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Do IT this week: Layering
By Bill Lilley
Beacon Journal staff writer
POSTED: 01:58 p.m. EST, Nov 20, 2009
CUYAHOGA FALLS: What started out as going along for the ride turned into the ride of William Warren's life.
Warren, the first black firefighter at the Cuyahoga Falls Fire Department, was working for the Canton Fire Department — until fate intervened.
''A bunch of guys, all white guys, on the Canton Fire Department asked me if I wanted to go for a night out in the Flats in Cleveland,'' he said. ''Since I was working so much, I jumped at the chance for a night out.''
There was one string attached.
''The guys were stopping to take a test along the way,'' Warren said. ''They laughed at me when I said I'd [take the test, too] because it was in Cuyahoga Falls, and they told me, 'There ain't no black people in Cuyahoga Falls.'
''I got the last laugh because I was the only one who scored high enough to get a job in the Falls. That shocked them, but they were in more shock when I took the job.''
That decision, 20 years ago, was one Warren never regretted.
Saturday night at Todaro's Party Center, the International Association of Firefighters Local 494 will honor Warren and seven other recent retirees of the Cuyahoga Falls Fire Department with a retirement dinner.
Lt. Jack Morse, Lt. Mike Gasper, Lt. Rick Schrop and firefighters Tom Banks, Brad Goodyear, Cathy Brightman and Rick Hinkle all showed the same face of bravery in the line of duty as Warren.
But it was Warren who broke the color barrier in the department two decades ago.
Warren, 57, said racial progress has been slow, but he prefers to focus on the positives.
''I was the first,'' Warren said, ''and on the day I retired in July, there were three: Kevin Rubin, Carlton Barnett and me.
''You could say we tripled the number of black firefighters in the last 20 years in Cuyahoga Falls.''
Warren took a $5,000 pay cut and lost seven years of seniority he had earned in Canton when he moved to the Falls.
''I was a rookie all over again in 1989,'' Warren said. ''I sat down with my wife and she told me that it would be cool for me to be the first black firefighter in Cuyahoga Falls.
''That wasn't why I took the job, but it was an important aspect to me because I had been a member of the Black Firefighters of Canton and we were always trying to promote growth and stop racism.
''I wouldn't have been able to do that in Cuyahoga Falls if I stayed in Canton. There was a lot more action in Canton — there were shootings, knifings every day — but the important task for me as a black firefighter was in Cuyahoga Falls.
''I wanted that challenge even if it meant working more in ambulances than rescuing people in fires.''
Warren already had faced many challenges in his life.
He grew up in the heart of Harlem in New York City and experienced firsthand the turbulent times of the 1960s.
Riots, lootings, burning buildings and shootings in the neighborhood surrounding his family's 116th Street tenement defined his late teens.
He was married at age 16, a father at 17 and a widower at 20, after his first wife, Virginia, died at age 22 of breast cancer.
Warren moved to Canton in December 1977 to live with an uncle, establish his professional career and raise his daughter, Jennifer Ann.
Career begins
In 1982, Warren, then 29, was laid off from his job in a metal scrap yard in Canton.
''I always wanted to be a doctor, but I knew I had to find work to support myself and my daughter,'' Warren said.
''I saw an ad in the Sunday paper that Canton was looking for firefighters. I put in an application, passed the written test and then passed the physical test.
''I got hired. At that point it was just a job that enabled me to pay the bills.''
It turned into a career.
Warren, an Army vet who served three years in Korea during the Vietnam War from 1971 to 1974, got an opportunity to combine career and dream a year later — after being named Canton's Rookie Firefighter of the Year.
''I was asked if I wanted to be a paramedic,'' Warren said.
He trained in CPR, first aid and advanced cardiac life support and became a paramedic in 1983.
''By the time 1984 came, I was teaching everybody all of those things. That was pretty neat for a guy who as a kid was the first-aid guy in Cadet Corps in New York City.
''And what made it even greater was that although I wasn't a doctor, I was helping to save peoples' lives.''
Warren also worked on an independent ambulance crew and as an orthopedic technician — he put on and took off casts — at Akron Children's Hospital. He worked in the emergency room at Children's and the clinic at the Stark County Jail.
''Medically speaking, I was a deep dude,'' Warren said. ''I was almost a doctor. I saw a lot of stuff in a short period of time.''
Then came the life-changing road trip north.
Strong family ties
Retired Falls Fire Chief Wayne Bowen said Warren's strong family connection won him over in the job interview.
