964 and went to McClean and Great Falls to look at fire stations. In 1966 and 1967, Howard Gill was elected President. It was President Gill in 1967 who stated that the Fire Company needed a new ladder truck and Pumper. After not holding office in 1968, Howard Gill was elected president again in 1969.

Howard Gill put in over twenty-five years with the Fire Company, most of which were spent in executive management. He and Dave McDonald drove the Company through a period of great change. During their time, the Company purchased the land and build a ball field, incorporated, moved into a new fire station and built and operated a pool.  Howard Gill was a true leader and valued member of the Fire Company.

John William “Jock” Pumphrey, Jr.

Mr. Pumphrey was the owner of Jock’s Exxon in Leesburg. He began work there in 1937 and remained there until his retirement in 2003, except for time out for service during World War II. Immediately following the attack on Pearl Harbor Mr. Pumphrey enlisted in the United States Navy, where he saw action in both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters. Jock Pumphrey was elected February 2, 1948, and seemed to enjoy it so much that at the end of the year, he tied for first place with Robert Long, in meeting attendance. Jock was elected Captain of Company 1 in 1949 and at the end of the year, he and Harry Jenkins split the prize money for third place in meeting attendance. From 1950 until 1956, Jock was the Chief Engineer, then a Driver from 1957 to 1959.

In 1953, Chief McDonald presented Jock with a silver cup for his fete of having perfect attendance at all meetings and fires (49 fires, 34 on town, 15 in town 429 miles traveled, 22 meetings). The following year, Jock was appointed to the committee to investigate putting two-way radios in the trucks after the Sheriff’s office said they would take calls for us. In 1954, Jock was assigned to another committee responsible for looking into pools. For years, Jock Pumphrey and Harry Jenkins took extra time to teach the firemen to operate the fire trucks. In 1955, Jock Pumphrey was assigned to the Honorary Fire Chief Committee responsible for coordinating the beauty pageant to select a contestant for the annual Apple Blossom competition.

Mr. Pumphrey was active in local government and resigned from the Fire Company in 1956 to serve on the Leesburg Town Council for eight years. Two major accomplishments during his tenure on the Town Council were the acquisition of the current Leesburg Executive airport and obtaining a permanent source of water for the community from the Potomac River. Prior to that, the town relied on wells for its water source. His major accomplishments in the Fire Company included keeping the 1937 Seagrave, 1947 Buffalo and the 1954 GMC fire trucks running. He known for always having time to help a friend or neighbor and was a very influential member of the community. In 1969, Jocks son, John Pumphrey, became a member of the Fire Company.

Thomas Everett Athey Born on January 14, 1920, Mr. Thomas Everett Athey was elected the Fire Company on February 3, 1948. For the next twelve years he was an active firefighter until 1960, when he was elected Captain of Company 2. In 1961, he was elected Captain of Company 1 and was appointed to the pool committee responsible for researching options for the proposed pool. In 1962 and 1963 he was Lieutenant of Company 2. In April 1963, Mr. Athey was appointed to be one of the Trustees needed to sign the incorporation documents, then was elected to the first Board of Directors once the Company became independent.  In 1964 he was Assistant Chief, followed by Chief in 1965 and 66. During that time Bingo started, the Ladies Auxiliary formed and the pool was closed. Mr. Athey was the Assistant Chief in 1967, a Lieutenant through 1972, and a Director on the Board during most of that time. On April 1, 1974, Mr. Athey submitted his letter of resignation; which was not excepted - he was placed on inactive status instead. He had earned great respect as a member of the Company for twenty-six years and one of its trusted leaders. Mr. Athey passed away in March 2008 at the age of 88.

