"The Sewanee Volunteer Fire Department was a major part of my community experience and continues to be."
Cameron, and Interim Fire Chief Terry Smith
It’s hard to talk about Sewanee without using the word “community”—living and learning on the Mountain fosters a sense of togetherness that lasts well beyond graduation. Dan Rather, C’85, says he remains in close touch with many of his University classmates and professors. One particular set of Sewanee connections stands out: “The Sewanee Volunteer Fire Department (SVFD) was a major part of my community experience and continues to be,” he says. “As firefighters, we developed a real esprit de corps. It’s not unlike being on a sports team or going to battle together.” In recognition of the SVFD’s integral role on and off campus, and in memory of former Fire Chief David Green, Rather recently established an endowment that will help cover the department’s essential expenses.
Rather grew up in Atlanta and Madison, Georgia, where Sewanee was always in his periphery. As a teenager, he was a boarding student at McCallie School in Chattanooga, and six of his peers wound up enrolling at the University. He was recruited for Sewanee’s football team by former coaches Horace Moore Jr., P’84, and Herbert W. “Yogi” Anderson III, C’72. Though he was admitted to Hampden-Sydney College and several other small liberal arts institutions, he says he was drawn to Sewanee’s balance of strong academic programs and engaging co-curricular activities, as well as to opportunities for research and exploration on the Domain. “I believe in conservation, and I love being outdoors,” Rather says, noting his longtime service on the board of South Cumberland Regional Land Trust, a local nonprofit dedicated to land preservation on and around the Plateau.
Though he majored in psychology, Rather took a true liberal arts route, signing up for a wide range of courses. “I knew I wanted to go to graduate school for business, so I took some accounting and a lot of statistics,” he says, adding that he also enjoyed courses in English, Spanish, and, particularly, art. “At McCallie, I used to draw at night in my dormitory, because there wasn’t anything else you could do when you’d gotten tired of studying.” Following graduation, Rather pursued graduate studies in international business and German, and he now works as an independent entrepreneur and private investor.
Photo Credit: Lyn Hutchinson
As he worked to master sketching during high school, Rather also developed skills in etching, painting, and sculpture. These interests would grow over time and motivate him to strengthen Sewanee’s sculpture program as a longtime benefactor and an instructor. From 1992 to 1999, Rather served as a studio assistant, working alongside Professor of Art and Samuel R. Williamson Distinguished University Chair Pradip Malde.
Rather credits former student firefighter Towson Engsberg, C’84, with encouraging his involvement in the SVFD. “Towson and I were SAEs [Sigma Alpha Epsilon], and our dads had been SAEs,” he says, adding that Engsberg’s late father, Paul Engsberg, University registrar from 1982 to 1996, served as Sewanee’s SAE advisor.
As part of the SVFD’s rigorous spring tryout process, Rather and other student candidates—all Sewanee freshmen—underwent a strenuous physical test, as well as an equipment location test taught by upperclassmen, and a written exam administered by Emeritus Professor of Psychology Tim Keith-Lucas, P’13. “Six of us were accepted to the department, out of about 25 or 30 who signed up,” Rather says. These six freshmen joined 12 upperclassmen, for a total of 18 student firefighters.
in the spring of 1984. He says that the squad kept
House" by Talking Heads was always on rotation.
As new trainees, Rather and his cohort were sent to Murfreesboro to attend a weekend academic class in firefighting. His official tenure as a volunteer firefighter began during his sophomore year. “The way the SVFD works is, you try out as a freshman, and you become a basic firefighter as a sophomore,” he says. Juniors are designated as both lieutenants and engineers, in charge of operating the fire engines and overseeing basic firefighters, among other duties. Only seniors can be appointed as student officers.
