University of Richmond alum retires after five decades as a rescue squad volunteer
HOW A TEENAGER FROM NEW JERSEY DISCOVERED HIS PURPOSE WHILE IN COLLEGE AND SPENT THE NEXT 52 YEARS AND 2,500 EMT SHIFTS SAVING LIVES.
On a sunny January afternoon in 1973, 17-year-old Don Unger sat in the back of a taxi with his father, riding from the airport to the University of Richmond. Unger looked out the window, and the Tuckahoe Volunteer Rescue Squad caught his attention. He could see the ambulances and crash truck parked outside the station. On that day, he made a decision that would guide the next half-century of his life.
He had already been trained as an EMT. The day after his freshman orientation, he hiked the mile into town to the rescue squad station and asked for an application. A month later, he was voted in.
The economics major from the class of 1977 had to learn to balance his many responsibilities. “I wasn’t exactly academically stellar my first year,” Unger said with a chuckle. “I was trying to pledge a fraternity, do my homework, go to basketball games, and volunteer at the rescue squad. But it got better, especially once my parents brought my 10-speed bike with them to parents’ weekend!”
