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Friendly Way Day 2018 Honoree Paul Morrison

BUCKHANNON CELEBRATES THE MANY CONTRIBUTIONS OF OUR LONGTIME FIREFIGHTER & FIRE DEPARTMENT CONTRIBUTOR, PAUL MORRISON

3:00 P.M. FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2018
BUCKHANNON’S PUBLIC SAFETY COMPLEX
AT ONE FRIENDLY WAY

MAYOR’S PROCLAMATION

WHEREAS, the Council of the City of Buckhannon resolved in 2007, to honor the memory of our City’s longtime Fire Chief, Carl R. “Bud,” “Ole Friendly” Bennett, by naming & dedicating the newly established municipal street upon which our City’s Public Safety Complex is located as – “Friendly Way”; and,

WHEREAS, the Council further resolved thereafter to annually honor other members of our City fire department family who have substantially contributed to the high quality of life enjoyed by our Buckhannon-Upshur residents, while embodying the essence of Buckhannon’s “friendly way” as part of their public service to our community during an annual celebration to be known as “Friendly Way Day”; and,

WHEREAS, our past honorees were Bud Bennett in 2007, Harley Brown in 2008, Buddy Ray Zickefoose in 2009, Paul Mackey in 2010, Jack Ford in 2011, Larry Mackey in 2012, Jerry Wilfong in 2013, Wyatt Long in 2014, Dave Long in 2015, Kevin Goodwin in 2016, & Charlie Shaffer in 2017; and,

WHEREAS, our City is proud & privileged now to honor & celebrate the life & many contributions of “PAUL MORRISON,” who has served our Buckhannon Fire Department as a firefighter & department contributor in countless ways- on Friday, May 18, 2018 at 3:00 p.m. during a public ceremony to be held at our Public Safety Complex at “One Friendly Way” during our City’s 12th, annual “Friendly Way Day.”

NOW, THEREFORE, I, DAVID W. McCAULEY, MAYOR OF THE CITY OF BUCKHANNON, pursuant to the power & authority duly vested in me, do hereby proclaim Friday, May 18, 2018, to be “FRIENDLY WAY DAY” throughout our City of Buckhannon. I further proclaim that our City’s 2018 honoree shall be PAUL MORRISON. Further pursuant to the approval of our City Council, I hereby direct the installation of a permanent placard upon both the “Red Wall” & the “Buddy Bench,” located along Friendly Way between our City’s Public Safety Complex & Stockert Youth/Community Center to forever honor & recognize PAUL MORRISON.

I further urge all residents & Festival visitors alike to join our City’s most honored guest, PAUL MORRISON, his wife, Joan, & me, along with other members of his Fire Department family & our City government family, & friends near & far at our 12th, annual “Friendly Way Day” public ceremony to be conducted at 3:00 p.m. on Friday, May 18, 2018 at Buckhannon’s Public Safety Complex. May every Firefighters’ Parade Day conducted during our annual Strawberry Festival now & always be known as “Friendly Way Day” in honor & memory of our late, beloved Fire Chief, Carl R. “Bud,” “Ole Friendly” Bennett, & further in tribute to & appreciation of the public service of substantial contributors to our City including our 2018 honoree, longtime firefighter & contributor, who is greatly loved & respected by his firefighter brothers PAUL MORRISON.

Given under my hand and official seal of The City of Buckhannon, this 18th day of May, 2018

