Robert "Bobby" Wilkerson

Dear Hall of Fame Committee Members:

  The Deale Volunteer Fire Department and Rescue Squad would like to nominate Robert “Bobby” Wilkerson to the Anne Arundel County Volunteer Firefighters Association Hall of Fame. Bobby joined the Deale Volunteer Fire Department in 1956 and remained active for most of his youth. As a young man Bobby completed his basic fire and first aid training and responded on the fire apparatus and to emergency medical calls. Bobby re-activated his membership in the Department in 1987 and is a Life Member. He has twenty-nine years of service to Deale and the surrounding communities.

    Bobby has served on the Deale Volunteer Fire Department’s Board of Directors for fifteen years. In his position as a member of the Board of Directors he provided guidance, direction and participated in decisions on administrative and personnel matters for the Department. His input and expertise has been invaluable to the Board and the Department. Bobby has also served as the Department Chaplain for nineteen years. As Chaplain he has given moral and spiritual guidance and support to our members. As you know, Deale has lost several members the past few years, including our beloved Chief Thomas Manifold. Chaplain Wilkerson has been instrumental in providing support and guidance as we strived to cope with these losses. He is always available to offer kind words when any member or their family are sick, need encouragement or suffer the loss of a loved one. Bobby has given his time and support for all of our fundraising events, such as the annual carnival, oyster roasts and haunted house to raise funds to pay for much needed equipment. You can always count on Bobby to be one of the first to arrive and one of the last to leave at any event. He is always willing to do any task to support the Department, no matter how “unglamorous” that task may be.

  Bobby faithfully attends both the monthly business and board of director meetings and offers the invocation at each meeting. He has served for many years and is currently continuing to serve as one of Deale’s delegates to the Anne Arundel County Volunteer Firefighters Association, attending each monthly meeting. Bobby is a man of great integrity and one of the “solid blocks” of the Deale Volunteer Fire Department.

  We request your favorable consideration for Robert Wilkerson as an inductee into the Anne Arundel County Volunteer Firefighters Association Hall of Fame.

  Yours in the Fire Service,
  Gayle Moreland, President