Chief Athey LVFC Archives

Tom Donohoe

Tom Donahoe circa 1983

LVFC Archive Photo

August 7, 1950, Tom Donahoe was voted into the Company. Mr. Donahoe was an electrician and in December 1951, was assigned the task of hanging up a few Christmas lights on the outside of the front of the fire house on east Loudoun Street. In 1954 he served on the new fire truck committee which purchased the GMC pumper. From 1958 into the 1990’s, Mr. Donahoe was a driver and enjoyed it so much that in 1960, he made a motion at the meeting that the Company should attend as many parades as possible. J.B. Anderson remembers that Tom was famous for his safe and deliberate driving to calls and for returning to the station afterwards at a higher rate of speed.

Mr. Donahoe graduated from the same fire school as Billy Fiske and Hubert Welch in 1963. He was a leader in the fire company and held many operational and administrative positions. From 1962 through 1964 and again in 1972 and 1974 he served as a Captain. In 1975 he was a Lieutenant, in 1965 Assistant Chief and from 1966 through 1969, Vice President. He served as a Board of Director for over twenty years.

Mr. Donahoe also spent a lot of time assisting at the ball field and the pool - there was always work to do. Repairing roofs, winterizing buildings, working the concession stand or the gate, he did all of it. He was also involved in Bingo, the carnivals, and all other manner of fundraising events. His meeting attendance was incredible, fifty years without missing a single one. In fact, at a company meeting in 1994, the membership voted to place a conference call to Tom Donohoe who was in the hospital, so he could keep his record of meeting attendance perfect. A special amendment was also made to allow the exemption of the bylaws. On February 3, 1993, Tom Donahoe was honored by the Loudoun Board of Supervisors for 43 years of continued service. On August 7, 2003, Tom Donahoe passed away at the age of 88, having served fifty-three years in the Fire Company. The Tom Donahoe Life Time Achievement Award was established to recognize Company members with twenty or more years who have contributed greatly and significantly to the Fire Company.

Putting out the couch at a trailer fire             LVFC Archive Photo             LVFC Archive Photo	Tom Donahoe and Hubert Welch LVFC Archive Photo Mr. Donahoe receiving an achievement award from J.B. Anderson, at the banquet and getting a standing ovation. LVFC Archive Photo

Lester “Big Dude” Moxley

Elected in 1950, Lester Moxley was elected Lieutenant in 1951, serving as such until 1958, when he was elected Captain. He continued as Captain for two more years, before becoming the Assistant Chief in 1960 then Chief in 1961, when Dave McDonald declined to run. During this time, Dude Moxley worked at the ball field, scheduling games and coordinating events.  Dude Moxley served on the Board of Directors for almost fifteen years, until he resigned in 1975, with twenty-five years of service.

Edwin “Ed” Beavers

In 1950, Ed Beavers was elected into the Fire Company, serving as a fireman for the next few years. He also assisted with the concession stand at the ball field and the carnival, and was a member of the new pool committee. In 1956, Ed was elected Lieutenant and was assisting with the ball field and the softball team. In 1960 he was elected Lieutenant again, then served as a driver from 1961 to 1964, then back to Lieutenant. In 1965, he was a Captain then Chief Engineer in 1966. During his more than twenty years of service, Ed Beavers distinguished himself as a dependable member and an asset to the Company.

Alfred Phillips

Elected in December 1959, Alfred Phillips took over the management of the ball field in 1961. In 1964, he became Vice President, then served on the first Board of Directors. As the Vice President in 1965, he was responsible for looking into starting the Ladies Auxiliary. Mr. Phillips was a Lieutenant in 1966 and then President in 1968. He went on to serve over twenty years in the Fire Company, with dedication and commitment.

Frankie Howard

A member since 1961, Frankie Howard was the Company representative to the LCFA in 1966 and 1967, President in 1970 and Vice President in 1971 and 1972. In 1981, the Board of Directors recommended that Frankie Howard receive the Chamber of Commerce Firefighter of the Year award. For the next fifteen years he served on the Board of Directors and held a variety of positions until going inactive in 1997.  Debbie Etter remembers that Frankie was a very “by the book” kind of guy, which made him the perfect person to serve on the Board. During that time, he was also an operational firefighter and driver.

