Clayton Fire Department celebrates lifelong resident’s 100th birthday

Submitted BY TOWN OF CLAYTON

CLAYTON — Lifelong Clayton resident Aldine Parrish celebrated her 100th birthday in September surrounded by family, friends and firefighters.

She was born on Sept. 13, 1922, and throughout the last century, she has collected a wealth of stories worth sharing. In 1943, she married the late Bo Parrish and said “I do” to a lifetime of memories and an enduring bond with the Clayton Fire Department.

Recently, she sat down with Fire Chief Lee Barbee and Deputy Fire Chief Matt Sutphin to share a glimpse into the history of the Clayton Fire Department and reflect on how some traditions never change.

“I’ve said this, and it will always be true. The Clayton Fire Department is a stick-together family-type thing, and I thank God for the family-like connections we share here in Clayton. Bo loved Clayton, and he loved the fire department. We had a good life together,” she said.

Bo Parrish served Clayton as a volunteer firefighter for more than 20 years. According to a newspaper clipping she referenced, her husband joined the Clayton Fire Department in 1956 when the department consisted of only 16 volunteer firefighters.

She reminisced on the early years of the Clayton Fire Department and applauded the progress and improvements made since then to the department’s firefighting equipment, uniforms and technology. Before cell phones and pagers existed, a loud, centralized siren would ring throughout the town to signify an emergency.

This photo was taken after the 1954 Bo Ellis’ Store fire on Main Street in Clayton.

On July 23, 1954, the fire siren rang throughout Clayton, and Bo Parrish responded to one of the largest fires in the history of Clayton. Armed with only one fire truck, the Clayton Fire Department arrived on the scene at Bo Ellis’ Store on Main Street, where Manning’s Restaurant is today.

“That fire burnt for three days and three nights, and Clayton Fire Department fought around the clock. This happened during the summer, and it was so hot and unbelievably smoky,” she said.

Aldine Parrish celebrated her 100th birthday with the Clayton Fire Department in September. From left are Captain Ken Evans, Captain Anthony Venero, Engineer Brandon Messina, Rep. Donna White, Fire Chief Lee Barbee, Parrish, Retired Firefighter Duke Hockaday, Ethan Campbell, Firefighter Blake Grandy and Firefighter Antwan Hardy.

In a story about the Bo Ellis’ Store fire in a newspaper article from the 1980s that she provided, her husband references the first uniform worn by Clayton firefighters, a yellow raincoat and tall, black rubber boots. “It was rough back then,” said Bo Parrish in the article. “The thing (yellow raincoat) was rubber, and before I left there (the scene of the fire), I had to take off the suit and the clothes under it. It had melted to me.”

She vividly remembers her husband’s black firefighter boots and how they found a home beside her doorstep. “Spring, summer, fall and winter, the boots were beside the door. Bo was always ready to help others, no matter what the situation was. I have always been proud of that,” she said.

Her favorite stories are her memories of the Clayton Fire Department helping others, caring for the community or gathering as a family to share a meal and enjoy each other’s company. The Parrishes would never miss a Clayton Fire Department Christmas Dinner, a New Year’s Eve meal of black-eyed peas and hog head or the Thanksgiving food drive.

At her 100th birthday party, the Clayton Fire Department made a surprise appearance and invited her to take a ride in the 1947 Fire Engine No. 1. Once again, she had the opportunity to make an unforgettable memory with her Clayton Fire Department family.