by Sam Hirt
For just shy of 20 years, Darrell Sterrett has dutifully and expertly build, repaired, maintained, problem solved, and served Camp as a member of the maintenance team. For twice that amount of time, he also has volunteered as a firefighter for the Delphi community.
Twenty years ago this October, Darrrell left his job at the stone quarry in Delphi after sixteen years to join the Camp Tecumseh maintenance team. He knew Dave Wright from church, and through his community involvement with the volunteer fire department, he also knew Keith Kender – the maintenance director and an EMS.
But twenty years before that, Darrell knew he wanted to serve his community. He was set to follow his WWII-veteran father’s footsteps by joining the military after high school and really wanted to fly Blackhawks. But a very critical illness that included a tumor on his brain and his losing 20% of mobility on his left side discontinued that route.
He was still determined to serve his hometown, Delphi.
“I have never thought of leaving Delphi. You got to call someplace home, and I’ve always been home.”
Through a family friend, and lifelong firefighter Bill Schock, Darrell decided to serve through Delphi’s volunteer fire department. For about the first ten years, Darrell earned degrees and certifications that eventually led to him becoming a training captain, assistant chief, and then chief of the department for 12 years. He currently serves as the assistant chief once again.
Volunteer fire departments have been around since before the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Benjamin Franklin helped create the first bucket brigade, a volunteer fire department in Philadelphia in 1736.
Today, the vast majority of fire departments are entirely volunteer or led by volunteers.
What this means is that many fire departments rely less on municipal direction and funding, and more on time and effort from those that want to make their community a better place.
Darrell, who carries two radios at work, one for Camp and one for the fire department, is essentially on call 24/7. After 40 years of service, volunteering for his community is ingrained in his daily life.
I asked if our society is missing any of that civic engagement and volunteerism today.
“It’s difficult to get people to want to dedicate their time to that community service because people are pulled from so many directions,” he answered.
Darrell’s strong commitment to Delphi and the surrounding area is an inspirational mark for us at Camp Tecumseh. We are committed to being a big part of our community, and although we are a century-old organization, our closest neighbors are sometimes still unaware of what we do.
“Camp is like that hidden jewel that nobody really knows about. You talk to people in Delphi and the older generations are like, oh yeah, I went out there and learned how to swim,” said Darrell.
We are in the deliberate process to be a bigger part of our surrounding area. We’ve made headway by participating in local clubs, organizations, and boards, and hosting their meetings at Camp when we can.
Darrell is a great connection point for us to stay connected to Delphi. He’s a guy who knows everyone, it seems. And he’s a great example of someone who has done the hard, but important work of volunteering and caring for his community.
May we all take some inspiration from that and give where we can. We might not give 40 years to something, but maybe we can start small and see where it takes us.
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