Donald Long, Last Glenbrook Fire Chief, 1994 Glenview Citizen of the Year, Passed

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Donald Long. (Photo provided)

Funeral services for Donald Long, 93, of Glenview – with military honors – are scheduled for 11 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 23 at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Glenview. Bunting will also be placed outside Glenview Fire Station No. 6 on Waukegan Road.

Long is a lifelong resident of Glenview whose professional and volunteer work in the village has left a lasting legacy to this day. He died Thursday, Sept. 16 surrounded by family members.

He has long held leading roles in many civic and professional organizations and was recognized for that service at the 1994 Glenview Civic Awards ceremony when he was presented with the Citizen of the Year Award.

Don has been active in the community, we are so lucky that he is in our corner, said Glenview History Center President Beverly Dawson.

Longing for community service, both professionally and as a volunteer, includes the Glenview History Center where he served as president, Joseph M. Sesterhenn American Legion Post 166 where he served as commander, Glenview Council of the U.S. Navy League , where he served as president, the Glenview Naval Air Station Museum Board of Directors including Glenview Rotary Sunrise, Glenview Park District Starlite Singers, Immanuel Lutheran Church, team captain for Rebuilding Together and Civil War reactor.

Long grew up on a farm in Glenview, which has since become Flick Park. The passion for farm life led him to volunteer as a doctor at Wagner Farm.

On top of all that, Long put out a lot of fires around Glenview. After returning to Glenview after serving in the Army in the Korean War, he became a firefighter with the Glenbrook Rural Fire District, which at the time was a full-fledged fire department.

His death said he was not only one of the first three firefighters hired as professional firefighters, but rose in rank to become a leader. He was also the last Glenbrook fire chief before joining the Glenview Fire Dept.

Glenbrook Professional Firefighters Association Union Local 4186 President Jesse Gallagher said Long led the department by moving from a full-volunteer to an all-professional fire department in the 1970s, and that’s big thing.

Donald Long helped set the stage for a great fire department. He has put his whole life into this job and is still grateful, Gallagher said from Fire Station No. 8 on Landwehr Road where a picture of Long is still hanging.

Dawson said, We were out to lunch and some firefighters, some younger, would stop to shake his hand. They appreciated him.

Dawson recalled a Long related story about his first call fighting fires as a young volunteer, which he said helped shape his perspective.

Longs and firefighters were sent to the pharmacy fire on Glenview Road – a fire that included chemicals. Dawson Long called it his first trial by fire.

Post 166 Cmdr. Wayne Carle called Long both generous and friendly. He said Post 166 will send an honor guard on the visit and is working with the Army to have a rifle squad join the soldiers at Thursday’s funeral to conduct a rifle tribute.

Carle said Long performed in the Civil War reenactment as a Union soldier at The Grove in Glenview.

Immanuel Lutheran Church is located at 1850 Chestnut Ave.

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