BERNE — When Gerald Cross makes a stop with the Helderberg Ambulance Squad, he said, nine times out of ten, he knows the person he’s picking up.
"I think it gives additional comfort for them to have someone there who they can recognize, that they can talk to," Cross said.

Except for a stint in the army, Cross has lived in Berne his whole life.
"If you ask someone in the town who Jerry Cross is, they probably will tell you," he said.

Cross is one of two Hilltown residents selected as a finalist for a Jefferson Award. The awards, from the American Institute for Public Service, honor people for their contributions to the community. Finalists are nominated by their fellow citizens.

Besides Cross, Sheila McGrath, a retired nurse from Westerlo who mentors youth, was also nominated.

For over a decade, McGrath has been volunteering in the mentoring program of the Berne-Knox-Westerlo School District. She has worked with girls in the high school and middle school, tutoring them, serving as a role model, and preparing them for their adult lives.

Cross joined the Berne Fire/Rescue Squad in 1961, after coming home from the army. In 1971, he qualified as one of the first emergency medical technicians on the squad, and, in 1990, helped found the Helderberg Ambulance Squad, serving as its first president.

He continues to volunteer as a firefighter and on the ambulance squad.
"It’s very gratifying when you can go out and help people," Cross said.

Cross also served as town supervisor for two years, on the town board for eight years, and was appointed to the Berne Youth Council.
On being nominated for a Jefferson Award, Cross said, "I think it’s very very nice that my people would think of be so kind as to think of me for stuff like this. It’s a way of saying ‘Thank you.’"
However, Cross said, "It’s not why we do these things."