Miles Mayer and Jim VanHorn will serve as grand marshals for Allentown’s Memorial Day parade on Monday.
By: Lauren Burgoon
ALLENTOWN In a break with tradition for the annual Memorial Day parade there will be not one, but two, grand marshals waving from the head car this year. But that’s only fitting for two friends who have been at each other’s side for 45 years.
Miles Mayer, 79, and Jim VanHorn, 77, will lead the strut down Main Street and will partake in the memorial service at the veterans memorial afterward all the more fitting because they are both veterans.
Memorial Day means "remembering all of the people who served," Mr. Mayer said. "Some people lost their lives. Other people’s lives were changed forever."
His buddy Mr. VanHorn agreed. "We all knew people who lost their lives," he said.
When these two veterans lead Monday’s parade, it will be a little different from how they spend much of their time together. It all began on similar, yet separate paths during World War II. Mr. Mayer was drafted in 1944 and spent two years in the Philippines as a member of the Army Signal Corps.
Meanwhile, Mr. VanHorn "caught the tail end of the war," he said. He joined the Army in Indiana and was stationed at Fort Dix as a medic.
The men returned home safely, although they both lost friends in the conflict. They settled in Allentown, mostly because their future wives lived in the area, joked Mr. Mayer’s wife, Shirley. Mr. VanHorn met and married his wife, Charlotte.
Then in April 1960 both men, who didn’t know each other at the time, joined Hope Fire Company as volunteers at the request of two different neighbors.
"Someone asked and I said OK. Once you’re in, you’re hooked," said Mr. VanHorn, who lives of Lakeview Drive.
Apparently Mr. Mayer, who lives on Waker Avenue, felt the same way. The day they met at the firehouse turned into a life of volunteerism in Allentown. Besides firefighting duties, both have served in supervisory roles and both were instrumental in securing the company’s new station.
Mr. Mayer became the chief engineer at Hope for several years. He also was the assistant chief from 1970-1973 and a trustee for three years. When it came time to build the new station, Mr. Mayer headed up the building committee.
Mr. VanHorn’s service to the station stretches just as long. He was assistant chief from 1965-1969 and chief from 1970-1974. He also served as president, vice president, secretary and trustee over the years. He was the financial chairman for the new firehouse.
Besides the new fire station, spectators along the parade route and residents can enjoy another a piece of Allentown’s history thanks to Mr. Mayer’s work. Along with fellow Hope Fire Company volunteer John Murr, Mr. Mayer restored an 1818 antique hand pumper that had been left to gather dust. The pumper is featured in the Memorial Day parade each year.
Mr. VanHorn and Mr. Mayer stepped down from active duty several years ago but their commitment earned both one of the company’s highest distinctions. Each was named a life member.
Now Mr. Mayer and Mr. VanHorn get together several times a week just to talk, eat lunch and enjoy each other’s company. The two friends say they are looking forward to Monday’s parade and Mr. VanHorn jokes that he is practicing his cupped-hand wave for the crowd. The men will be only the second pair to serve as grand marshals in the same year. Dick and Fran Walter, former owners of Walter’s Pharmacy on Main Street, were the other pair of marshals in 2001.
But Monday’s parade will last for only a few hours and is only one way of honoring those who serve the nation, the friends agreed. They would both like to see more service on the local level and are encouraging all residents to consider volunteering at Hope Fire Company, as many people do each year.
Both Mr. VanHorn and Mr. Mayer stay involved in other community service. Mr. VanHorn sits on the borough’s zoning board, while Mr. Mayer is an active and longtime congregant at Allentown United Methodist Church.