The latest edition of Hollingsworth Heritage (Volume 22, Number 3) arrived in my mailbox last week. It is the official publication of The Descendants of Valentine Hollingsworth, Sr. Society (DVHSS) of which I am now a member. Thirty-six pages of Hollingsworth happenings at my fingertips. Bazinga! And to think that a year ago I knew not and naught of my Hollingsworth heritage, and today I am thumbing through page after page of pictures, stories and anecdotes about my distant Hollingsworth cousins.

The introduction of one of these distant Hollingsworth cousins stood out from the rest and compelled me to do more research. Frederick Brodbeck, my 7th cousin, 3x removed, was 39 years old when he died in 1912. This father of three daughters was the “Firechief” of Salina, Kansas at the time of his death. (Okay, I’ll admit it. I was a bit partial to Fred’s story since I’ve driven through Salina many, many times.) While en route to an emergency, the car in which Fred was riding swerved to avoid a buggy in the road. Apparently, it was Fred who instructed the driver of the speeding car to veer – a selfless decision that ultimately cost him his life when the car crashed. Hundreds of people, if not thousands, showed up to pay their respects at Fred’s funeral. I found this intriguing.

It turns out that Fred was nationally known in firefighting circles – not for fighting fires, but for preventing them. And then there’s his car. Apparently, it was Fred who first conceived of the idea of outfitting a normal car with firefighting equipment – transforming it into what we know today as the fire chief’s car. Pictures of Fred’s famous car appeared in “leading fire and insurance journals” across the nation. Other fire stations modeled their fire chief cars after his. Fred’s famous firefighting car put Salina, Kansas on the map according to The Salina Daily Union. (Who knew?)

Beyond his car, Fred’s fire-preventing method of inspecting buildings – the dreaded fire inspection – was adopted by the International Association of Firechiefs and replicated across the country. Once again, Fred put Salina on the map. It’s no wonder so many people showed up to pay their respects at this funeral. Keeping people safe from harm and preventing harm is what Fred did best – even if it meant sacrificing his own life.

Tell me you won’t think of Fred the next time you see a fire chief’s car or SUV racing alongside a firetruck.

Kenfolk: Tranthams
Relation: 7th cousin, 3x removed
Common ancestors: Valentine Hollingsworth, Sr. is Fred’s 6th great grandfather, is my 9th great grandfather