To the Editor:

Gerry Cross was honored with the New York State Basic Life Support Provider of the Year Award this past weekend, at the Vital Signs conference in Syracuse, New York, for his 57 years of service as an emergency medical technician to our Hilltown community. Gerry was chosen to receive the award from among 42,000 people in similar roles serving New York State. I wanted to share the remarks I made acknowledging his service at a dinner celebrating his achievement, and as prelude to presenting him with a proclamation from the Berne Town Board:

The Town of Berne is small — 2800 residents. It is a community in every sense of the word. Our resources are limited, and each of us depends upon his and her friends and neighbors. It’s our tradition, our way of life, to step in, to help out, to do what needs doing.

We serve in many different places: the fire department, the planning board, the town board, the youth council, the zoning board.. — the list goes on and on, but it can be argued that no group provides a more critical service than does our volunteer ambulance squad.

Pulled from bed at all hours of the night, sacrificing family time, dropping whatever task is in front of them, mastering a huge body of technical knowledge and expertise, the emergency medical technicians and squad members are there, ready to serve their community with care and compassion.

Gerry Cross has provided exemplary emergency medical service to the Hilltowns for 57 years, answering — how many calls in his career? 57 years? 100 calls a year? Are we far off in guessing 4,000? 5,000? 6,000? And on every one, bringing help and hope to a fellow citizen, to a friend of ours, to a relative.

Gerry Cross may be the Basic Life Support Provider of the Year in New York State, but in Berne and the Hilltowns, he is a legend.

The town board of Berne, on behalf of every resident who has benefited from his service over the past half-century, honored Gerry with a proclamation at the Vital Signs conference held in Syracuse last week. It was offered in gratitude for a body of volunteer work that is simply matchless in duration, quality, and importance.

Congratulations to this dedicated and humble public servant.

Karen Schimmer, member

Berne Town Council