VILLAS — Lower Township Council honored Clarence Howard for 64 years of continuous service to the Villas Fire Company, Monday.
“He has probably been a fireman longer than most of the people in this room have been alive,” said Mayor Walter Craig.
He said Howard was born and raised in the Fishing Creek section of the township and joined the Villas fire company in 1944 “at the tender age of 14 while many of the township’s young men were off to war.”
Howard’s mothers, Georgiana, served as Assistant Fire Chief and a member of the Civil Defense Team.
In 1953, Howard was promoted to lieutenant and became Assistant Fire Chief from 1966 to 1988.
He served as a fire commissioner from 1968 to 1988 and became a charter member of Lower Township Rescue Squad where he served for 10 years.
Craig said Howard continues to serve as an active member of the Villas Fire Company.
Howard received a standing ovation with many Villas Fire Company members present in the audience at Township Hall.
Contact Fichter at (609) 886-8600 Ext 30 or at: jfichter@cmcherald.com
