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Vergennes Honors Fire Chief Ralph Jackman— Passing of an Era

photo provided “Service above self” The motto of a man and a legacy that will stand the test of time.

photo provided Chief Jackman discussing the needs of Vergennes Fire Department with Governor Douglas and his wife.

photo provided Chief Jackman salutes the reviewing stand during the 2009 Memorial Day Parade. Driving the 1925 Boyer is VFD longtime member Mike Collette.

photo provided Two local and state legends, who revolutionized the science of fire fighting in Vermont, were VFD members Ray Davison and Chief Ralph Jackman.

photo provided With a marriage spanning 63 years, Meryl and Ralph Jackman at one of the many gatherings celebrating the VFD.

Tuesday January 5, 2010

By Cookie Steponaitis

    It is impossible to have lived in Vergennes at any time in the past eighty plus years and not to have crossed paths with Ralph Jackman. In his role as a Fire Chief, which began in 1954 and continued until 2009, to his presence on civic organizations including American Legion Post # 14, Rotary International and the Fraternal Order of the Eagles, and as a Meal on Wheels volunteer driver, people of Addison County knew Ralph Jackman by sight and by deed. Another fact was for certain, Ralph knew you by name as well and would greet you whether in the store or at the station. He was in motion, in action and in places to help people each and every day. Why?  The answer is simple, because Ralph believed in “Service above Self.”

    When the doors of the Vergennes Fire Department open this time however, it will be to greet the crowds of people who came to bid farewell to the man who wore many hats, but was loved in all of them. Vergennes Fire Department was Ralph’s second family and has thirty-five full time members and seven cadets operating at full capacity. With new trucks, the latest in training and a legacy of fifty-four years of Ralph Jackman at the helm the department carries a bit of him into every situation. “It is a team effort,” remarked Chief Jackman in a recent November 2009 interview. “When the community needs help, no matter the kind, we are there day or night. We can always be called on because we have the equipment, the training and the people who care.”

    While 2010 marks the beginning of a new decade for the nation, it also marks the end of a lifetime of service for one man to the community he loves. Born in Bristol, Vermont in 1924, Ralph Jackman served in the Bristol Fire Department before coming to Vergennes. He took the department from twenty members and a 1937 Dodge 300 gallon pumper and an older 1925 500 gallon pumper to state of the art training, equipment and accolades for his department. When he was not with his department and at trainings Ralph and wife of 63 years Meryl raised five daughters Lynn, Christine, Cathy, Susan and Carlene. In addition to leading the way for firefighting, Ralph was a part of critical decisions in the future of the town at many different levels.     

    When Tom Brokaw called the World War II generation, “The Greatest Generation,” he had men like Ralph Jackman in mind. Ralph epitomized unfailing dedication and devotion to family, country, flag and excellence and went about his life making each day one that mattered and impacted his community. Active and healthy until just the last few months of this year, he brought people together and taught them by example how to serve others with pride and responsibility. He took on challenges including the defense of his country and took each morning with the same grit that took him through the Battle of the Bulge. He had a word of encouragement for all, a firm handshake and an ability to cut through rhetoric with a simple look or glance. He served because he could and he set the standard for others to follow.

    As a town, a community and a state come to say farewell, you will hear the words and teachings of Ralph Jackman in the conversations that flow in and outside the fire house. “Honor, Service, and Devotion” will be heard amidst the stories of Chief Jackman and his influence in the community. Perhaps the greatest legacy of Chief Jackman is that what he set in motion will continue. The bonds and commitment of his department and others like it around the community and state are passed to the next generation where they are firmly held and carried forward with the same pride, devotion and dedication of the past. While Vergennes honors the passing of a man and the end of an era of his service, they recognize the commitment that continues on, a legacy from one man who so loved the town he called home and the people he called family.

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