In that same year, young Gary Ward signed on as a volunteer with Valley Hill Fire & Rescue.
A fulltime firefighter for the Hendersonville Fire Department before his retirement, Ward was honored last week for his volunteer service, which continues into a sixth decade.
“He’s an active firefighter,” Valley Hill Chief Tim Garren said. “He comes out and helps us when he can.”
Although Covid restrictions prevented the department from holding its annual awards dinner, Garren and a handful of department leaders honored Ward recently at Fire Station 1. Fighting fires is not all Ward does.
“Gary’s a jack of all trades,” Garren said. “He’s always ‘McGivering’ things for us.”