Carolyn Horvath remembers the last time she saw her husband alive.
She was standing outside their home on Delp Road, waving goodbye as he drove off on his motorcycle on his way to work as a Lancaster firefighter.
Just minutes before, they had said their "I love yous," their usual parting words.
Four hours later, Thomas J. Horvath was dead after responding to a fire on Euclid Avenue. The 46-year-old, who had been a city firefighter for 23 years, collapsed on the scene after suffering a heart attack. His fellow firefighters tried to resuscitate him, but to no avail.
His death was 15 years ago to the day Saturday when members of the Lancaster City Bureau of Fire, city officials, surviving family members and others gathered at Fire Station No. 3, 333 E. King St., to memorialize Horvath and eight others who had died in the line of duty.
Firefighters also dedicated a 122-year-old bell at a new memorial plaza in front of the fire station. From 1885 through 1954, the bell summoned firefighters at all hours in all kinds of weather to save life, limb and property.
Retired City Fire Capt. Paul McCracken rang the bell with a small rubber hammer three times for the nine names called and handed roses to survivors of the fallen who were able to attend. After receiving her rose, Mrs. Horvath, returned to her seat while wiping away tears.
"It is time that city firefighters get the recognition for the job they do," Mrs. Horvath said later .
The solemn ceremony, which brought out city Mayor Rick Gray, Lancaster City Council members Louise Williams and Nelson Polite, and Bob Kane from U.S. Rep. Joe Pitts' office, underscored the dangers firefighters face in responding to emergencies as well as their reassuring presence in the community,
"This bell shall serve as a reminder to all of us that firefighting is one of the most hazardous professions in America," said Fire Chief Tim Gregg.
"The other day, several members of our new generation of firefighters had their toddlers in the fire headquarters' office. It looked like a nursery school.
"This served as a reminder to me of how much responsibility we have to our members' families. They must feel confident that we are providing our members with the highest levels of training, staffing and quality equipment possible, so that [they] will come home safely at the end of the day."
The bell was cast by the Baltimore Bell Foundry in 1885 and put into service at the No. 3 station that year and remained there until 1954. It was later moved to other fire stations and finally ended up in a city Parks Department garage until it was returned to the department last fall.
According to McCracken, "This is not just an ordinary bell ...
"It is important to remember that, in the early days of the fire service, there did not exist a broad telephone network or a state-of-the-art alerting system as is utilized today," said McCracken, who served the city fire bureau from 1947 to 1984. "This fire bell was the principal means of providing a clear and audible alarm."
The nine names of the fallen firefighters are placed on a plaque that, due to a delay at the foundry, won't be delivered to the station until sometime this week. Firefighter Clyde Snyder, who was instrumental in getting the entire memorial plaza project off the ground, had a polymer replica, which was painted bronze, to show those attending the ceremony what it will look like. When it arrives it will be placed on one of the posts holding the bell. A Maltese Cross, the symbol for firefighters, will be placed on the other side of the post, said Fire Capt. Ken Barton, another key project organizer.
Barton said the bureau's continues to accept donations to eventually place a rope enclosure, used on many memorial sites, as well as to commission and erect a statue of a firefighter.
Gregg said the fire department worked closely with Suzy Hoover of the East King Improvement District and the Inner City Group, Elm Street Project, to build the memorial plaza.
"East King Street is a much better place because of your efforts," Gregg told Hoover, who was at the ceremony.
Along with Horvath, the other firemen memorialized were: Harry E. Sides, who had joined the department in 1952 and died in 1972; Walter R. Bucks, who joined in 1949 and died in 1951; C. Roy Wiebush, who joined in 1934 and died in 1946; Cleve E. Yoder, who joined in 1934 and died in 1954; Harry Myers, who joined in 1928 and died in 1957; Martin Baldwin, who joined in 1915 and died in 1934; and David Kitch, who joined in 1882 and died in 1893.
Wiebush's son, Roy, of Lancaster was also at the ceremony. He said his father died at the age of 43 from smoke inhalation from a fire he fought at a side-by-side movie theater and a shoe store, both of which formerly operated on North Queen Street.
When asked what his father would think of the memorial, Wiebush responded: "He would have stood here in awe."
Patricia Poist is a staff writer for the Living section. Write to her at ppoist@lnpnews.com.
