Show fire chief at 90 still heads force he formed in 1920 FLORA ILL still head of the volunteer fire department which he organized 27 years ago 90 year old uncle fay pay yeck yeek ranks as one of the oldest if not the oldest fire chiefs in the nation recently appointed by mayor leo alien allen to the lob job tor for four more years yeck admits that his years are numbered but his seamed brown face showed little concern as he predicted I 1 don t think last out my term the white haired chief bas has helped fight most of the blazes in this southern illinois oil town tor for the last 60 years despite adminis tra tion turnovers he has held the post of fire chief since he organized the flora volunteer department march 26 1920 when the volunteer fire department part ment was organized in 1920 its equipment consisted of a two wheel hose cart with a reel and feet of hose the veteran chief recalls the city paid a dollar to the drayman who would haul that cart to a fire and how the three or four braymen in flora would race to earn that dollar he adds next advance in equipment was an old steamer regarding this ma chine yeck relates the fire would be out or else the place would burn down before they d get up steam to get it there the 30 volunteers include the mayor police chief a bank cashier theater owner game warden a bar ber and an undertaker they fight fires without pay because they re all good hearted fellows I 1 guess they enjoy it though especially those pinochle games at their meetings every month over the fire house uncle fay s office Is a little desk under a stairs where he works from 8 to 5 every day but I 1 in subject to call at all hours like a country doctor he has two trucks one s 13 years old the other s 8 both as good as the day we got em ern although a tiny gold badge on his vest is inscribed E D yeck the genial chief explains that his name really is edwin dufay yeck but folks around flora just call me uncle fay especially the kids yeck who came to illinois from S ste st osville W va as a lad of six recalls that there were only three stores in flora when he arrived there he spent his early years in farming then was a barber for 50 years I 1 |