Martinsville Bulletin, Inc.
P. O. Box 3711
204 Broad Street
Martinsville, Virginia 24115
276-638-8801
Toll Free: 800-234-6575
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J. Lloyd Gregory |
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
By PAUL COLLINS - Bulletin Staff Writer
J. Lloyd Gregory, who served 40 1/2 years with the Martinsville Fire Department, including nearly 20 as chief, died Tuesday at Memorial Hospital in Martinsville. He was 84.
Several current and former officials and associates remembered him Tuesday as a man who was dedicated to keeping the community safe, even at the risk of his own life; who emphasized training and modern equipment; and who helped establish several volunteer fire departments in the area and fire brigades at several factories.
They said Gregory was respected not only on the local and area levels, but on the statewide level, having served as president of the Virginia State Fire Chiefs Association, for example.
Gregory, of Martinsville, “was one of the leaders in the state in fire prevention” and “was one of the premier fire chiefs in the country,” said Clarence Monday, who was Martinsville fire chief from 2006 until he became city manager in 2007.
Under Gregory’s leadership, the city fire department won a number of first-place awards for fire prevention from the National Fire Protection Association, said current Fire Chief Kenneth Draper.
Monday said that, even though he didn’t work for Gregory — Gregory retired as chief in 1988 and Monday was hired as a firefighter in 1996 — Gregory “served as a mentor of mine up until today.”
Monday and several other current and former fire department officials said that after Gregory retired, he would come by the fire department regularly and talk about such things as the history of the department and current goings-on, fire service, interesting fires in his career and how the department was progressing. He also gave advice and insights.
“Chief Gregory was an outstanding man. He has really left a legacy,” Monday said.
Draper called Gregory “a fireman’s fireman” who loved fire service and its traditions. Gregory was a “historian” for the fire department, and with his death, “(we’ve) lost a bit of history,” Draper said.
Draper said he enjoyed working for Gregory and respected him. “He gave me my chance to be where I am right now,” Draper said, explaining that he applied for a job at either the fire or police department, and Gregory hired him. Draper has been with the fire department for almost 28 years.
The biggest lesson Draper said he learned from Gregory was “how to treat people.” Draper said he doesn’t think he ever heard Gregory raise his voice to anybody; he would keep an even keel; he could joke or, if needed, be stern. He was always calm at fire scenes, and he had a thorough knowledge of how firefighting worked — such as the hydraulics of a pumping engine and relaying water.
Jerry Brock, who was Martinsville fire chief from 1997 until 2006, said Gregory “was recognized as one of the greatest fire chiefs in Virginia.”
“He saw to it that we had good equipment, and stayed up with modern techniques. Not only was he a good fire chief, to me personally he was somewhat of a father figure,” Brock said.
Gregory was instrumental helping establish and train several local volunteer departments, including Axton, Bassett, Collinsville, Ridgeway and Fieldale, Brock and others said.
Several of the current and former fire officials and associates of Gregory also cited his helping establish and train fire brigades at several large industries, such as furniture factories, in the area.
Samuel A. “Pete” Pearman of Stanleytown, former fire marshal at DuPont and later corporate emergency response training coordinator at DuPont, said Gregory helped with training for the DuPont fire brigade and also helped set up a mutual-aid agreement between the DuPont fire brigade and the city fire department, in which each agreed to assist each other in emergencies.
Pearman said in the 1988, the largest fire school for industrial firefighters and local volunteer firefighters that has ever been held in Virginia took place at DuPont and Martinsville High School, and that he and Gregory were instrumental in that. Pearman added that 685 students attended
“He (Gregory) was a very outstanding person. He was interested in protecting property and saving lives in this community, whatever it took. He would put his life at risk to make that happen and has done that on many, many occasions,” Pearman said.
According to Martinsville Bulletin articles, Gregory joined the fire department in 1947, was promoted to captain in 1957, assistant chief in 1963 and chief in 1968. He was chairman of training for the Southwest Virginia Firemen’s Association and was third vice president of the Virginia State Firemen’s Association in 1974-75.
Gregory was appointed by the governor’s office to the state study commission for the creation of a state fire commission in 1977. He also served as emergency services coordinator for the city.
Jimmy Carter, executive director of the Virginia Fire Chiefs Association, said Tuesday that Gregory was first vice president of the association for the 1975-76 year, president for the 1976-77 year and past president for the 1977-78 year.
Local current and former officials and associates said Gregory’s passing is a great loss for the community.
“It’s a sad day for the fire department,” Draper said. |
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