Annual Reports of the Town of Seabrook New Hampshire 1992 For the Year Ending December 31st As Compiled by the Town Officers COVER: "Old Betsy" "Old Betsy" was Seabrook's first motorized fire truck. It was built by George Austin Weare (shown standing) who converted the 1932 Model "A" Ford into a tank and pump truck. "Old Betsy" was destroyed, along with the Passaconnaway hand tub, during the Barr and Blooinfield factory building fire in 1964. Shown sitting on the truck is Weare's sister, Lydia Mary Weare Gould, then 16 years old. She drove the truck to a fire one day when none of the volunteer firemen came to get it. After the fire someone suggested that she drive it home and she said she shouldn't because she didn't have a driver's license! Annual Reports of the Town of Seabrook New Hampshire For the Year Ending December 31st 1992 As Compiled by the Town Officers DEDICATION This town report is dedicated to the memory of deceased Seabrook fire chiefs. These men served unselfishly and faithfully devoted much of their time to saving lives, protecting property and building a fire department to meet the needs of the future. It is obvious that the dedication of these men had an impact on the entire community and especially on their families. Many of their brothers, sons and grandsons have served as fire fighters and that tradition continues today. Many of their mothers, wives, sisters and daughters have served as members of the ladies' auxiliary. DECEASED SEABROOK FIRE CHIEFS This memorial dedication has been co—mpiled from personal conversations with many pe—ople family members, firemen and friends of the chiefs and from information contained in town reports from 1932 to the present, as well as from news clippings, photo albums and scrapbooks loaned to the selectmen for this project. It would be a monumental task to prepare a complete history of the Seabrook Fire Department but I personally feel no better tribute could be made to all the brave fire fighters we all depend on throughout our lives. Narrative prepared by Margaret E. Wetherington at the request of the Board of Selectmen. Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2010 with funding from Boston Library Consortium IVIember Libraries http://www.archive.org/details/annualreportsoft1992seab George Austin Weare, Fire Chief 1932 - 1933 and 1939 - 1944 Died November 11, 1979, age 72 The town's first fire chief was appointed in 1932. Then 23 years of age, Weare was the youngest fire chief in New England. In the 1979 town report, which was dedicated to Weare, it is noted that he built the town's first motorized fire truck himself. Frank Ashley Perkins, Fire Chief 1934 - 1938 Died February 14, 1958, age 61 Perkins was also tax collector from 1935 through 1937. Alfred Waldo Locke Died April 19, 1955, age 43 Locke was a "temporary" chief prior to Henry Kendrick. He was issued the first Seabrook Firemen's Association membership card and the first key to the building. He was a fireman for many years and was elected a town constable several times. Locke drowned after his car went off the road and into the marsh in Hampton Falls during a high-run tide. Henry S. Kendrick, Fire Chief 1945 - 1966 Died December 3, 1978, age 72 Kendrick was a member of the fire department for 36 years, 22 of those as chief. At one time he was the foreman of the Passaconnaway handtub, was a fire warden for many years and was instrumental in the formation of the Seabrook Firemen's Association. During his tenure as chief his efforts to improve the department resulted in the purchase of two new trucks in 1946 and continued through the years to 1965 when a transistorized fire alarm system was installed at the fire station and in 1965 the purchase of a new tank truck was approved at town meeting. Kendrick was the son of Frank Kendrick, a long-time Amesbury fireman.