Page 42 - Lubbock Senior Link Magazine Summer 2022 - Online Magazine

RAND MCPHERSON

Ransom Canyon

VFD CHIEF

by Ron Cox

ansom Canyon’s Volunteer family traveled quite
Fire Department Chief Rand a bit. Rand’s first trip
RMcPherson knows hard was to England. It was
work and service to others. He, like marvelous. There was so
all first responders, is dedicated to much history - so many
serving his community. beautiful old buildings
and fascinating people.
Rand and his three siblings grew
up on a farm near Denver City. His In 1990, Rand joined
dad both farmed and ran a feed and the Ransom Canyon
fertilizer store in town. Now, his Volunteer Fire
dad wasn’t your ordinary farmer; Department. At the
he loved to experiment. Besides time, there were only
growing the typical West Texas crop four volunteers, and
of cotton, he also grew small grains, they were desperate for
corn, and soybeans. The latter help. “I had never done
two crops did well in the wetter anything like that before. No one was at home when the
Midwest where I grew up, but not It was totally different from my fire started early that morning.
so much here on the dry South background. Because of the house’s brick and
Plains, but he felt it was worth a try. roof tile construction, the fire grew
His mom was dedicated to seeing “You are on call all the time. unnoticed inside the home. Later
that the family was well fed and Whenever we get a call, we never that morning, Rand got a call that
properly clothed, as was my mom know what to expect. That is why there was a fire at 19 Sunrise Lane.
back in Illinois. all of us show up when we get a
call,” the Fire Chief explained. There was no other information. As
At TTU, the farm boy earned a BS he approached the home, he saw
in Elementary Education and an MS The Bricker House fire was Rand’s that there were flames behind each
in Early Childhood Development— most frightening experience. The window. He could feel the intense
“Anything but farming,” he 5,000 sq. ft., two-story home at 19 heat radiating from the brick and
thought. While teaching in Lubbock, Sunrise Lane was perched on the stucco walls. His first thoughts
he fell in love with and married a northeast rim of Ransom Canyon. were, “This is much larger than I
fellow teacher. Georgette’s dad was The westward view across the lake had expected! Who and what do I
a self-made entrepreneur and a is magnificent, especially at sunset. need? How fast can they get here?”
good mentor to Rand. Rand’s family The walls were made of stucco Rand sent out a message: “Send
had never had the time to travel covered brick, and the roof was everyone!” He raced back to the
– too much work. But Georgette’s Mediterranean tile. nearby firehouse. He met another

42 Lubbock Senior Link