History
In 1986, Mr. Thomas S. Gwynn, Jr. leafed through stacks of meeting minutes and interviewed past and current members of CVFD to produce an overview of the first Fifty Years of the Clinton Volunteer Fire Department. On November 8, 1986, members of the organization, past and present, gathered with dignitaries and friends to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the department.
Excerpts from that program have been placed online for your enjoyment. Over the next few months, the Old Timers Club will continue to update the timeline of the department If you have any details to add to this timeline, please feel free to send an email to the Old Timers Club.
PREFACE
An intensive overview of the span of over a half century of the Clinton Volunteer Fire Department reveals that its members and officers exhibited at all times a determined devotion to duty, an ardent desire to serve well the community, and an inherent enthusiastic pride in the operation and accomplishment of the department.As would be expected in a fifty year period, membership fluctuated reflecting the age of individuals; ability to serve; availability to report “when the siren sounded;” the call to military duty on an active or inactive status; the adherence to a definite code of performance and behavior; and the factor of a mobile population.
Organized in the democratic manner of an American community, the Department experienced a wealth of officers, all elected from the membership roles, that personified the traits of sincere leadership, dedicated service, continual willingness, and a desire to serve their community and their fellowmen. Those in the ranks caught “the fever of service” and rendered duty that enabled the Clinton Department
to achieve an enviable and foremost record of accomplishment among their
contemporaries serving elsewhere in Prince George’s County.
On this commemorative occasion, November 8, 1986, we salute the Department and offer our heart-felt congratulations on its success.
Thomas S. Gwynn, Jr.
NOTE
For an organization that has existed for fifty years, the officers are to be
commended for writing and preserving their official records. Following are excerpts of other than routine events which have marked the history of the Company.