Show fire chief at 90 still heads force he formed in 1920 FLORA ILL still head ot of the dolunt volunteer er fire department which he organized 27 years ago 90 year old uncle fay yeck ranks as one of 0 the oldest it if not the oldest fire chiefs in the nation recently appointed by mayor leo allen alien to the job tor for tour four more years yeck admits that his years are numbered but his seamed brown lace face showed little concern as he e predicted I 1 dont think ill last out my term the w white hite haired chief has helped tight fight mos most t of 0 the blaz blazes es in this southern southe r illinois oil town for the last ast 60 years despite administration turnovers vers he has held the post of fire chief since he be org organized anizel 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 heel hose base cart with a reel and feet 0 of f hose the veteran ch chief lef recalls the city paid a d dollar 0 la to the drayman who would haul that cart to afire 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 machine yeek yeck relates the fire would be out or else the place would burn down before get up steam to get it there the 30 volunteers include the mayor police chief a bank cashier theater owner game warden a harder barder and an undertaker they fight ires without pay because 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 fays office Is a little desk ander a stairs where he works from 8 to 5 every day but im subject to call at all hours hotes like a country doctor he has two trucks ones 13 years old the others 8 both as good as the day we got eni 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 yeck but folks around flora just call me uncle fay bayl especially the kids yeck who came to IIII illinois nois from W va as a lad of six recalls that there were only three stores in flora when he be arrived there he spent his early years in farming then was a barber for 50 years j |