Photos courtesy of the City of Odessa.
Retired Odessa firefighter releases book on fire department’s history
John Taylor is a veteran and retired firefighter who served Odessa Fire Rescue for 28 years, but he was known by many as the “Historian,” according to the City of Odessa.
And so it only makes sense that he would release a historic book on the Odessa Fire Department.
In a highly interesting post on Facebook, the City of Odessa recently promoted Taylor’s book, which was released this past May and covers the fire department’s history beginning with volunteer firefighters from 1927 to 1939, all the way up to 2011.
Supported by newspaper articles and photos, Taylor started researching the history in 1988, according to the city. He reportedly met some of the volunteer firemen in 1927, heard their stories and saw their photos, according to the city.
“He wanted the pictures to have the names of our heroes along with them,” the city’s post states. “That was so important to him!”
It’s so important to Taylor, he reportedly waived all royalties to make the 522-page hardback book affordable, the city added.
Buy the book on Amazon.
