Cathy Benson | The Botetourt View

The Eagle Rock fire department is only one of several Botetourt organizations for which Tommy Hunter volunteers.”

“In a small community, one must wear a lot of hats. It is not the excitement of lights and sirens and rushing to the scene, but personal satisfaction of having helped someone that leads to me to volunteer.”

So stated Tommy Hunter, who has been volunteering for the Eagle Rock Fire Department for 50 years.

Hunter began when he was 16 and a student in the new James River High School in February 1960. He served as secretary of the fire department for 30 years. Currently he serves as treasurer. He is certified at Firefighter II and EVOC level. Hunter is a life member of the Eagle Rock Fire Department. Matter of fact, he is one of the most dedicated community volunteers in the county and quite possibly the entire commonwealth.

He also runs on the Eagle Rock Rescue Squad for the past 30 years and Fincastle Rescue Squad prior to that. He served as secretary for both squads. Currently, he is the treasurer for the ER squad. He has been a certified paramedic for 23 years and an EMT since 1974 and is of course, a life member of the Rescue Squad.

In his spare time, Hunter plays the organ for St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Fincastle and has done so for 37 years. He said with a laugh, “They told me back then I would do until they found someone else.” He has been playing church organ for 53 years, also at Emmanuel Episcopal Church and Eagle Rock United Methodist Church.

On several occasions he played four services at four different churches on a Sunday! He even noted he has now played at weddings and funerals for three different generations of families. he has served on the vestry at the church and acted as treasurer for 18 years. This year he received the Reedie Waid Award for Community Service.

He and his mother, Sidney, are the last two remaining members of Emmanuel Episcopal Church. He is also a 41-year member of the Eagle Rock Ruritan Club, where he serves as secretary! He has represented the club at the last 37 annual conventions. He has been the secretary for the Natural Bridge District of Ruritan National for 31 years he has served as, you guessed it — secretary!

He also has represented the county on the Western Virginia Emergency Services Council for 25 years and is currently the corporate secretary. He is the representative from the Fincastle District on the Transportation Committee.

Wow, that is a huge amount of community service! He was awarded the Community Service Award by the Botetourt Chamber of Commerce in 1995-96. Fifteen years later, he is still going strong.

He is a 1962 graduate of James River High School, has a BS in chemistry and biology from East Tennessee University. He retired from the Hercules Corp. in Covington as a process engineer after the big fire in the 1980s. He also served as a part-time voter registrar and with the U.S. Postal Service. He said that’s how he paid the insurance and travels as much as he can.

“It is not the personal recognition, but rather recognition of the whole group in a job well done that is the most gratifying,” Hunter said about his half century of volunteering.