On September 13, 1952, Wylie L. Donaldson, Jr. joined the Odenton Volunteer Fire Company (OVFC) at the age of 14. On September 13, 2022, Wylie celebrated his 70th anniversary of active service with the OVFC. He was presented a Governor’s Citation for Outstanding Services to the Citizens of the State of Maryland. The certificate was presented by Pat Lally of the Governor’s Office of Community Initiatives.
Wylie’s accomplishments over the years are too numerous to mention, it is noted of Wylie’s 70-years of service, at least 60 of those years he served as an operational or administrative officer, sometimes serving both sides at the same time. He is one of the key carnival committee members for the yearly carnival. Wylie is a Past President of the Anne Arundel County Volunteer Firefighters Association (AACVFA) and remains active in the Association. He is also very active in the Maryland State Firemen’s Association (MSFA) and one of the few people across the state to win the three most prestigious awards in the MSFA – Gladhill-Thompson Award, Marbery F. Gates Award, and the Robert H. Shimer Administrator of the Year Award. Wylie has been inducted in the AACVFA, MSFA, and the Maryland Fire Chief’s Hall of Fame. He has also received the AACVFA Individual of the Year twice.
