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From: Matthew George <matthewbg@gmail.com>
Subject: Julian Calvin George
Date: January 18, 2011 4:04:22 PM PST
To: Larry Schneider <truckcompany50@gmail.com>

Good Afternoon:

My uncle Julian Calvin George, a veteran of LAFD, passed away last week just shy of his 90th birthday. I believe he was in Company 28 from the 1950s (possibly the late 40s) and retired sometime in the late 60s or 70s. His son Dick (also a veteran of LAFD who retired about 10 years ago) will almost certainly have notified any surviving members of the company but just in case he has been overwhelmed with the details of making arrangements for his father, I thought I'd write in case you have a newsletter or in memoriam.

You brightened my day when I found a photo of Julian heading for the pole in the Cecil Lynch collection. If you have any service records publicly available, I would love to read about him as I remember his extraordinary life. He was a spell-binding storyteller but he never let details or facts get in the way of an account. I don't want to put anyone to any trouble, and I certainly don't want any materials that would be personal or confidential, but if there is any sort of summary of his years of service I would be forever grateful- to hear him tell it, they spent most of their down time plotting and executing elaborate practical jokes (I believe it got out of hand and there were some reprimands issued) and firing handguns indiscriminately in the basement.

Thank you very much for your time and attention to this e-mail, and thank you even more for your dedication and service to the community,

Very Truly Yours,
Matthew George


On Wed, Jan 26, 2011 at 9:17 AM,
Larry Schneider <truckcompany50@gmail.com> wrote:

Hello Matthew,
Please accept my apology for the late return of your email, I wanted to talk with my Dad before I responded. My Dad, Larry Schneider Sr., was appointed to to the LAFD in 1954 and just retired in 2007. He knew you Uncle and said he was a good man. Although they never worked together at one time my Dad worked at Fire Station 30 and Julian worked at nearby Fire Station 10. They fought many fires together. My Dad said he was a great fireman and a very likable man. He had a lot of respect for him.

I do not have a news letter associated with my web site. The Fire Department is good about making notifications. Every station receives a teletype with all the information and they also send out emails to all members who have an account.

As for service records, I have none. All I have is what you see on my web side. If you let me know what person he is in the pole sliding photo and I will add his name.

I will save your email and if I come across anything in regards to Julian or Dick I will pass it on to you.

Sincerely,

Captain Larry Schneider
Fire Station 50
Los Angeles Fire Department
213 485-6250


From: Matthew George <matthewbg@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: Julian Calvin George
Date: January 26, 2011 10:50:50 AM PST
To: Larry Schneider <truckcompany50@gmail.com>

Good Morning Captain Schneider,

Thank you very much for your response. Julian's widow preferred to have a small ceremony so any notification would have been informational only. A pity because he was indeed a very likeable man and mourned by many. I really appreciate your taking the time to chat with your dad and for relaying a personal account. Julian was such a dreamer and optimist that his siblings called him a fantasist. Being a fireman was both his strongest tie to reality as well as the fulfillment of his lifelong dream (his mother had perished in a fire before his eyes as a child and he started training from the age of 10 or so on). Retiring was probably the most difficult choice he ever made.

In the photo, he is the fellow who is looking straight at the pole and looks to be the next to make it there. His suspenders are on and his ears stick out (a trait from his father and which one of my sons shares).
The website is phenomenal. Thanks again for everything.

Very Best Wishes,
Matthew

 


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