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The Gainsboro History Project

Hunton Life Saving Crew

Founding

The Hunton Life Saving Crew was founded on December 21, 1941, by Alexander A. Terrell. It was the first African American rescue squad in the country and served the Roanoke community until its disbandment in 1987. The crew worked tirelessly to assist those in need in Roanoke. It came to the rescue of anyone who needed it, providing aid to all Roanokers, regardless of race.

Terrell initially founded the crew of volunteers in the wake of the attack on Pearl Harbor, seeing a need for greater emergency services in Roanoke during the war. There were twelve original members, who were on call 24 hours a day. In the early years of their operation, the crew had no rescue vehicles, so they used their own cars to answer emergency calls, attaching a wagon that carried medical equipment to their vehicle.

Photo of the uniformed Life Saving Crew, 21 men pictured.
The Hunton Life Saving Crew. Courtesy of Roanoke Public Libraries

In addition to providing life-saving services, the crew taught first aid to members of the Gainsboro community. As the organization grew, it was able to buy ambulances and better equipment, including an iron lung.

In March of 1956, as a result of the efforts of Terrell’s wife Bessye, the Women’s Auxiliary of Hunton Life Saving Crew was formed.

Locations

The Hunton Life Saving Crew’s first headquarters were in the William A. Hunton Branch YMCA on the corner of Gainsboro Road and Patton Avenue. Later, C.C. Williams, who served as the crew’s president until his death in 1962, allowed the group to use space in his funeral home. In 1964 the crew bought a building at 830 Moorman Road, NW.

Disbandment

The group disbanded in 1987, when it was unable to recruit enough volunteers to continue operations. For nearly fifty years, the crew provided indispensable services to the Roanoke community, saving countless lives.

See Also

  1. William A. Hunton Branch YMCA
  2. Medicine in Gainsboro

Sources

Hunton Life Saving Crew. (n.d.). [Agenda]. Board of Historic Resources. Gainsboro Library Vertical Files, Roanoke, VA, United States.

Nair, L. (2005, Jan. 7). Garage yields trove of rescue history. The Roanoke Times.

Nixon, R. (1997, Sept. 22). The pride of the community. The Roanoke Times.

Poindexter, J. (2000, May 6). A founder of the Hunton Life Saving Crew dies. The Roanoke Times.

Terrell, founder of Hunton crew, dies at 75. (1982, July 20). The Roanoke Times.