''Will came from New York City after his wife had died and moved to Canton to give his young daughter a better life,'' said Bowen, 78, who retired in June 1991. ''He was a single dad, but he didn't drop the ball with his family. He wanted to take care of his daughter first and foremost.''
That impressed Bowen.
''I thought that Will was a guy I could rely on and that he was people-oriented and family-oriented,'' Bowen said.
Warren said that although Bowen told him that he wouldn't tolerate racism, ''I still had some issues with some people there. . . . But the racism in Canton was worse, and I was able to work my way through the issues in Cuyahoga Falls.''
He called his overall experience at the department ''very, very good.''
So were his experiences living in Cuyahoga Falls and his life in general, he said, until an accident 21/2 years ago.
''I wasn't ready to retire even though I had 27 years in as a firefighter and paramedic,'' Warren said. ''But my body wouldn't let me continue.''
Warren slipped while coming down a step while carrying a heart attack victim out of a house during an ice storm in mid-February 2007.
Within two years he had both his knees replaced, limiting him to light duty.
''I no longer could be a firefighter,'' Warren said. ''And they didn't have a desk job to slide me into. They were waiting for me to retire.''
Once Warren ran out of sick days, he officially retired from the Falls department on July 17.
''I'm proud of what I did,'' Warren said. ''I was a good firefighter, a good paramedic, a good employee for the city of Cuyahoga Falls and a good role model.''
Warren ''did a lot for our CPR program and he was very good at public speaking,'' current Chief Paul Moledor said. ''He did a lot to promote the department and fire education.''
Next calling?
True to form, Warren has found new avenues for those interests and talents.
He's an entertainer, singing and performing with his wife, Anita, and her daughters, Tasha and Tayla, as William Warren & Focus.
He teaches first aid, CPR and baby-sitting at child-care centers.
He is a motivational speaker who addresses groups in Akron and around the country.
''What I do now is a different kind of action, but I love doing it. I've always been in the action and this keeps me going.''
Bill Lilley can be reached at 330-996-3811 or blilley@thebeaconjournal.com.
CUYAHOGA FALLS: What started out as going along for the ride turned into the ride of William Warren's life.
Warren, the first black firefighter at the Cuyahoga Falls Fire Department, was working for the Canton Fire Department — until fate intervened.
''A bunch of guys, all white guys, on the Canton Fire Department asked me if I wanted to go for a night out in the Flats in Cleveland,'' he said. ''Since I was working so much, I jumped at the chance for a night out.''
There was one string attached.
''The guys were stopping to take a test along the way,'' Warren said. ''They laughed at me when I said I'd [take the test, too] because it was in Cuyahoga Falls, and they told me, 'There ain't no black people in Cuyahoga Falls.'
''I got the last laugh because I was the only one who scored high enough to get a job in the Falls. That shocked them, but they were in more shock when I took the job.''
That decision, 20 years ago, was one Warren never regretted.
Saturday night at Todaro's Party Center, the International Association of Firefighters Local 494 will honor Warren and seven other recent retirees of the Cuyahoga Falls Fire Department with a retirement dinner.
Lt. Jack Morse, Lt. Mike Gasper, Lt. Rick Schrop and firefighters Tom Banks, Brad Goodyear, Cathy Brightman and Rick Hinkle all showed the same face of bravery in the line of duty as Warren.
But it was Warren who broke the color barrier in the department two decades ago.
Warren, 57, said racial progress has been slow, but he prefers to focus on the positives.
''I was the first,'' Warren said, ''and on the day I retired in July, there were three: Kevin Rubin, Carlton Barnett and me.
''You could say we tripled the number of black firefighters in the last 20 years in Cuyahoga Falls.''
Warren took a $5,000 pay cut and lost seven years of seniority he had earned in Canton when he moved to the Falls.
''I was a rookie all over again in 1989,'' Warren said. ''I sat down with my wife and she told me that it would be cool for me to be the first black firefighter in Cuyahoga Falls.
''That wasn't why I took the job, but it was an important aspect to me because I had been a member of the Black Firefighters of Canton and we were always trying to promote growth and stop racism.
''I wouldn't have been able to do that in Cuyahoga Falls if I stayed in Canton. There was a lot more action in Canton — there were shootings, knifings every day — but the important task for me as a black firefighter was in Cuyahoga Falls.
''I wanted that challenge even if it meant working more in ambulances than rescuing people in fires.''
Warren already had faced many challenges in his life.
