| Sunday March 30th, hundreds of people gathered at the "Huntingtown Hall" located at the Huntingtown VFD to honor the life and legacy of Past Chief/Past President/Charter Member William "Bill" Schrom III. Included were approximately 100 firefighters, majority members of the Huntingtown VFD. Many thanks to the St Leonard and Prince Frederick VFD (fill-in crews), the Honor Guard, Bagpiper Art Murray (Retired DCFD), the SMVFA, Calvert F/R Association, and many others who were present and assisted with the services. Below is brief history of the accomplishments of Bill Schrom:
Bill joined the Huntingtown Volunteer Fire Department as a Charter Member in 1972, at the young age of 23. His aspirations were many. Bill was appointed HVFD's Fire Marshal (a.k.a. Fire Prevention Officer) in 1976. Following this, he was elected to the position of Fire Chief in 1979, holding it for two years.
Later, Bill moved to the administrative side of the department to see what improvements could be made. He served on the Board of Directors from 1981 - 1983, 1990 - 1992, 2000 2003, and also in 2007; serving as the Chairman in 1992. Following his term on the Board of Directors, he served as Treasurer and Vice President. Bill held the Office of President for 7 consecutive years from 1993 - 1999 and another 3, from 2004 - 2006.
Bill is the only person to be elected as President and as Fire Chief in our department. During his Huntingtown VFD membership, he had been an active leader in the current and future progress of the department. One of Bill's many accomplishments while President, was his outstanding and tireless work on the new building addition. He orchestrated the land purchase, site and building engineering, and loan acquisitions. As point man, he tied the various committees, Board of Directors, and contractors together; facilitating this massive project. Another example of his contributions was his oversight of the administrative staff as HVFD was taken into the automated stage of accounting and bookkeeping.
Bill's talents, knowledge, and diplomacy have helped our department time and time again, especially with his dealings of outside agencies (county and state officials included). Because of this, Bill served as a member of the Calvert County Fire Rescue and Commission for many years.
With over 35 years of service, 24 years on the administration side of our department, it is clear that Bill has dedicated his entire life to the Huntingtown VFD. Without his input through the past and present, we can safely say that Huntingtown VFD would not be where it is today. HVFD looks forward to the future, drawing upon his life experiences and wisdom. Bill will truly be missed.
Pictures of the service courtesy of member, Dennis Hook: www.dchookedonphotography.com |