James William “Billy” Fiske Jr.

It was Billy Fiske’s father who started the Leesburg Fire Company’s First Aid Squad in 1939. Billy Jr. served as a corpsman in the Navy during World War II and then waited almost fifteen years for an opening at the Fire Company. During that time, he was a founding member of the Loudoun County Volunteer Rescue Squad and instrumental in helping to create the first true rescue service in the County. On September 4, 1961, James William “Billy” Fiske Jr. finally became a member of Company 1.  Once in, he got right to work as secretary from 1962 through 1963.

Billy Fiske and five other members graduated from one of the earliest County Fire Schools in 1963. In 1964, he was listed as a driver and later that year, it was Billy Fiske that made the motion to build the new fire station. For the next thirty years, Billy held just about every leadership position available. (Due to missing records, there are some gaps in the late 1980’s)

·  Sgt. - 1995 ·  Lieutenant Co. 1 - 1965, 1982-83, 1989, 1990, 92, 93 ·  Captain Co. 2 – 1966, 1978 ·  Captain Co. 1 - 1967, 1970, 1974

·  Chief - 1968, 1969, 1972, 1976, 1977, 1981 ·  Ass. Chief - 1971, 1975, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1994 ·  Board of Directors – at least ten years

Billy Fiske had a passion for the fire service and did everything he could to instill that passion in others. In

1997, with thirty-seven years in the Company, Billy was teaching the 15-hour training course for new members. He loved to complain about “them damn punk kids” but did his best to make great firefighters out of all of them. Billy’s wife Rose, served on the Ladies Auxiliary for many years. In 2010, the Fire Company honored Billy and his wife by dedicating the new Pierce Pumper Tanker in their name.  Billy had a huge heart, a great sense of humor and loved life, and Rose was a patient and wonderful friend. The Fire Company benefited greatly for their years of dedicated service.

Billy Fiske, circa 1973 LVFC Archive Photo	Rose and Billy Fiske LVFC Archive Photo
Billy at a very early training burn LVFC Archive Photo	Cheers! LVFC Archive Photo

Billy Fiske in the radio room at station 1

LVFC Archive Photo

Hubert “Hube” Welch

On February 18, 1963, Hubert Welch became a member; in August, was elected Chief Engineer. That October, he graduated from Fire School with Billy Fiske, Howard Leigh, Joe Grehan, Tom Donahoe and Currell Tiffany. Hubert was the Chief Engineer again in 1964. That year, he seconded Billy Fiske’s motion to build the new fire station, not to exceed $60,000. In 1965, Hubert went on inactive status to go to work for Fairfax County Fire Rescue as a mechanic. He still helped the Fire Company with odd jobs when he was able. In November 1977, one of his projects was to install the generator at station 1. The job he did was so appreciated, that the following month the membership voted to send him a “country ham and a bottle of booze for the work he has done for the Company.”

When Hubert retired from Fairfax in 1989, he once again became the Chief Engineer for Leesburg. In the early 1990’s, as the call volume increased, help was needed for the many day time calls. The Company hired Hubert as a paid driver. He would arrive first thing each morning, brew a pot of coffee then check out the apparatus. Once that was done it was time to sit down and shoot the breeze with his good friend Tom Donahoe. They enjoyed telling old war stories and arguing about everything. Members who had some free time used to enjoy sitting on these conversations; the stories were great and it was also fun to get them riled up. Hubert was a great driver, known for his speed and temper. Steve Early remembered times when Hubert would lean almost half of his big frame out the fire truck window to yell obscenities at a driver that had crossed the white line at an intersection, forcing him to work hard to make the turn. Hubert Welch was a part of Station 1 for almost twenty years and the just place hasn’t been the same without him. On the scene of a tractor trailer hauling turkeys that rolled over. LVFC Archive Photo  More to come.....

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