About Fireman Fred P. Morgan, Jr. 
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In 1944, fresh out of the navy, Fred P. Morgan, Sr. thought working in the pork freezer at the Amour Meat Packing Company was at most a dead-end miserable job.  So, for a guy with a wife and two kids, he decided to move onward and possibly, upward.  In April of 1944, my father, joined the Chicago Fire Department.

In spite of rampant departmental racism and practiced segregation, over the next 30 years, with a third child added along the way, my dad went from a lowly recruit and trainee to become Lieutenant, Captain, Battalion Chief, Deputy District Chief, then a District Chief, one of the highest ranks on the Chicago Fire Department.  Chicago is a city divided into 6 fire districts, with O’Hare airport being technically a 7^th District, but not so named.  The ranks of district chief and deputy district chief are in charge of one of those districts.  He retired after 38 ½ years on the job. I think the last years were not great, because after retiring he said, “I think I stayed to long.”

Fred Sr., was a pretty tough, no nonsense guy, but he was my hero.  I can’t ever remember him giving me any bad advice.  One of those pieces of advice was to make the Chicago fire department my career.  I wasn’t really interested in being a fireman, with its obvious racist and segregated atmosphere.  I was picked to become one the first young men of color to enter the Sears Roebuck executive management training program.  Needless to say, my father didn’t think much of that opportunity as a concrete future.  As a matter of fact, he didn’t think it was an opportunity at all.  So, with much prodding and just being himself, he convinced me to join the department.

I took the fire department entrance exam while on leave from the United States Air Force.  I was an Atlas “D” ballistic missile technician at the time.  I did well on the exam by landing #25 out the 16,000 plus CFD aspirants (public record), but when they called my name for the first class, I was still in the Air Force!  I applied for an early discharge (3 Months) and much to my surprise, got it.  At 22 years old, I became a CFD candidate in December of 1965. By the end of the six month training period, I was the number one candidate in physical fitness and number one in academics.  Being the number one candidate in either of those categories allows you to pick your fire assignments.  Needless to say, my dad was proud.

Over the next 21 years of my fire department career, I was promoted thru every rank from Fire Engineer, Fire Lieutenant, Fire Captain, Battalion Chief, and Deputy District Chief.  I became a Deputy District Chief at the ripe old age of 43 by special appointment from the Chicago Fire Commissioner, one of the youngest in Chicago fire history, and the youngest African American. As a Deputy District Chief, I had the great experiences of being  the Deputy District Chief in charge of downtown Chicago and on two occasions, O’Hare airport.

At this time in the mid 1980’s, it was very rare, if at all, that an African American father and son reached the rank of Chief on a big city Fire Department.  In many cases the sons  of firemen became doctors and lawyers.

After combining a rehab construction business and a rather popular indoor flea market, with my 30 year Fire career, I was fortunate enough to retired in 1995, at the age of 51 years old.  I can definitely say, “I didn’t stay too long.”  I hope to write about my fire experience soon, to bring to light the ups and downs of the firefighters’ life in the “Big City” .

My father passed away in 1986, of colon cancer, at the age of 67 - I was 67 this past September.  He was an incredible mentor and a great example of character, strength, pride and honestly.  I have tried to live my life by his example.

Fred P. Morgan, Jr.  Fire Chief – Retired   --- See more pictures