Dick Glidden’s turnout gear hangs in his locker at the Waldoboro fire station next to the gear of Waldoboro’s active firefighters on Saturday, Sept. 20. Glidden passed away Sept. 16, five days after he was diagnosed with terminal cancer. (Photo courtesy Shawna Kurr)
Firefighters, first responders, and law enforcement personnel from across three counties gathered in Waldoboro on Saturday, Sept. 20 to pay their final respects to the late Waldoboro Fire Chief Richard “Dick” Glidden.
Glidden, 92, passed away at his home, surrounded by loved ones, on Tuesday, Sept. 16. While he had been ailing for some time, he remained active and upbeat right up to a few weeks before his passing.
On Thursday, Sept. 11 Glidden was diagnosed with terminal cancer. The next day the Waldoboro Fire Department chauffeured Glidden home from MaineHealth Lincoln Hospital in Damariscotta in the department’s ladder truck. The trip included a stop at the Waldoboro fire station, where members of the department paid their respects.
On Sept. 20, Waldoboro’s ladder truck, followed by a procession of fire trucks from around the area, transported Glidden’s body from the Strong-Hancock Funeral Home in Damariscotta to the Waldoboro fire station for the service. A significant number of Lincoln County’s 18 fire departments were represented, as were a number of Knox County departments who share mutual aid with Waldoboro.
Joining Waldoboro Police Department, Waldoboro EMS, and Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office in attendance were members of the Maine Warden Service, Forest Service, and Marine Patrol, the color guard and officials from the Maine State Federation of Firefighters in Augusta, as well as members of the Masons and Shriners, two fraternal organizations of which Glidden was a longstanding member.
The service included the traditional bell ceremony, in which a fire station’s bell is rung three times, historically signaling the end of a fire call, and the last call, in which a dispatcher at the Lincoln County Communications Center pages the fallen firefighter three times.
The ceremony came together quickly following Glidden’s passing four days earlier. Waldoboro Fire Chief Paul Smeltzer admitted he started organizing the tribute but said many organizations and people deserved the credit for the event.
Glidden, a Thomaston native, lived in Waldoboro for over 70 years. He was noted for his devotion to his adopted hometown and particularly for his devotion to the Waldoboro Fire Department, which he joined shortly after moving to town. Starting his career as a junior firefighter in Thomaston when he was a 15-year-old high school student in 1948, Glidden’s dedication to the fire service proved to be one of the longest relationships of his life, along with his 73-year marriage to his wife, Christine.
In 1964, Glidden became the town’s first deputy fire chief. He served in that role for 42 years, alongside his cousin, the late Waldoboro Fire Chief Bob Maxcy. When Maxcy passed away in March 2006, Glidden succeeded him as chief. He served in that position for roughly two and half years before stepping down. He was succeeded by Smeltzer.
“Since I joined the fire department, Dick has always been my chief,” Smeltzer said. “Then he became my mentor, and he has always been my friend. He was that way with anybody.”
Long after he retired as chief, Glidden remained a vital, contributing member of the department. As his career progressed, he became celebrated for his knowledge, kindness, and willingness to support and share what he knew with others. He responded to fire calls as recently as July.
According to Smeltzer, right up to his final weeks, Glidden would respond to the fire station parking lot in his private vehicle to see the trucks off as they rolled out to a call.
“Even after he retired he still responded more than any other member on the roster,” Smeltzer said. “For years even as his health started to decline he would still show up. As I said the other day, he was really the cog in the wheel that kept us going. His response record certainly is inspirational to the rest of us.”
Smeltzer said Glidden would fill any role that was needed on scene. He wouldn’t hesitate to grab a broom and sweep up debris at crash scene or assist directing traffic, operating equipment, or helping with tasks around the fire station.
A skilled mechanic and former truck driver, Glidden drove Waldoboro’s fire trucks until he was almost 90.
Speaking at the ceremony on Sept. 20, Smeltzer said one of the hardest duties he has had as chief was telling Glidden it was time to stop driving the department’s trucks. As Smeltzer recalled, the conversation was rough in the beginning but it ended well.
Dick Glidden smiles for the camera during a family photo shoot at the Camden Public Library in 2017. Although he retired as Waldoboro fire chief in 2009, Glidden remained a vital, contributing member of the department right up to the final months of his life. Glidden passed away Sept. 16 at the age of 92. (Photo courtesy Shawna Kurr)
“The hardest thing I’ve had to do as fire chief was tell Dick Glidden he shouldn’t drive fire trucks anymore,” Smeltzer said. “The easiest thing I had to do was convincing him to stay on the fire department afterwards.”
Waldoboro Select Board Chair John Blodgett, a retired captain with the fire department, said he was honored to be asked to participate.
“He was an icon and an asset for the town of Waldoboro for 68 years,” Blodgett said. “As a retired fire chief he was very involved, not only because of his knowledge, but he lived right in town so he was available all the time. He could drive any piece of fire apparatus we had. He was Johnny-on-the-spot driving the trucks, pumping water, whatever it was.”
Blodgett said Glidden dispensed with his knowledge willingly. Like a benevolent father figure he was firm, but never overbearing.
“If you messed up he wouldn’t get angry but he would let you know,” Blodgett said. “I can honestly say he was inspiration to us all. Everyone learned from him. If you had a question about trucks or anything, he was a whiz mechanic. He was the person to ask. He would help you out.”
During the service, Glidden’s granddaughter Shawna Kurr lovingly recalled traveling with her grandfather while he made deliveries for his trucking business. R.W. Glidden. No matter where they were or when, if a page came in, her grandfather was going to respond, Kurr said.
“He’d look at me and say, ‘Hold on, Punky Babe,’ and off we’d go,” Kurr said. “I watched him and generations of Waldoboro legends gear up with quiet bravery, ready to risk everything to protect the people of this town. And I watched with the adoration only a granddaughter could have for her hero.”
Kurr said she rode with her grandfather often enough that when her grandmother Christine Glidden heard the call, she would respond to the scene to pick up young Shawna because Dick Glidden would be there for the duration. To this day, the acrid smell of a house fire reminds of her grandfather “Pup,” as she called him.
Glidden chose a life of service, Kurr said, pointing out such dedication comes with the cost of “the dinners cut short, the holidays missed, the birthdays put on hold.”
“To those of you who served alongside him, know this: he loved this brotherhood,” Kurr said. “You were more than colleagues to him. You were family, and though he may not have always said it in the softest of ways … trust me when I say he loved you deeply. It was his great pride to pass along his knowledge to you and serve beside you.”
After the ceremony Kurr said the family was deeply touched by the community response to Glidden’s passing. The family will hold a private service at a future date, Kurr said.
Acknowledging she arrived in town eight years ago, Waldoboro Town Manager Julie Keizer said she had seen enough of Glidden’s contributions to the community to be impressed.
“He is the best example I know of volunteer public service,” Keizer said. “Sixty-eight years of volunteer public service. They don’t make them like that anymore.”
