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Remembering Frank Johnson: Longtime Geneva fire chief oversaw major transitions in department

Frank Johnson was an unassuming fellow, never looking to stand out among those around him or steal their spotlight. He could have, considering he was the Geneva fire chief from 1980 to 1996.

Maybe that’s why fire department personnel were somewhat stunned, and humored, when Johnson showed up one day in the mid-1980s with his normal straight hair fashioned in a new, curly look. It was just a bit out of character for their chief.

“I thought his hair looked similar to one sported by Harpo Marx back in the day,” said Steve Olson, who took over as fire chief when Johnson retired.

“There was always a line one did not cross with Frank as fire chief, and saying something about the new hairstyle fell into that category.”

Still, there was no doubting the comic nature of a fire chief who started his career at the department in 1966, a few years after returning home from service in the U.S. Navy, suddenly sporting a new perm.

It was brought into a different light when a brush fire along the Union Pacific railroad right-of-way days later brought Johnson to the scene on his day off.

“When we saw him, he was wearing shorts and casual deck shoes, with a T-shirt, walking out of the cloud of smoke with his fire helmet on and the permed hair pushing out from beneath that,” Olson recalled. “From a distance, it looked just a tad comical.”

Fond memories of Johnson have been in order since his passing last month at age 85, but it’s important to realize he was one of the first full-time members of the department and oversaw its vast and significant changes.

After all, our local fire departments had to grow right along with the population of the communities they served. That makes sense, but it does cause some pause when thinking our fire departments were paid-on-call or volunteer-based well into the 1970s.

That’s a lot of folks committed to keeping us safe and devoted to saving property and lives when emergency calls came — without the stability of it being a full-time occupation.

Such thoughts cross your mind when thinking about Johnson as one of the first “career” or full-time members of the department. He followed in the path set years earlier by Kenneth “Red” Fisher as a full-time fire chief.

Geneva’s volunteer fire department was organized in 1895, and remained that way until adding the paid-on-call phase in the late 1960s. Johnson rose through the ranks to be in a position to start a wave of changes in department structure and expansion as the city grew.

None of that is lost on Olson, who considered Johnson his mentor, the guy who essentially set the table for Olson to become fire chief in 1996, a leadership role he had for 20 years before retiring.

“Frank was pivotal in getting the Geneva Fire Department to move from a volunteer department with an unstaffed fire station to one initially staffed from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday … by Frank,” Olson noted.

Johnson took on the role of fire chief from paid-on-call fire chief Bill Rosenfelder. At the same time, Olson and Jerry Koster became full-time members of the department.

Scott Spencer, retired deputy fire chief in Geneva, joined the department when Johnson’s promotion opened up another spot. He moved into the deputy chief position when Olson became fire chief.

He remembers the learning experiences, as an 18-year-old, that Johnson thrust on him — one rappelling rope from 75 feet in the air, the other being put out in the river in a boat by himself to simulate a water rescue.

“I had to figure out how to hook up the gas to the motor, start the motor and get back to shore,” Spencer said. “I figured it out before going over the dam. I'm pretty sure that would not be OSHA approved today.”

The hiring of additional career firefighters signaled Johnson was aware the department was getting busier.

“Managing that change was a real challenge, as the paid-on-call members felt threatened by it and some even felt they were being pushed out,” Olson said. “They were not and, in fact, the number of POC members actually increased in the following years.”

Johnson oversaw the building of the department’s west-side Station 2 on Fargo Boulevard in the mid 1980s, and worked closely with fire chiefs in Batavia and St. Charles to convert a regional ambulance service into the fire departments through private contractors, effectively increasing the number of ambulances available throughout the area.

When exchange students from France visited Geneva in the 1980s, Frank Johnson took time from his fire chief duties to talk to the students about the city, the department and life in Geneva. Courtesy of Steve Olson

Geneva has much to be thankful for in having a guy like Frank Johnson in charge of its safety for so many years. His knowledge and experience were passed down to Olson, who in turn passed it on to current chief Mike Antenore.

Equally as important, Johnson was viewed as a “good boss.” That’s not an easy label to earn.

