Historic Anniversary For GFD

CITY OF GREENSBORO                                                                                                                               Contact: Jake Keys

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                                                         Phone: 336-373-2105

                                                                                                           

Greensboro Fire Department Celebrates 50 Anniversary of
First African American Class

GREENSBORO, NC (October 26, 2011) – The Greensboro Fire Department will celebrate the 50 anniversary of the first African American class on Thursday, October 27, at 2 pm at the Greensboro Historical Museum. The event is free and open to the public.

This historic class was comprised of 28 men chosen from a pool of 300 applicants. They worked out of Station 4, located at 401 Gorrell St., in a department that at the time was still segregated. Among the original class was Ray Flowers who went on to become the first African American Fire Chief in Greensboro in 1993. He held that position until 1999, when he retired with over 28 years of service.

Speaking at the event will be former Fire Chief Flowers, Assistant City Manager Michael Speedling, Fire Chief Greg Grayson, and a special presentation by Battalion Chief Brent Gerald.

The original class members included:  Howard Drake, Julius Evans, Haywood L. Hammonds, Lenn McLaughlin, Harold Coble, Daniel Banks, Ray K. Flowers, Joseph Cheston, Robert Carmon, Jerome A. Gaither, Otis Jordan, Crawford Jones, Leon Roberts, Paul Walter, Louis Heughan, Emmanuel McLendon, Otis Sellars, George White, Robert Davis, Leo Cardwell, Percy Bigelow, Earnest McCoy, Eddie Coleman, Geoffrey Scott, Charlie Thompson, Frank Fortune and Lorenzo Benton.