On Friday October 19, 2006 the Ebbetts Pass Fire District and the Ebbetts Pass Firefighters Association gave honors to a former Fire District member, Mr. Roy Brown, age 95, of Hathaway Pines.  Mr. Brown was made an honorary member of the Ebbetts Pass Firefighters Association.

Mr. Brown became involved in the Hathaway Pines community after WWII, when he purchased his home from Mr. John Hathaway, the founder of the Hathaway Pines subdivision.  During the 1950's, a few other good men of Hathaway Pines, began the Hathaway Pines Volunteers.  Mr. Brown soon became involved with these men providing the fire protection to the community.  Their fire equipment consisted of some basic hand tools and a hose cart.  This hose cart was towed behind one of the volunteers vehicles to the fire scene.  With the formation of Ebbetts Pass Fire District in 1964, the Hathaway Pines Volunteers were absorbed into the new Fire District.  Many of the Hathaway Volunteers joined the new District and became part of Ebbetts Pass Fire District's Battalion 3.  Mr. Brown was one of these men.  He remained in service to the community for 11 years until his retirement in 1975.

However, this retirement was only from the fire service.  Mr. Brown remained a giving man to his area and community by serving as a Docent to Big Trees State Park.  He continued serving at the park until 1999.

Mr. Brown's commitment to service has been life long.  During the 1930's while in the US Navy, Mr. Brown served aboard the USS Augusta under the command of then, Captain Chester Nimitz.  The Augusta was part of the Asiatic Fleet and served on the South China - Yangtze Patrol.  Even with war on the horizon, the Augusta remained in the region based in Shanghai China.  Mr. Brown began WWII on the island of Corregidor, Philippines, as a radio communications crew member.  It was there that he sent out the last official US armed forces radio communication that Corregidor would be, "off the air". . . meaning surrender to the Japanese.  The surrender of US forces meant that Mr. Brown would be a prisoner of war.  Mr. Brown eventually ended up in Osaka, Japan.  There he spent the duration of WWII.

It is through his years of sacrifice, caring and giving to others and his community that the Ebbetts Pass Fire District and the Ebbetts Pass Firefighters Association nominated, and unanimously voted, Mr. Brown into Honorary Membership of the Ebbetts Pass Firefighters Association.