| On December 5th, 2009, the Officers and Members of the Ridge Volunteer Rescue Squad held their 60th Annual Installation of Officers. This year's installation was special for two reasons; the celebration of our 60th year of EMS service to the First District, and a dedication and remembrance of our Past President and Life Member Joey Titus. The evening started with cocktails at 5:30pm at the Ridge Volunteer Fire Department in Ridge, MD. At 6:30pm, the Master of Ceremonies for the evening, Judge Jenks Mattingly, introduced himself and invited all to a wonderful dinner prepared by the Ridge VFD Auxiliary. After the meal, MC Jenks Mattingly continued with an introduction of all the guests in attendance and then Mr. Bobby Balta, Past President of the Maryland State Firemen's Association, inducted all incoming Administrative and Line Officers. The 2010 Ridge VRS Officers are as follows:
Administrative Officers:
President - Amy Raley
Vice President - Jessica Titus
Secretary - Michele Barickman
Treasurer - Christy Bright
Board of Directors - Frances Ann Cullison
Board of Directors - Jack Cullison
Board of Directors - Paul Sullivan
Board of Directors - Debbie Drury
Board of Directors - Joe Greer
Line Officers:
Chief - George Gatton
Assistant Chief - Debbie Drury
Captain 49A - Jannet Keister
Captain 49B - Jessica Titus
Lieutenant 49A - Michele Barickman
Lieutenant 49B - Greg Askew
Lieutenant 49C - Christy Merrell
Safety - Rich Merrell
Chief Engineer - Leroy Owens
Engineer – Brian Evans
Engineer - Eddie Boswell
During the awards ceremony, President Amy Raley and Chief George Gatton presented several certificates of appreciation to the surrounding Fire and EMS Companies that have provided mutual aid and assistance throughout 2009. Following that, awards were presented to the Ridge VRS members as follows:
Length of Service:
Leroy Owens - 5 years
Debbie Drury - 10 years
George Gatton - 25 years
Jack Cullison - 45 years
Frances Ann Cullison - 45 years
Jack and Francis Ann both received proclamations from St. Mary's County (Commissioner Dan Raley) and the State of Maryland (Senator Roy Dyson and Delegate John Bohanan) for their 45 years of service.
Life Membership:
George Gatton
Jessica Titus
Top Runner for 2009:
Debbie Drury
President's Award:
Jessica Titus
Debbie Drury
George Gatton
Chief's Award:
Dawn Moore
Martha Barnes
Rookie of the Year:
Hollie Ridgell
Squad Member of the Year:
Debbie Drury
The Titus Family was presented with a framed memorial photo collage of Past President Joey Titus. Several emotional speeches and dedications were given. Then, the Titus Family came forward to announce that they have established an award in Joey's honor. The award, the Joseph C. Titus Leadership Award, will be ran and monitored by the Titus Family. The Award is for the Ridge VRS member who has shown great leadership qualities in their duties and their life. The Award consists of an individual plague for the award recipient and a larger plague to be kept at the Squad that will list the names of the recipients. This year's inaugural recipient of the Joseph C. Titus Leadership Award was President Amy Raley. Joey was a powerful force in our Rescue Squad and our lives. He is sorely missed by all that knew him.
Following the awards, members and guests were entertained into the night by DJ Coop (Sam Cooper).
The Officers and Members of the Ridge Volunteer Rescue Squad would like to thank the members and Auxiliary of the Ridge Volunteer Fire Department for providing such a wonderful meal, the crew from the Lexington Park Volunteer Rescue Squad for providing a fill-in crew so that our members could enjoy the evening, Debbie Fairfax and Lisa Schumann for providing great bar-tending services, Judge Jenks Mattingly for providing us an outstanding MC for the evening, DJ Coop (Sam Cooper) for the great music, and wish a speedy recover to Mr. Doug Medley, who was going to be our MC but had a medical emergency at the last minute. We look forward to another successful year in 2010! |
