Show fire chief at 90 still heads force he formed in iii 1920 FLORA ILL still head of the volunteer fire department which he organized 27 years ago go 80 year old uncle fay yeck ranks as one of the oldest if not the oldest fire chiefs in the nation recently appointed by mayor leo allen alien to the job for four more years yeek yeck admits that his years are numbered but his seamed brown face showed little concern as jie ho predicted 1 I dont think ill last out my term the white haired chief has helped fight most of the blazes in this southern illinois oil town for the last 60 years despite adminta 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 tn in 1920 its equipment consisted of ofa 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 ire fire and how the three or tour four braymen in flora would race to earn that dollar he adds next advance tn in equipment was an old steamer regarding tills this machine yeck relates I 1 the fire would be out or else the place f would burn down before get up steam to get it there the 30 volun volunteers volunteer tee rs include the ii mayor nayor police chief a bank cashier theater owner game warden a barber anil ana an undertaker they fight bres without pay because all good hearted fellows I 1 guess they enjoy it though esac especially those pinochle games at their meetings every month over the ire fire house uncle fays a little desk under a stairs where he works from 8 to 5 every day but im subject to call at all hours like a country doctor he has two trucks onese ones 13 years old the others 8 both as goodas good as the day we got em although a tiny gold badge on his vest is inscribed E D yeck the genial chief explains that his name really is edwin dufay yeek yeck but folks argand flora just call me uncle fay especially the kids yeck who came to illinois from sistersville Sisters ville W va as a lad of six recalls that there were only three stores in flora when he arrived there there lie he spent his early years in farming then was a barber tor for ou 50 years |