He grew up in the heart of Harlem in New York City and experienced firsthand the turbulent times of the 1960s.
Riots, lootings, burning buildings and shootings in the neighborhood surrounding his family's 116th Street tenement defined his late teens.
He was married at age 16, a father at 17 and a widower at 20, after his first wife, Virginia, died at age 22 of breast cancer.
Warren moved to Canton in December 1977 to live with an uncle, establish his professional career and raise his daughter, Jennifer Ann.
Career begins
In 1982, Warren, then 29, was laid off from his job in a metal scrap yard in Canton.
''I always wanted to be a doctor, but I knew I had to find work to support myself and my daughter,'' Warren said.
''I saw an ad in the Sunday paper that Canton was looking for firefighters. I put in an application, passed the written test and then passed the physical test.
''I got hired. At that point it was just a job that enabled me to pay the bills.''
It turned into a career.
Warren, an Army vet who served three years in Korea during the Vietnam War from 1971 to 1974, got an opportunity to combine career and dream a year later — after being named Canton's Rookie Firefighter of the Year.
''I was asked if I wanted to be a paramedic,'' Warren said.
He trained in CPR, first aid and advanced cardiac life support and became a paramedic in 1983.
''By the time 1984 came, I was teaching everybody all of those things. That was pretty neat for a guy who as a kid was the first-aid guy in Cadet Corps in New York City.
''And what made it even greater was that although I wasn't a doctor, I was helping to save peoples' lives.''
Warren also worked on an independent ambulance crew and as an orthopedic technician — he put on and took off casts — at Akron Children's Hospital. He worked in the emergency room at Children's and the clinic at the Stark County Jail.
''Medically speaking, I was a deep dude,'' Warren said. ''I was almost a doctor. I saw a lot of stuff in a short period of time.''
Then came the life-changing road trip north.
Strong family ties
Retired Falls Fire Chief Wayne Bowen said Warren's strong family connection won him over in the job interview.
''Will came from New York City after his wife had died and moved to Canton to give his young daughter a better life,'' said Bowen, 78, who retired in June 1991. ''He was a single dad, but he didn't drop the ball with his family. He wanted to take care of his daughter first and foremost.''
That impressed Bowen.
''I thought that Will was a guy I could rely on and that he was people-oriented and family-oriented,'' Bowen said.
Warren said that although Bowen told him that he wouldn't tolerate racism, ''I still had some issues with some people there. . . . But the racism in Canton was worse, and I was able to work my way through the issues in Cuyahoga Falls.''
He called his overall experience at the department ''very, very good.''
So were his experiences living in Cuyahoga Falls and his life in general, he said, until an accident 21/2 years ago.
''I wasn't ready to retire even though I had 27 years in as a firefighter and paramedic,'' Warren said. ''But my body wouldn't let me continue.''
Warren slipped while coming down a step while carrying a heart attack victim out of a house during an ice storm in mid-February 2007.
Within two years he had both his knees replaced, limiting him to light duty.
''I no longer could be a firefighter,'' Warren said. ''And they didn't have a desk job to slide me into. They were waiting for me to retire.''
Once Warren ran out of sick days, he officially retired from the Falls department on July 17.
''I'm proud of what I did,'' Warren said. ''I was a good firefighter, a good paramedic, a good employee for the city of Cuyahoga Falls and a good role model.''
Warren ''did a lot for our CPR program and he was very good at public speaking,'' current Chief Paul Moledor said. ''He did a lot to promote the department and fire education.''
Next calling?
True to form, Warren has found new avenues for those interests and talents.
He's an entertainer, singing and performing with his wife, Anita, and her daughters, Tasha and Tayla, as William Warren & Focus.
He teaches first aid, CPR and baby-sitting at child-care centers.
He is a motivational speaker who addresses groups in Akron and around the country.
''What I do now is a different kind of action, but I love doing it. I've always been in the action and this keeps me going.''
Bill Lilley can be reached at 330-996-3811 or blilley@thebeaconjournal.com.
Comments
Click here to post your comments
N. Canton, Oh
Posted 02:19 PM, 11/20/2009
Congratulations William....and thank you for your service for so many years!
AKRON, OH
Posted 04:01 PM, 11/20/2009
I JUST LOVE A SUCCESS STORY
Posted 04:16 PM, 11/20/2009
The list of Mr. Warren's community service efforts is extensive, well beyond those highlighted in this article. He is a powerful influence for good in this city and the region. Congratulations and well done, Mr. Warren!
akron, oh
Posted 04:25 PM, 11/20/2009
This is a COOL dude.
cleveland, oh
Posted 05:24 PM, 11/20/2009
LOVE THIS STORY!!!
