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This was my wife Deborah's thoughts on the retirement dinner we attended.Last night we went to a San Jose Firefighters Retirement dinner at a hotel/restaurant in San Jose. Thirty firefighters Mike wo…
This was my wife Deborah's thoughts on the retirement dinner we attended.
Last night we went to a San Jose Firefighters Retirement dinner at a hotel/restaurant in San Jose.
Thirty firefighters Mike worked with were retiring, and the room was filled to capacity
The highlight of the evening was the standing ovation Karen Allyn received.
Karen was the first woman ever to be hired by the San Jose Fire Department: a huge feat in an infamous all-boys-club.
Last night she was retiring after 28 years on the job.Mike and I were lucky enough to know her.
When she was pregnant with her first child, Mike happened to be working downtown running Public Education for two years.
So Karen worked along side him during her pregnancy when she couldn't be
on the line, and they would make runs to the local chocolate shop in
the middle of the day to satisfy one of her cravings: big fat
chocolate-covered strawberries.
Karen was far from a "shrinking violet" and even the most macho men
couldn't argue with her ability to do the job: She was a body builder
and weightlifter and could "kick most of the guys' butts" if she had
wanted to. But her hardcore strength didn't match her personality and
she was and is as sweet as can be, and also the perfect person to break
that gender barrier because there was no denying she could do the job.
Still...these White Males were a hard sell. I often wondered what they
thought deep inside...
Last night, I found out. Dozens of white male
firefighters stood in a prolonged, heartfelt standing ovation when
Karen was introduced. She had broken that barrier for their own wives,
daughters, and granddaughters to follow. And she had set the bar high.
Ever humble, and sort of short too, I craned my neck to
see her when the room stood up in a roar of clapping and adoration.
There she was at her table, with her husband and now 19- and 20-year
old daughters, and I teared up, thinking what a wonderful legacy for those
girls, now women, to see~
The Union President closed the evening with a speech I will never forget
He did the usual thanking of his wife, children, and grandchildren.
But then he said something I've heard in many different forms over the
years but never quite like this: That doing this job means something
very different from most people doing their jobs...doing this
job means making sure that everyone goes home that day. Unfortunately, civilian deaths can be a part of answering frantic 911 calls.
But doing your job as a firefighter means, no matter what you are faced
with, making sure the rest of your crew returns home to their families
that day. How many jobs are like that? Not many...and as the Union
President, retiring that night as well, ended his speech he looked at
his wife at their table and said, "Honey, I am coming home..."
Last night we went to a San Jose Firefighters Retirement dinner at a hotel/restaurant in San Jose.
Thirty firefighters Mike worked with were retiring, and the room was filled to capacity
The highlight of the evening was the standing ovation Karen Allyn received.
Karen was the first woman ever to be hired by the San Jose Fire Department: a huge feat in an infamous all-boys-club.
Last night she was retiring after 28 years on the job.Mike and I were lucky enough to know her.
When she was pregnant with her first child, Mike happened to be working downtown running Public Education for two years.
So Karen worked along side him during her pregnancy when she couldn't be
on the line, and they would make runs to the local chocolate shop in
the middle of the day to satisfy one of her cravings: big fat
chocolate-covered strawberries.
Karen was far from a "shrinking violet" and even the most macho men
couldn't argue with her ability to do the job: She was a body builder
and weightlifter and could "kick most of the guys' butts" if she had
wanted to. But her hardcore strength didn't match her personality and
she was and is as sweet as can be, and also the perfect person to break
that gender barrier because there was no denying she could do the job.
Still...these White Males were a hard sell. I often wondered what they
thought deep inside...
Last night, I found out. Dozens of white male
firefighters stood in a prolonged, heartfelt standing ovation when
Karen was introduced. She had broken that barrier for their own wives,
daughters, and granddaughters to follow. And she had set the bar high.
Ever humble, and sort of short too, I craned my neck to
see her when the room stood up in a roar of clapping and adoration.
There she was at her table, with her husband and now 19- and 20-year
old daughters, and I teared up, thinking what a wonderful legacy for those
girls, now women, to see~
The Union President closed the evening with a speech I will never forget
He did the usual thanking of his wife, children, and grandchildren.
But then he said something I've heard in many different forms over the
years but never quite like this: That doing this job means something
very different from most people doing their jobs...doing this
job means making sure that everyone goes home that day. Unfortunately, civilian deaths can be a part of answering frantic 911 calls.
But doing your job as a firefighter means, no matter what you are faced
with, making sure the rest of your crew returns home to their families
that day. How many jobs are like that? Not many...and as the Union
President, retiring that night as well, ended his speech he looked at
his wife at their table and said, "Honey, I am coming home..."
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