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Reflection upon two fire fighters' visit


I stopped by Beth-Haven Nursing Home today to pick up my fire department scrapbook that I loaned to former Hannibal fireman Joe Farrell a few weeks ago.

I wrote a story on Joe and his wife, Betty, regarding their careers: He worked as a Hannibal fireman both before and after World War II, and she was a proofreader-turned-women's editor for the Hannibal Courier-Post during that same era.

I posted three videos on this history web site of a visit between Joe Farrell and Mark Kempker, who is a current Hannibal firefighter. The two men with similiar backgrounds found a lot of common things to talk about.

Today, when I stopped in to see Joe, he said, "That fireman who came here sure has a lot of personality. When I was a fireman, the men I worked with didn't have an personality."

I think Mark Kempker can take that as a compliment.

To view the videos:

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