Oral History Interviews with Members of
The Port Washington Volunteer Fire Department
Fifty-eight current and past members of the Port Washington Fire Department sat down individually with interviewers from the Local History Center of the Port Washington Public Library. The “memoirists” (as they are known), whose span of service ranges from under two years to over sixty years, shared recollections of their unique experiences as volunteers in the fire department. They are listed below alphabetically, each containing the full text of the member’s interview along with a brief audio excerpt.
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In their own words …
Christina Alexander
Fire Medic Company No. 1
Member since 1994
view the PDF Transcript File
listen to the wav file excerpt
Donald J. Alexander
Protection Engine Company No. 1
Member since 1991
view the PDF Transcript File
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Anthony Augustino
Atlantic Hook & Ladder
Company No. 1
Member since 1941
view the PDF Transcript File
listen to the wav file excerpt
Lawrence R. Bergun
Fire Medic Company No. 1
Member since 1984
view the PDF Transcript File
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Christopher Bollerman
Atlantic Hook & Ladder
Company No. 1
Member since 1986
Chief of Dept 2003-2005
view the PDF Transcript File listen to the wav file excerpt
Daniel Robert Buettner
Protection Engine
Company No. 1
Member since 2002
view the PDF Transcript File listen to the wav file excerpt
Paul Carpenter
Protection Engine
Company No. 1
Member since 1975
view the PDF Transcript File
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Charles D. Cella
Atlantic Hook & Ladder
Company No. 1
Member since 1966
view the PDF Transcript File
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Walter J. Clark
Atlantic Hook & Ladder
Company No. 1
Member since 1980
view the PDF Transcript File
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Geoffrey P. Cole
Flower Hill Hose
Company No. 1
Member since 1975
Chief of Dept 1993-1995
view the PDF Transcript File
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Gerry Crooker
Protection Engine
Company No. 1
Member since1932
view the PDF Transcript File
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Protection Engine
Company No. 1
Member since 1957
Flower Hill Hose
Company No. 1
Member since 1991
view the PDF Transcript File listen to the wav file excerpt
Virginia Duncan
Flower Hill Hose
Company No. 1
Aux Member since 1942
view the PDF Transcript File
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Tina Ellerby
Fire Medic
Company No. 1
Member since 1980
view the PDFTranscript File
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Frederick Falconer Jr.
Flower Hill Hose
Company No. 1
Member since 1968
view the PDF Transcript File
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Atlantic Hook & Ladder
Company No. 1
Member since 1960
Laurence Hatton
Flower Hill Hose
Company No. 1
Member since 1963
view the PDF Transcript File
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Deborah Henderson
Fire Medic
Company No. 1
Member since 1999
view the PDF Transcript File
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James A. Interdonatia
Atlantic Hook & Ladder
Company No. 1
Member since 1968
Chief of Dept 1997-1999
view the PDF Transcript File
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Robert Johnston
Flower Hill Hose
Company No. 1
Member since 1956
view the PDFTranscript File listen to the wav file excerpt
Janet Kimmerly
Protection Engine
Company No. 1
Member since 1983
view the PDF Transcript File
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Donald A. Kurz
Flower Hill Hose
Company No. 1
Member since 1972
view the PDF Transcript File
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Charles J. Lang
Flower Hill Hose
Company No. 1
Member since 1958
Chief of Dept 1987-1989
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Stephen C. Leeolou
Flower Hill Hose
Company No. 1
Member since 1948
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Louise Ligeri
Atlantic Hook & Ladder
Company No. 1
Auxiliary Member since 1957
view the PDF Transcript File
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Protection Engine
Company No. 1
Member since 1937
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Tom Mahoney
Protection Engine
Company No. 1
Member since 1930
view the PDF Transcript File
listen to the wav file excerpt
Walter Martinek
Flower Hill Hose
Company No. 1
Member since 1968
view the PDF Transcript File listen to the wav file excerpt
John T. Murray
Flower Hill Hose
Company No. 1
Member since 1949
Flower Hill Hose
Company No. 1
Member since 1965
Chief of Dept 1981-1983
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John Murro
Protection Engine
Company No. 1
Member since 1971
view the PDF Transcript File
listen to the wav file excerpt
John Olszewski
Flower Hill Hose
Company No. 1
Member since 1981
view the PDF Transcript File
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Frank Pavlak
Protection Engine
Company No. 1
Member since 1971
view the PDF Transcript File
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Glen Pedersen
Flower Hill Hose
Company No. 1
Member since 1987
Chief of Dept 2005-2007
view the PDF Transcript File
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Joseph Pennetti
Atlantic Hook & Ladder
Company No. 1
Member since 1958
view the PDF Transcript File
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Julius A. Picardi
Atlantic Hook & Ladder
Company No. 1
Member since 1947
view the PDF Transcript File
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Mike Pickering
Flower Hill Hose
Company No. 1
Member since 1974
view the PDF Transcript File
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Beverly Reese
Fire Medic
Company No. 1
Member since 1979
view the PDF Transcript File
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Robert Reese, Jr.
Protection Engine
Company No. 1
Member since 1958
view the PDF Transcript File
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John J. Ross
Atlantic Hook & Ladder
Company No. 1
Member since 1980
view the PDF Transcript File
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Raymond Ryan
Protection Engine
Company No. 1
Member since 1982
view the PDF Transcript File
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Daniel S. Salerno
Atlantic Hook & Ladder
Company No. 1
Member since 1985
view the PDF Transcript File
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John E. Salerno, Sr.
Atlantic Hook & Ladder
Company No. 1
Member since 1961
Chief of Dept 1991-1993
view the PDF Transcript File
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Michael Sawka
Atlantic Hook & Ladder
Company No. 1
Member since 1953
view the PDF Transcript File
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Thomas J. Tobin
Protection Engine
Company No. 1
Member since 1965
view the PDF Transcript File
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Walter L. Trapp
Protection Engine
Company No. 1
Member since 1971
Chief of Dept 2001-2003
view the PDF Transcript File
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Jacqueline Walters
Protection Engine
Company No. 1
Auxiliary Member since 1968
view the PDF Transcript File
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John Walters III
Protection Engine
Company No. 1
Member since 1986
Chief of Dept 2007-2009
view the PDF Transcript File
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Brian Waterson
Atlantic Hook & Ladder
Company No. 1
Member since 1996
view the PDF Transcript File
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Jane Weiss
Fire Medic
Company No. 1
Member since 1984
view the PDF Transcript File
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Richard Wood
Protection Engine
Company No. 1
Member since 1955
view the PDF Transcript File
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Scott Wood
Protection Engine
Company No. 1
Member since 1987
view the PDF Transcript File
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Salvatore Zimbardi
Protection Engine
Company No. 1
Member since 1961
view the PDF Transcript File
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Virgil Zirpolo
Flower Hill Hose
Company No. 1
Member since 1958
view the PDF Transcript File
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Peter J. Zwerlein
Protection Engine
Company No. 1
Member since 1969
Chief of Dept 1989-1991
view the PDF Transcript File
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William C. Zwerlein
Protection Engine
Company No. 1
Member since 1946
view the PDF Transcript File
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William G. Zwerlein
Protection Engine
Company No. 1
Member since 1961
Chief of Dept 1983-1985
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Memoirists attending the Port Washington Fire Department oral history presentation ceremony held at the Port Washington Public Library on April 14, 2007.