“Out of six senior firefighters, three ranking officers are chosen, and the other three seniors serve as captains,” Rather says. “In 1984, I was selected to serve as the student fire chief. My assistant chief was Kyle Bennett, [C’85], and Jay Faires, [C’85], was chief engineer—and my suitemate at the time. My captains were Lee Pride, [C’85, P’16]; Giff Gfroerer, [C’85]; and Heidi Barker, [C’85].” In the mid-1980s, all student firefighters lived in McCrady Hall, enabling quick access to the fire station, which was then located beneath Guerry Hall.
and Lee Pride, C'85, P'16 (right).
Photo Credit: Lyn Hutchinson
Though aspects of the SVFD have remained unchanged since Rather’s time in the department—the extensive tryout regimen and the number of student firefighters, for example—there is at least one notable difference in today’s squad. When Rather served, the SVFD had separate branches for students and community members. These departments merged in the late 1980s. During Rather’s year as student chief, David Green was fire chief on the community side, working with Assistant Fire Chief Doug Cameron, Chief Engineer Randall Henley, and Captains Clea Sherrill, Kevin Gilliam, Charlie Smith, C’78, and Ronnie Hoosier. Matt Costello, C’84, and Marshall Chapman, C’84, also served in the community division. “As a leader, David was absolutely unflappable,” Rather says. “He gave clear orders on a fire ground and could always see ahead and know what needed to happen.”
Rather says Green also excelled at keeping his team steady and focused. “He used to say, ‘Guys, don’t get any skim over your eyes.’ When you’re in panic mode, you can get myopic. As firefighters, we were trained not to let that happen. David was a prime example of how to remain calm and get the job done.”
Green’s levelheadedness and leadership, along with the tireless work of Assistant Chief Doug Cameron, were critical during the historic ice storm that battered the Cumberland Plateau in early 1985, as Rather remembers. “That storm was declared a national disaster, and the National Guard was deployed, because there were so many house fires during the storm that we drained Sewanee’s water tower.” Rather says many students were able to leave campus before the storm hit, but firefighters were required to stay. “Fortunately, we had electricity in McCrady Hall, and the University was able to feed us in Gailor, where the dining hall was located. But it was quite an intense experience.”
As much as serving in the SVFD created a kinship between students, it also solidified bonds between undergraduates and Sewanee’s faculty and staff, Rather says. “A lot of University employees in Physical Plant Services and other divisions were in the department, and still are.” During Rather’s years in the student department, Emeritus Professor of English Bob Benson, P’95, and Emeritus Professor of Religion Jerry Smith were in the community division. “Anytime we had a big, dangerous fire, student firefighters were lucky to have people like Bob, Jerry, and David on the ground, as well as many other community members” he says. “We 20-year-olds had a lot of energy, but we didn’t have the breadth of experience that many people in the community department brought.”
In establishing an endowment for the SVFD, Rather says he hopes not only to honor David Green’s service and raise funds for the department, but also to rekindle friendships and pride among SVFD alumni. “At Homecoming and other Sewanee events, fire department alumni have a camaraderie that is really unlike any other organization.”
SVFD alumni will have a unique opportunity to connect this year during a department reunion, scheduled for March 22-24 on the Mountain. Activities will include a banquet with remarks from Assistant Fire Chief Doug Cameron, plus a golf tournament, a family cookout, and a welcome from Vice-Chancellor Rob Pearigen, C’76, P’14, P’17. Associate Vice President for Alumni Relations and Parent Programs Susan Askew, C’86, who is helping to coordinate the weekend, says, “We’re thrilled to bring our fire department alumni back to campus and to celebrate their invaluable service. Sewanee has been enriched by the SVFD for more than 70 years, which means we have alumni from multiple generations. It’s an honor to unite them and help them reminisce and reflect on the shared experience of protecting our community.”
Rather won’t need to travel far for the reunion—he purchased a house in Sewanee in 1992 and has been active in community life for decades. He says he hopes that, as fire department alumni gather and trade stories, they will consider recognizing Green with an endowment gift. “David Green was so instrumental in building the department and helping the University pay attention to what our volunteers needed,” he says. “Volunteers need to feel appreciated—and he was very good at doing that.”