“One of Frank’s defining characteristics as our boss was that he gave you responsibility, stood back, and gave you room to succeed and even fail,” Olson said. “If it were the latter, he would ask what happened and what could be done differently and give you a chance to try again and succeed.

“It made us better at our jobs and, in turn, we were given more responsibility,” he added. “So, to a point, he had been grooming me to take over for him over the previous five years, slowly removing the training wheels.”

Ultimately, guys like Olson, Spencer and others knew they worked for a special chief.

Spencer calls Johnson a “firefighter’s fire chief” and a “great guy to work for,” who let you do your job with the right amount of praise and guidance.

“Geneva was fortunate to have him as its fire chief,” Olson said. “None of the changes came quickly or easily, but Frank’s steady hand was crucial to that success.”

ECC culinary standout

It was no surprise to read about Zach Laidlaw and his experience on “Next Level Chef,” the Fox Network reality show in which chef Gordon Ramsay takes participants through the rugged steps of being a top chef.

According to a story in Impact, the Elgin Community College magazine, Laidlaw started his journey to become an elite chef in 2007 in the school’s culinary program, always regarded as one of the best in the country.

Chefs from the ECC Culinary Arts & Hospitality Program have been asked to prepare and serve food at presidential inauguration parties in Washington, D.C., in the past.

Initially from Burlington, which made ECC a close choice for his studies, Laidlaw ultimately ended up in Hawaii, but his world turned upside down when the Lahaina wildfires in Maui devastated his home. He has continued to find cooking jobs and rebuild his life in Hawaii.

For now, he’s under contract with Fox for the next year, with his goal to end up on Food Network and to win the next televised competition he enters.

The other reason I know the ECC culinary program is top rate? I’ve eaten at the school’s Spartan Terrace restaurant a few times in the past, and was invited in the early 1990s to serve as a media judge to taste-test and rate special dishes from ECC culinary students.

That was good eatin’.

More Paramount accolades

Earlier this week, folks in Aurora celebrated “Tim Rater Day” to give well-deserved recognition to the Paramount Theatre president and CEO.

After all, this gentleman has launched the Paramount into a different stratosphere for fans of live theater.

Rater was recently tabbed as the “2024 Top Chicagoan of the Year in Theater” as part of the Chicago Tribune’s year-end accolades.

Anyone who has seen what has happened to downtown Aurora during the time Rater put his mark on the Paramount with numerous shows that are as good as anything you could see in Chicago, as well as expanding entertainment options with the nearby Stolp Island Theater, knows this recognition is definitely warranted.

Artist’s works benefit studio

Edward Dlugopolski is a name well-known in Batavia, especially among local artists and lovers of art.

Upon his passing, the entire art collection of this brilliant artist has been put on display for sale at Water Street Studios in Batavia. The display opens to the public with an opening reception from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Jan. 10, at Water Street Studios, starting a three-day event titled “Ed’s Studio: A Celebration of Life and Work of Edward Dlugopolski.”

Dlugopolski, a 40-year resident of Batavia, would likely be pleased that his wife Joyce and the volunteers at Water Street determined the studio at 160 S. Water St. would be a good place for his collection of nearly 300 artworks.

It is a collection that covers all of the art bases — vibrant abstracts, intimate self-portraits, and evocative life drawings.

Sales from these works will benefit Water Street Studios, a nonprofit dedicated to making art accessible in the Fox Valley area.

Bar back in business

Though we had only been to the 1910 bar above Sergio’s Cantina at 30 W. State St. in Geneva a couple of times, it was an interesting spot with a few concepts we hadn’t seen elsewhere. Like a swinging bench near the bar.

It’s time to remind everyone that a new bar above Tia Carmen restaurant at the former Sergio’s site is in action.

The new bar serving food and spirits is called Revolucion Tequila and Mezcal Bar. It is open from 4 to 10 p.m. weeknights and noon to midnight on Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays.

For those who don’t recall me noting this before, Tia Carmen is operated through Arechiga Restaurant Group, the same folks who own La Hacienda in the Geneva Commons and the local Salsa Verde restaurants.

dheun@sbcglobal.net

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