Life-long Volunteer to be Honored

Caption: Dan Mowers is pictured far right with other volunteers for the Loaves and Fishes program. From left are Beverly Eddy, Rev. Bob Bromfield, Archie Anderson, Carol Casler and Frances Mowers.

By Margo Frink

(Canastota, NY) It’s that time of year again when the Canastota Area Association of Churches honors local service volunteers at its annual Appreciation Dinner. The dinner will be held this year on Jan. 23 at the Rusty Rail. Each year a member of the Lincoln, Wampsville and Canastota fire departments and the Greater Lenox Ambulance Service are chosen for recognition. This year’s Lincoln honoree is Dan Mowers of Cottons Road.

Mowers said he is happy to join the ranks of the people who’ve received this award previously.

“That’s what I really love,” Mowers said. “To be one of them.”

Mowers served with the Lincoln Fire Department for 48 years. He’s since retired from firefighting but said he originally joined to help out his neighbors and to be a better citizen of Lincoln. And because after he moved to Clockville in 1961, Barney Holdridge encouraged him to join. Past position he’s held with the department include chief and fire police captain.

Mowers is no stranger to awards. In 1987 he traveled to Albany to receive the Outstanding Senior Citizen Volunteer Award for the state of New York and Madison County. Justly deserving of volunteer recognition, Mowers has been involved with the Madison County Office for the Aging, the Madison County Fire Police, the Peterboro Conservation Club and Madison County’s Retired Senior Volunteer Program. He’s also volunteered for the Trinity Episcopal Church, the Opportunity Shop, Loaves and Fishes soup kitchen and served on the council of churches.

A lot has changed in firefighting since Mowers’ day. The basic firefighting and fire police driver training he received is much more sophisticated now. Firefighters are required to receive several hours of safety training, mandatory medical exams and become certified fire police.

Forty-eight years with the department doesn’t come without some memorable moments and some moments difficult to forget. Mowers remembers being first on the scene of an automobile accident at the corner of Oxbow and Old County roads. A teen driver had hit a tree on the corner. Mowers said it was a terrible scene. Three had died and one survived the accident.

A more humorous moment happened when Lincoln was at a barn fire on stand-by for Chittenango.

“Me and Charlie Seeber were attempting to pump water for tankers,” Mowers said. “We worked on the pump and tired everything and could not get any water. We both at the same time noticed we had the hoses reversed.”

Mowers has been involved in all aspects of fund-raising for the fire department. He said more volunteers would help growth within the department. The community can help by attending its functions such as chicken barbecues and pancake breakfasts. The community can also be thankful that the fire department is there, he said.

Mowers was born in Rome. He later served the Navy Armed Guard during World War II.

“I’ve been all the way around the world once on two different ships,” Mowers said.

He was a well drilling operator for A.W. Kincaid before retiring.

Mowers and his wife, Frances, have two sons, Wayne and Craig and two daughters, Tracy and Myra. They have eight grandchildren and four great grandchildren. In his spare time he mostly volunteers but also enjoys building birdhouses.

To learn more about attending the Appreciation Dinner, call William D. Yorton at 697-2978.

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Life-long Volunteer to be Honored

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