David W. McCauley

PAUL MORRISON BIO & FIREFIGHTER HIGHLIGHTS

  • BORN AUGUST 14, 1948 IN CLARKSBURG, BUT ATTENDED SCHOOL IN THE SOUTHERN COAL FIELDS OF WV
  • BEGAN FIRE SERVICE AS A BOY SCOUT WORKING ON HIS “FIREMANSHIP” MERIT BADGE
  • ATTENDED WV INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, PRE-MED MAJOR
  • GRADUATED FROM WVU PHARMACY SCHOOL & BECAME A REGISTERED PHARMACIST IN 1972; MARRIED JOAN!
  • JOINED GAULEY BRIDGE VOL. FIRE DEPT. IN 1972, ULTIMATELY BECOMING ASSISTANT CHIEF & TRAINING OFFICER
  • IN 1976 BECAME A WVU RESA INSTRUCTOR & ALSO PURSUED AN ASSOCIATE IN APPLIED SCIENCE DEGREE- FIRE SCIENCE TECH.
  • BECAME ONE OF WV’S FIRST EMTS!
  • FORMED & TRAINED GAULEY BRIDGE VFD IN SCUBA, VERTICAL ROPE RESCUE, SMOKE RESCUE, RIVER & WHITE WATER SAR, LOST PERSON SAR, & FLAMMABLE LIQUID SUPPRESSION TEAMS
  • IN 1984 HIRED BY U. OF ILLINOIS FIRE SERVICE INSTITUTE & STATE FIRE ACADEMY SERVING AS FACULTY MEMBER & ADMINISTRATOR
  • EARNED FIREFIGHTER II & III, FIRE OFFICER I, II, & III, INSTRUCTOR I, II, III, & IV, FIRE APPARATUS ENGINEER, FIRE INVESTIGATOR, HAZ-MAT, EMT A CERTIFICATIONS
  • HIRED BY U. OF FINDLAY, OHIO- DEVELOPED PROGRAMS FOR INDUSTRIAL HAZARDOUS MATERIALS TRAINING/TAUGHT TOXICOLOGY
  • RETURNED TO WV, PART-TIME INSTRUCTOR FOR WVU FIRE EXTENSION SERVICE + ASSIST. CHIEF FOR VALLEY VFD + MASTERS IN OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH & SAFETY AT WVU
  • 2001: PARTIAL RETIREMENT & MOVE TO FRENCH CREEK (WATERLOO) WHERE HE’S SERVED AS AN ADVISOR & CONTRIBUTOR FOR 17 YRS. TO BUCKHANNON FIRE DEPT.; 46 YRS. A PHARMACIST & FIREFIGHTER

NOTE: IN ADDITION TO PAUL MORRISON’S PLACARD ON THE BUDDY BENCH, PAUL’S NAME PLATE ALSO WILL BE ADDED TO THE PLAQUE DISPLAYED IN THE LOBBY AT CITY HALL THAT BEARS THE NAMES OF ALL OF OUR PAST FRIENDLY WAY DAY HONOREES!

PURSUANT TO OUR CITY COUNCIL’S DIRECTIVE & MAYOR’S PROCLAMATION, A PERMANENT BENCH WAS INSTALLED IN MAY, 2009 ALONG FRIENDLY WAY BETWEEN OUR CITY’S PUBLIC SAFETY COMPLEX & STOCKERT YOUTH CENTER BEARING THE INSCRIPTION & LEGEND:

THE “BUDDY BENCH” ON FRIENDLY WAY

DEDICATED IN HONOR OF “BUDDY” RAY ZICKEFOOSE

THE “BUDDY BENCH” IDENTIFIES ALL 12 OF OUR FRIENDLY WAY DAY HONOREES, INCLUDING THIS YEAR’S HONOREE, PAUL MORRISON:

2007 – CARL R. BENNETT (1913-1991)
2008 – HARLEY BROWN (1932-2017)
2009 – BUDDY RAY ZICKEFOOSE
2010 – PAUL B. MACKEY (1922-2016)
2011 – JACKIE L. “JACK” FORD (1936-2013)
2012 – LARRY MACKEY
2013 – JERRY L. WILFONG
2014 – WYATT LONG
2015 – DAVE LONG
2016 – KEVIN GOODWIN
2017 – CHARLIE SHAFFER (1925-2017)

FROM MAYOR’S PROCLAMATION OF MAY 18, 2018

“May every Firefighters’ Parade Day conducted during Buckhannon’s annual Strawberry Festival now and always be known as “Friendly Way Day” in honor and memory of our late, beloved Fire Chief, Carl R. “Bud,” “Ole Friendly” Bennett.”