Hill celebrated at retirement party
Party: Members of the West Lafayette Fire Department and EMS came out strong to support the retirement of West Lafayette Fire Chief Gaylord Hill, who served the community for over 55 years. Hill is standing sixth from the left. To his right is his brother Glenn Hill, who is the new West Lafayette Fire Chief. Beacon photo by Mark Fortune
WEST LAFAYETTE – Friends, family, and first responders came out by the dozens on Saturday afternoon, April 19 to celebrate the retirement of West Lafayette Fire Department Chief Gaylord Hill. The event was held at the First Baptist Church in West Lafayette and well-wishers gathered around Hill to talk about old times and express their gratitude for a job well done over the years. A table held mementos, newspaper clippings, photos and proclamations from elected officials including Ohio Governor John Kasich.
Hill said, “It’s a thing that makes you proud of what you’ve done and learned to do for the people of West Lafayette and the community. We protect four townships and we always try to do the best we can for everyone. I will miss all of it – but at my age things change and I’ll change with it. I have a lot of projects at home. I’ve always been busy and I’ll be busy.”
“When I became fire chief I realized there were things I had to learn and do – it was a bigger challenge than I thought. We’ve bought several vehicles and it’s a real challenge today to go out and raise money but the people of West Lafayette have been good to us and have always supported us.”
West Lafayette Mayor Jack Patterson said, “I was hoping that he would retire while I was Mayor. That honor of being able to show him how much we appreciate everything he did I could do it with the authority as the Mayor and as of Dec. 31 he retired. I remember a few years ago we went to Wisconsin and picked up a fire truck. They invited me to go along and that was very enjoyable.”
Mayor Patterson said, “I will miss the old way of doing things. Gaylord was strict – but they respected him. We got things done. I think that Glenn (incoming fire Chief Glenn Hill) will be similar since they are brothers. We have a good department – we have a lot of seniority. I’m going to miss him.”
Mayor Patterson said of the turnout for the event, “I hope he feels like I do – I’m very, very proud of the people that showed up, even non-residents. I expected some residents to show up – and they did – but non-residents like the Mayor of Coshocton and several Township Trustees, that makes me feel good, that they’re aware of him and what he has done and wanted to show their respect to him.”
mark@coshoctoncountybeacon.com
Category: People & Places
