May Whittington, the most senior member of the CVFD Old Timers Club, was born in Hughesville, Maryland on May 1, 1917. May has resided in Clinton, Maryland for most of her life. She attended schools in Hughesville, White Plains, Bryantown and Surrattsville.

May is a life member of the Clinton Volunteer Fire Department Ladies Auxiliary and on February 18, 2006 she became an honorary member of the Clinton Volunteer Fire Department. May joined the CVFD Ladies Auxiliary in February 1939, where she became quite active in organizing and/or assisting the auxiliary with fund-raising events to benefit the fire department.

May has been a member of St. John’s Catholic Church since December 1930, the J. Paul Duke, Jr. Memorial Post 9376 VFW since 1967, the Clinton American Legion Post 259 since 1968, and the Columbia D.C. Lodge 126 Loyal Order of Moose in Clinton, Maryland since 1986.

May has served the various organizations in many capacities. She has been elected President of the Ladies Auxiliary eight times and, in addition, she has held the office of Vice President, Treasurer, Chaplain, Vice Chaplain, Historian and Guard to name a few. May has been named chairperson for various committees and has organized and assisted with many fund-raising events. She continues to be an active member in all of these organizations as well as the Old Timers Club.

May has received numerous prestigious awards for the time she has spent volunteering and for the unselfish generosity she has shown to the Clinton community.

Those are some of the facts about May the volunteer, but the May we all know and love best is the smiling, happy lady who lights up any room she enters.

It is a pleasure to sit and chat with May about her life and to hear her reminisce about the past. She always has a kind word or an interesting story to share.

When asked to share some of her memories, May says she recalls when “Woodyard Road was a two-lane dirt road and the town of Clinton had only two food stores, two gas stations, one bank and a Ford dealership. There was only one doctor in town and the Clinton Volunteer Fire Department had only two truck bays. Gasoline was 17 cents a gallon, bread was nine cents a loaf and you could buy a new Ford for $500.00.”

As a member of the Clinton VFD Ladies Auxiliary, May recalls organizing a bingo with Mrs. Peggy Penn for the benefit of the fire department. They used buttons in place of chips. They didn’t make much money, but had a lot of fun and managed to buy a broom for the fire department at B.K. Millers for 39 cents.

May has been a member of the “Old Timers Club” since it was organinized in 2003 and she regularly attends the meetings that are held at the fire department. She is very important to all of the club members and we look forward to her presence at our meetings.

May will be celebrating her 91st birthday on May 1.

Happy Birthday, May. We Love You

The following is a prayer written by May Whittington and Rev. James Taltavull for the Clinton Volunteer Fire Department Ladies Auxiliary:

Oh, Heavenly Father,
We gather here in the name of your Son Jesus Christ,
To ask your loving help and care on us in all we do
in the service of our members in this Fire Company.
Look kindly on our work.
Give us the Strength and Loyalty to duty that we need and
Shield all whom we serve from all harm.
In the name of your Son.
Amen

When the citizens of Clinton today ride past the magnificent Clinton firehouse and scrutinize the modern equipment and when a response to a call is made by firemen, it is the culmination of a vision by a strong and determined group of men that dates back to 1936.

As the Village of Clinton and its environs developed, most of the structures were built of wood, the prime target for fires. This was true of houses, barns, stables and in the center of the village, business firms and churches. The only brick building was the Clinton bank which opened in 1920. Indeed, two fires in the village in the 1920’s served to propel the movement for the establishment of a fire fighting unit. The John Jenkins home, located at the end of Bradley Lane, burned to the ground and all possessions were lost. On a stormy summer morning the large barn used by the Schultz Brothers Store was struck by lightning and since it was filled with bales of hay, straw and other goods, it burned rapidly and completely.

It was about this time that a young builder and designer came to Clinton and proceeded to buy lots fronting on Old Branch Avenue near the Episcopal and Catholic Churches. He constructed several frame houses and in 1927, the Gwynn brick house. In 1928, he built the Christ Episcopal Church. The builder, Mr. Harry Bradley, visualized the need and devoted his efforts to accomplish the organization of the Clinton Volunteer Fire Department. The temperature was chilly that day on December 28, 1936, but that evening fifteen men from Clinton gathered to organize “Company 25″. Mr. Harry Bradley was elected Chief and first president and sent the enthusiastic members to collect donations from private citizens and business firms.

