It was a typical August evening when the fire box chimed-out the code to respond to the 1723-1739 block of Centre Street in West Roxbury. The run ended tragically with the loss of two "jakes" from the Centre Street Station.
Upon arrival, the men of Engine 30 / Ladder 25 found the Tai Ho Mandarin & Cantonese Restaurant fully engulfed. It wasn't long before that the call went out for additional assistance, eventually hitting four alarms. By the time the flames were knocked-down, two members of the Centre Street station lost their lives. Warren J. Payne of Ladder 25 and Paul J. Cahill of Engine Company 30 made the ultimate sacrifice serving the community and her citizens. They are our heroes! Warren had picked-up the overtime shift so that another firefighter could study for an upcoming exam.
Warren was a 1974 graduate of Brighton High School, following behind his sister Bessie, a graduate of the class of 1970. The headmaster of the school, Toby Romer wanting to recognize his sacrifice and to honor Warren's memory is establishing the Warren J. Payne Scholarship Fund. The first scholarship will be given in June 2008 at the Senior Awards Night during Graduation Week.
To raise money for this fund, the school, local stores, the BHSAA among others will be selling the Brighton High School golf shirts with a twist. A tribute ribbon will be embroidered onto the left sleeve with "BFD" over the top of the ribbon and Warren's badge number 1378 below it. These shirts are available for $25 each with all net proceeds to benefit the fund. The irony of this is that the store that has been providing the school with these top quality, 100% pre-shrunk cotton, American-made shirts for the past few years was one of the stores in the fire that fateful evening. Imperial Promotional Embroidery received only minor damage that evening due to the quick response of the fire department and was able to reopen within days. Nick Grande and his brother own Imperial which first opened their doors in 1959. The brothers are providing these shirts at actual cost so that all profit can be put into the scholarship fund.
If you would like to participate in this very worthwhile endeavor, please order a shirt. They are available in all sizes from small to XXXL. Donations are also gratefully accepted. Checks should be made payable to Brighton High School and sent to 25 Warren Street, Brighton, MA 02135. On the memo line, please write in "Warren J. Payne Scholarship". All donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law.
The officers, directors and members of the BHSAA send our most sincere condolences to the Payne and Cahill families. You are all in our thoughts and prayers.
Thank You!
