A Message from Charter Member
and the
1st President of the Society
Bill Heffernan
On the Occasion of the 20th Anniversary of the Society

    We all go through life hoping that we will leave some memento of our existence, some small mark that showed we passed through this world. We want someone to remember that we contributed to a better place we have left behind. That being said, I know that few who will read this know who the hell I am. This organization stands on its own and has grown much bigger than even I had hoped. This is my mark on the life I will leave behind.

    A little over twenty years ago, in a Patchogue bar called Tomorrow's Pub, I, along with several other members of the Holbrook FD sat planning an inter-company soiree. During our lunch it was brought up that most of us were of Irish descent and it was a shame that there was no Emerald Society in Suffolk County. After a few Guinness' I announced that I would start one. For months I sat at my Atari computer daily and sent out letters and applications to each and every fire department in Suffolk County. Joe Patton was the major mail man and Bill Larkin was our county-wide cheerleader and publicist. In March 1988 at our first meeting in Holbrook everything came together and 100 members showed up. Everyone was eager and excited to get this thing going. Before long we were marching in Montauk, Glen Cove, Huntington and wherever anyone would take us. The following year we were accepted into the Grand Council of Emerald Societies and invited to march as a unit in the NYC St. Patrick's Day parade. I am not ashamed to say that leading the Society down Fifth Avenue and meeting Cardinal O'Connor was one of the proudest days of my life. My father would have cried. (O.K. maybe not - after all he was Irish)

    Many of the members I see at the meetings today were with us when we began and are still plugging away. This is what makes our Society so successful. Men and women willing to go the extra mile for their heritage and show the determination that made our Irish ancestors great. All of us should look to them and learn how to contribute in whatever manner we can to perpetuate the heritage of our forefathers within the fire service. Make memories that will last you forever. This Society has given me more memories than I can count but perhaps my best memories are meeting some of the best Irishmen who ever climbed aboard a fire engine. Although they are no longer with us, they live on, not only in the memories of their own departments and families, but also in the heart of this Society. These men must never be forgotten by us. They were the backbone that kept this organization going in the beginning. They were the heart of an organization that started on unsteady legs but with their positive attitude and determination helped the Society grow into what you all enjoy today. Chris Grennan, Larry Williams, John Devine, Harold Lally, Glen Pettit, Gerry Schrang, Pete Brennan, Billy Moran, Bill Mahoney and not to ever be forgotten our best friend, Father John Halpin. My friends. May the light of Heaven shine always on their graves.

    Congratulations to all of you on your 20th anniversary and to you all -May your neighbors respect you - May trouble neglect you - The angels protect you -And May Heaven accept you.

Bill Heffernan
The First Ex-President