Shirley Stull Makes History With Double Fire Association Awards

Years and years of dedicated service to our company brought longtime company volunteer Shirley Stull into the Frederick County Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association Hall of Fame this spring.

At the same time, she received the Cletta Abrecht Woman of the Year for her 30 years of fundraising efforts with Lewistown, making it the first time the same person has won two awards.

Mrs. Stull's award is well deserved after many hours of service to Lewistown. She first joined the Ladies Auxiliary in 1974 and was president for nine years, then vice president for nine years. Later, she joined the Fire Company's board, where she was secretary from 1986-2000. Over those years she also served terms on the Frederick County Volunteer Fire & Rescue Association as assistant secretary, assistant treasurer, guard and color bearer.

But those weren't just titles. Behind those jobs were hundreds of hours of assisting the men in planning, advertising, and putting on fundraisers because that was the objective of the Ladies Auxiliary, solely to assist the fire department. In time, the Auxiliary took over some of the activities. Now it is a joint effort.

The suppers have been a staple of Lewistown's fundraisers since the beginning. “Before we had the firehouse (the first one was a former garage occupied in 1974), members of the Company and community would cook the hams, turkeys and cakes. They would be brought in on Friday night or picked up if necessary. "It got so much better when we got our own building. With the steam tables and all that, everything is so much easier."

She also remembers Tuesday night bingo, which were discontinued after not enough help was available to run them; dances; and knocking on doors in the community for financial support.

Mrs. Stull is very modest about her accomplishments and her award, which shocked her when her name was called. "It's not a hard job if you have good committees under you," she said, and added, looking at her husband Delbert, "I may the awards but I had a right hand man and really great people under me."