By Brenda Erdahl
In the Hennen household, community service is all about giving back what you owe.
“Put in your time and pay your dues, that was dad’s favorite saying,” said Daryl Hennen.
When Ken Hennen was asked to serve on Maple Lake’s volunteer fire department back in 1960, he didn’t hesitate to say yes. Thirteen years later, neither did his son Daryl, nor did his grandson Brad when it came his time to serve.
At one point, there were three Hennen’s on the fire department. Today, only Brad is left to carry on the tradition. Ken retired in 1998 and has since passed away. This fall, Daryl turned 70, retirement age according to department rules. After 49 years on the force, it will be a big change and he’ll miss it, but it’s okay, he said.
“It’s a good rule, because it’s a young person’s job,” he said.
Ken was a natural choice for the fire department all those years ago. Not only did he live in town, but he also owned the Lumber Yard just a couple blocks away from the fire hall. Proximity is everything when the outcome of an emergency depends on how fast the response time is. Back in the 1950s and 1960s, many if not all the town’s business owners were on the force, Daryl said. They were the ideal volunteers because they worked in town all day and most of them lived in town.
Daryl always thought highly of his dad and his work on the volunteer fire department, so when he was asked to join in 1973, he was excited that his chance had finally arrived.