The City of Roanoke held a ceremony on Monday, Sept. 28, to unveil and dedicate an historical marker recognizing the Hunton Life Saving and First Aid Crew. The marker is located at 28 Wells Ave. NW in the grassy area between Henry Street and Jordan Alley.
The Hunton Life Saving and First Aid Crew was organized Dec. 21, 1941, by Alexander A. Terrell the first all-black volunteer rescue squad in the United States. Speakers at this event included Mayor Sherman P. Lea and Rev. Nelson Harris who conducted the research and made the application that resulted in the marker.
Speaker Trish White-Boyd stated, “I am pleased to be part of this special ceremony today, recognizing the historical significance of the Hunton Life Saving and First Aid Crew.”
Organized by Alexander A. Terrell on Dec. 21, 1941, two weeks after the attack on Pearl Harbor, this was the first African-American rescue crew in the nation.
Mr. Terrell was inspired to start the organization because he felt they could make a difference during the time of war. The purpose of the organization was to provide emergency medical assistance as well as safety and first aid training classes in schools and factories, to prevent accidents.
The location of the marker was selected because the crew was initially headquartered at 28 Wells Ave. NW in the William A. Hunton Branch YMCA as during the 1940s – 1960s the black population lived primarily in the northwest section of the City. They had separate business centers like the Henry Street District, and institutions Burrell Memorial Hospital.
Most of the Hunton Crew calls were in this area. But occasionally, when one of the white rescue squads couldn’t respond to a call, the dispatcher would call the Hunton crew that handled gunshot wounds, childbirths, car accidents and other emergencies and were on call 24 hours a day. The Crew relied on donations to be able to add new equipment such as an ambulance and iron lung.
During its 46 years of service, the Hunton Life Saving Crew won numerous awards for its quality of service. The crew suspended operations on July 2, 1987, due to a lack of volunteers.
Speaker Nelson Harris spoke admirably about the Hunton Life Saving and First Aid Crew, and about this historical marker!
