Newberg High School Class of '58

After 48 years of service, Al Blodgett retired Friday as Newberg's fire chief. But while it was supposed to mark his last day on the job, Blodgett admits he is in no hurry to depart.
   "I'll probably stay under contract `til March" to assist in the department's transition to a new chief, he said. The Newberg City Council has received 23 applications for the job, many from out of state, and narrow that list down to 8.
   "We thought (Division Chief) Frank Douglas might apply, but he didn't, and the other division chiefs weren't interested," Blodgett said. "So it's going to be someone from outside."
   Blodgett assumed the leadership of the Newberg Fire Department in 2006 after four years as a division chief. He replaced Michael Sherman, who retired to California. Now, Blodgett said, "It's time for a younger guy to take the reins."
   "I'm not the type who enjoys just being an administrator - I want to be out there with my guys, but these days I don't bounce back as quick after going out on a fire call in the middle of the night," the 68-year-old Blodgett said.
   Joining the department as a volunteer in April 1960, Blodgett "worked his way up through the ranks," in the words of former mayor Bob Stewart, who promoted him to the chief's position.
   "I knew the department would be in good hands," Stewart said. "Of course, (Blodgett) and I had known each other a long time - ever since he ran a restaurant."
   In fact, Pasquale's on West First Street was formerly Al's Family Diner. "It was nothing more than a vacant lot when I bought it," Blodgett said. "I started off working at the Dairy Queen in high school - the restaurant business is really the only other type of job I've had."
   Blodgett, who grew up in Newberg after his family moved here in 1946, got his start in the working world at one of local businessman Ted Francis' movie theaters. He got involved with the fire department as a form of community service. "I'm a volunteer at heart," he said.
   The transition from chef to chief began in 1984 when Blodgett decided to leave the restaurant business to become a full-time, paid member of the Newberg Fire Department.
   "In those days, we were feeling the pressure from corporate, franchised restaurants - so when the opportunity came along, I threw my hat in the ring," he said, adding that at the time, job stability was his major concern. "I never knew I would rise to the position I have now."
   In the view of many of his friends and colleagues, leadership was a quality Blodgett possessed early on.
   "Al was a fixture in our community long before he came to work for the city," said former city manager Jim Bennett in 2005, when Blodgett was named city employee of the year. "He has a very generous nature ... that's evident in everything Al does."
   That disposition will come in handy on Jan. 17 when the fire chief is roasted at a farewell banquet at the Chehalem Armory Center.
   "It should be pretty thorough," Blodgett said in December, anticipating a review of such proud moments of his career as his 2005 "burn-to-learn" training exercise that turned into a three-alarm fire.
   "That went from `wow' to `uh-oh' in a very short space of time," Blodgett said. Sudden wind gusts blew debris from the training site (a Springbrook Road warehouse scheduled for demolition) onto the roof of nearby Mountain View Elementary School, resulting in the city paying for repairs to that and other affected properties.
   "I was the training officer that day, but (Sherman) ... made it clear to the city council that the buck stopped with him," Blodgett said. "Bob Stewart said at the time: `Well, you learned, didn't you?' I certainly did. That was a very stressful morning - especially since there were two other major fires that happened that same day in the county."
   As for the future, Blodgett said: "I haven't thought about it much - I plan to take a cruise to Alaska, but mostly I expect to busy myself in the community. With all the activities in this town, you can't just sit home in your recliner."