In February 1937, the first fire truck was obtained and Mr. Frank Reh allowed the truck to be parked on his farm (opposite the entrance to Chris Mar). Fire calls were received at the Schultz Brothers General Store and then from there firemen were called as quickly as possible to meet at the fire truck and proceed to the fire.

On a small parcel of land obtained directly behind the Clinton Bank, almost opposite the present fire house, a two-engine house was begun in 1937 and occupied in 1938. It served the Clinton area for 22 years. Another new Brockway tanker was bought in 1940, the beginning of the company acquiring new equipment as needs arose and as funds could be obtained. An early fund raising method was the annual carnival. This was supplemented by special events, dances, raffles and pledges to donate. The roster of early members has been lost but charter member Millard Schultz recalls some of the original members: E. White, E. England, E. Melson, T. Miller, B. Gwynn, R. Schultz, A. Dellinger, G. Singer, M. McKinney, H. Miskell, K. Dennison, B. Thompson, J.T. White, A. Penn, and H. Bradley.

Steady progress toward the full realization of the outstanding outfit that it is today began after World War II when in 1946 two lots across Woodyard Road from the existing fire house were purchased for $1750.00, and plans for fund raising and design for a new building were made. The shell of the fire house was built in 1950 and the interior work, electrical, plumbing, heating, ceilings, floors, steel and appointments, were done by volunteers. In 1970 money was borrowed from Prince George’s County for an addition to house a ladder truck and renovation to provide sleeping quarters for 18 men. The original parcel was sold to the Clinton Bank and today Company 25 is situated in a modern, comfortable, and highly functional building.

One has to visit the busy and efficient fire house organization to realize the responsibility accepted by the Volunteers in the effective performance of their duties and to sense the enthusiasm and dedication of it’s members in performing this valuable service to their fellow men.

As President of the Clinton VFD-Old Timers Club, Inc, I welcome you to take a few minutes to visit our website. I am very proud of the accomplishments of this organization and equally proud of each and every club member.

The Clinton VFD-Old Timers Club, Inc. is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of antique fire apparatus and memorabilia of the Clinton Volunteer Fire Department as well as fire history in general.

Our club, officially formed in 2003, was originally an effort to rekindle past relationships with former members of Clinton VFD and to establish new relationships with present members. At a picnic dedicated to the former members, we discussed the possibility of forming a club to continue the camaraderie we once shared. Many of the members were interested, also, in trying to locate some of the old apparatus previously in service at CVFD in an effort to preserve the fire department history. One member had already located and purchased Clinton’s 1952 Mack L85 for his personal collection.

Thus, we began the search for other apparatus. Our club as well as some of the individual members have managed to locate and acquire seven pieces of fire apparatus, six previously in service at CVFD. We have used various resources in an effort to locate this apparatus, including the internet.

Our most prized acquisition is the 1947 Brockway Oren Pumper that was purchased by Clinton VFD in 1947. The department sold the Brockway sometime around 1959 to a fire department in Boyce, VA. It was sold a couple more times to departments in WV and was even said to have been used on a farm owned by John Warner and Elizabeth Taylor in Middleburg, VA. James Dorsey of Romney, WV eventually bought the truck. Mr. Dorsey repainted the truck, keeping the Clinton lettering and seal. He stored the Brockway for many years in a barn along with a 1951 Ward La France pumper. After contacting Mr. Dorsey via email, we visited him in Romney and made a deal to purchase both trucks.

In addition to the 1947 Brockway, the 1951 Ward La France, and the 1952 Mack, the club and/or its members have acquired Clinton VFD’s 1957 GMC, 1967 Ford, 1973 Maxim and the 1987 Ford Bronco Chief’s car. We are very proud of this unique accomplishment. The success of our ventures is due to the efforts of many hard-working and dedicated members.

Our club relies on various fund raising efforts to maintain and support its existence. Among these are yard/bake sales, raffles, and tending bar at the banquets of other fire departments.

In 2005 we researched and compiled some history of the town of Clinton. We used this information to produce a calendar and a history book containing photos and passages about the fire department, local schools and other landmarks in the town of Clinton. The calendars and books were sold to various businesses and members of the community, past and present. Some of the books were sold to the Surratt House Museum.

As a club, we participate in many Fire Department Parades. Some of the parades we have attended include, the Apple Blossom in Winchester, VA, Veteran’s Day in Leonardtown, MD, Colonial Beach, VA, Reedville, VA, Baltimore Firemen’s Expo, and the P.G. Co. Firemen’s Convention.