William (Bill) Bure was born near Alliance,Ohio in 1916 and moved to Sidney in 1928. He attended Sidney Central School and was class president during his freshman,sophomore,junior and senior years. Bill was also president of the Student Council during his senior year. A three-letter athlete in football, basketball and baseball, Bill was also a member of the track team, where he was noted for the shot put.
In 1932, while still a student,Bill helped form the Sidney First Aid Club. A year later, he joined the Cartwright Hook & Ladder Co. of the Fire Department. After graduating from Sidney Central School in 1936,Bill began working at Scintilla, and retired from that company after forty-five years of service. Shortly after joining Scintilla, Bill Bure and twelve others organized the Sidney Emergency Squad.
Bill not only devoted time to his own community, but also helped organize emergency squads in surrounding towns. In 1951,he was a member of the Sidney Emergency Squad, which took first place in the New York State Competition for Squad Members. As a member of the Emergency Squad, Bill saw first-hand the vital need for blood donations. He became a donor in 1934, and never stopped giving until he reached the age limit set by the American Red Cross.
In 1961 Bill became Chief of the Bendix Fire Brigade. The following year he was appointed First Assistant Fire Chief, and then rose to the position of Chief of the Sidney Fire Department in 1969. Throughout the years that he served, the methods and equipment of fire fighting changed and improved. Bill Bure made sure that the Sidney Fire Department received the advanced training necessary to keep abreast of the changes and new demands that faced the squad.
Elwood F. Davis, Mayor of Sidney, announced a special proclamation for Bill Bure,naming October 30, 1982 Bill Bure Day in the Village of Sidney, New York. Honors continued to multiply for Bill,including plaques from the Sidney Fire Department and the Sidney Emergency Squad commemorating 60 and 63 years of continuous service,respectively. The Emergency Squad has been renamed for retiree William P. Bure,and all the trucks used by the Squad bear his name. The Daughters of the American Revolution presented him with a DAR Honor Medal for"... Leadership, Trustworthiness, Service and Patriotism."
Bill's contribution also came in another way. An avid bowler, he was a member of several championship teams,taking ABC bowling trips to Seattle, Fort Worth, Fort Wayne,Rochester and Syracuse. He was a life member of the American Bowling Congress.
Bill Bure was a trustee of the Congregational Church,Director of the American Red Cross,Trustee of the Sidney Fire Department and member of the Delaware,Chenango and Otsego Emergency Squad Associations. He was also a member of the BPOE and F&AM.