Tallmadge, oh
Posted 05:41 PM, 11/20/2009
Thank you for your service and for showing others how it's done.
Posted 05:51 PM, 11/20/2009
This man defines role model to me! Thank you!
Detroit, MI
Posted 07:07 PM, 11/20/2009
''I got the last laugh because I was the only one who scored high enough to get a job in the Falls"
Umm, I wonder why the white firefighters did not file a discriminatio suit alleging the test was unfair? Like the black and Hispanic firefighters did when they were too stupid to pass the test in the case before the supreme court. Apparently, all the white firefighters were too stupid to pass the test and therefore they were eligible to file the suit. What an awesome opportunity that was wasted.
Tepplin, DC
Posted 11:08 PM, 11/20/2009
What a great story! Congrats, Mr. Warren. You led by example and deserve the honors.
akron, oh
Posted 11:16 PM, 11/20/2009
Great story, black guy gets the job over everyone else. Just because he decided he could. Think back of how many qualified white guys got passed over because of their race. The minority rules. Enjoy your pension.
Orrville, Oh
Posted 12:05 AM, 11/21/2009
Guys with white skin were disqualified for affirmative action years ago in the USA!
san antonio, tx
Posted 06:24 AM, 11/21/2009
guys w/ white skin just used "Jim Crow untold Laws" for jobs years ago and now.
akron, oh
Posted 07:58 AM, 11/21/2009
Man, some of you are harsh. The guy didn't have anything to do with affirmative action. He may have been a recipient of it, but not the cause of it. So give him a break.
Congratulations Mr. Warren.
Akron, OH
Posted 09:02 AM, 11/21/2009
Lost in some of these comments is that it took up to 1989 for a black to become a firefighter in Cuyahoga Falls. That in itself is a disgrace.
Akron, OH
Posted 09:26 AM, 11/21/2009
Congratulations Mr. Warren on a great career! Enjoy your well deserved retirement!
akron, oh
Posted 12:24 PM, 11/21/2009
William, conrgatulations, may God bless you and your family.
Don't worry about the negative comments. If any of these folks should be as unfortunate as to get caught in a fire, I hope the biggest blackest figefighter comes to their rescue. Then give him a big kiss straight on the lips.
Orrville, Oh
Posted 06:10 PM, 11/21/2009
Disqualifying Fathers with white skin for affirmative action broke the color barrier years ago!
AKRON, OH
Posted 06:32 PM, 11/21/2009
affirmative action came about because whites would not give blacks and woman position they were qualified for.kkk came about for some of the same reasons.Philadelphia white union in the 40's went on strike because the city started to train blacks as streetcar conductors.It took the US ARMY to break the strike.Blacks could only hold certain jobs that the whites did not want.So now that some balanced is coming,You over sensitive whites get over it.Indians still have little chance.If you would not have started this racism and segregation in the first place,we would not have needed affirmative action.So you reap what you have sown.Thank God for Justice.
AKRON, OH
Posted 06:36 PM, 11/21/2009
Retired firefighter who broke color barrier.Why in America would a story like this have to take place?Blacks didnot cause this problem.Your racist forefathers did.
north canton, oh
Posted 11:51 PM, 11/21/2009
Congrats Will, I alongside you in the late 80's and early 90's when i was at p&s ambulance and you were at CFFD. We had some good ems runs together. Again congratulations Will.
akron, oh
Posted 07:02 AM, 11/22/2009
how many extra points did he get for being black on the test. and that started long before affirmative action. you extra points for many things like being in the armed forces too. but being black or a woman was a big help ask anyone. still is like that today
AKRON, OH
Posted 12:56 PM, 11/22/2009
being black or a woman does not give you extra points on a test. Being in the armed forces,serving your country and than serving your community is an honor,and should be rewarded.
Louisville, OH
Posted 10:17 PM, 11/22/2009
Congratulations, Will!! This is a great article!! I wish you and Anita the best!!
Cuyahoga Falls, OH
Posted 01:22 PM, 11/23/2009
This is unbelievable. The part that is not told is that he was on light duty for most of his career. How did you hurt your knee again, Willyum? How many of you had to listen to him drone on at his dinner? I felt sorry for the other retirees. Kevin and Carlton are outstanding members of the Falls FD!!
