| WESTERLY — Kicking off the first of five celebrations commemorating 100 years of service, the Westerly Ambulance Corps unveiled its new logo and two new vehicles Friday at a well-attended public ceremony.
The Westerly organization is the oldest private volunteer ambulance corps in the country and now has some of the most modern medical and rescue equipment available.
Ronald J. MacDonald III, who is in his ninth term as president of the board of governors of the Westerly Ambulance Corps and a past commander of the corps, spoke about the many changes he has seen in his 30 years of service.
“From the types of ambulance modes, increased levels of training, to rapidly evolving medical technology… it is amazing to think of where the corps started back in 1917 . . . to what it has evolved to a century later,” he said, standing behind a lectern that held a large black and white photo of Dr. Frank I. Payne, founder of the Westerly Sanitary Corps, as the corps was known until the early 1950s.
“It will be up to the next generation to keep the corps’ momentum going forward and create more firsts for the organization. The most important thing for them is to remember is why this great organization was created back in 1917 and what made it survive this long — dedication, professionalism, and compassion and caring for our patients and community.”
The oldest volunteer attending the ceremony was Kenneth Parrilla, who joined the corps in 1958 when he was 20 years old and stayed on as a volunteer for 32 years.
“I drove the old Cadillac ambulances that they had with the big fins on the back,” he said.
Parilla was one of eight volunteers who were named as ambassadors for their long periods of service. Others were Norman Dion, William Gibney, Nicholas Stenhouse, and Charles McGrath III, who each joined in 1965. The group also included Thomas Gibney, who joined in 1971, Mark Melanson in 1974, and Raphael Castaldi in 1981.
“We wanted them to feel like they are in the spotlight,” said Philip Gingerella Sr., who chaired the 100th Anniversary Committee. “We wanted to make the public aware that these guys are the reason we’re here.”
One of the ambassadors, Thomas Gibney, said he joined in 1971 when he was 29 years old.
“I was just out of the Air Force and I was looking for something to do and I had been involved with first aid and water safety for quite a few years prior to that so the ambulance corps was just an extension of the first aid,” he said.
Gibney said the most significant advancement was changing from the “limousine” chassis to the box-type trucks, which happened in the mid-1970s.
“It was going from first aid to almost an emergency room on wheels,” he said.
The anniversary celebration has four more events to come: a private memorial service on June 16; an open house on Sept. 23; the Westerly Columbus Day Parade on Oct. 8; and a banquet on Nov. 4.
Gingerella, who joined the corps in 1991 at age 14, said the idea of multiple events was to include as many members as possible.
“The most important thing was to get in touch with as many members past and present as we could because they’re what made the place,” he said. “There’s been 1,000 members in 100 years and there’s five events and I’m hoping everyone can participate in at least one of them.”
chewitt@thewesterlysun.com |
