Page 48 - Lubbock Senior Link Magazine Summer 2022 - Online Magazine
P. 48

BILL SIDES

           Protecting
                      otecting
           Pr





          Roosevelt



          FOR45 years45 years                                      by Ron Cox









               ill Sides has been a volunteer   community
               firefighter for a long time. In   is not a
         Bfact, he has been the Fire Chief   town. It
         for the Roosevelt Volunteer Fire    consists
         Department since 1977. He is also a   of the
         full-time farmer. This is Bill’s story.   elementary,
                                             junior
         Bill’s dad Adolph and his 12 siblings   high, and
         came to West Texas from Canton in   senior high
         East Texas in 1917. His granddad    schools plus
         started a cotton farm near what is   a Baptist
         now the Roosevelt community. Bill   church
         grew up on the family farm, learning   and a few
         everything that a farm kid needed   homes.                             On January 30, 2018, Bill was at
         to know. His dad grew cotton,       However, it is a focal point for the   home at noon. He got a call; there
         sorghum, alfalfa, and soybeans. Bill   surrounding farms and small rural   was a house fire in Ransom Canyon.
         graduated from Roosevelt High       communities. In the mid-1970s, they   He went to the nearby firehouse
         School and then went on to study    depended on the City of Lubbock    and drove his 500 gal. brush fire
         Agricultural Engineering at Texas   for fire protection. In 1977, Bill was   truck to the scene. It was the Bricker
         Tech. He learned civil engineering,   VP of the Board of Directors for   house fire that is described in detail
         building design and construction,   the nearby Acuff cotton gin. At one   in the article on Rand McPherson,
         soils, and surveying.  Bill had to   meeting, it was decided that they   Ransom Canyon VFD Chief. When
         learn finance while operating his   really needed to create a volunteer   Bill arrived, it was obvious that
         own farm. A farmer also has to be   fire department located in the     the house was gone. The Bricker
         a mechanic, electrician, carpenter,   Roosevelt community. It would    house is located on the east edge of
         agriculturist, and a businessman.   serve the Roosevelt community,     Ransom Canyon. The land to the
                                             as well as the surrounding farms   east was dry pastureland. There
         The Roosevelt School District was
         formed in the early Depression      and small communities. Bill was    was a strong west wind that day.
         years by the merger of three small   asked to serve as its first fire chief.   When the house’s tile roof collapsed
         rural schools. The first graduation   He thought, “Well, this might be   at 2:00 pm, flames shot into the sky
         was held in 1936. The Roosevelt     interesting; I’ll give it a try.”  and embers flew into the pasture,




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