Assistant Paola Fire Chief Wendell O. Phillips was fighting a house fire at 107 E. Wea St. on April 7, 1957, when he had a heart attack. Thinking he was just feeling ill, Phillips went home, but he suffered another heart attack that evening and grew steadily worse. Phillips was taken to the hospital, but he died two days later on April 9, 1957. It was a tragic loss for the community, and the fire department, but, for whatever reason, as the years and decades passed by, fewer and fewer people could recall Phillips’ service and sacrifice.
Source: Local News | republic-online.com
