Sgt. 1st Class Raymond Taylor Sr. is honored by Mayor Benjamin Lucarelli and Borough Council Nov. 30 with a proclamation and key to the borough, commemorating his years of service and dedication to the borough of Fair Haven and its residents. KAYLA J. MARSH/STAFF FAIR HAVEN — In a season dedicated to spreading joy and giving thanks, the Borough Council honored a long-time resident and veteran for his hard work and dedication to the borough, and promoted a veteran police officer from sergeant to lieutenant.
At its Nov. 30 meeting, the Borough Council recognized Sgt. 1st Class Raymond Taylor Sr. with a proclamation that highlighted his numerous achievements and gave thanks for his many years of service.
“He is a very special human being,” Mayor Benjamin Lucarelli told a meeting room full of Taylor’s friends and family Nov. 30.
“This year his work was so poignant that I was moved to say that ‘this is a special individual and he should be recognized.’”
According to Lucarelli, Taylor has been a resident of Fair Haven for 91 years, having moved to the borough in 1924 from Long Branch, where he was born in June 1922.
Taylor and his wife Elizabeth have raised seven children in the borough and have more than 20 grandchildren and many great-grandchildren, according to the proclamation.
“He’s been living in town for many, many years [and] for as long as any of us can remember, Ray speaks at our Memorial Day and Veteran’s Days ceremonies … touching the hearts of many,” Lucarelli said. “When they put the World War II memorial in our park, he was [actually] a member of the committee.”
Taylor served in the Army for eight years, in both World War II from 1942 to 1946 and the Korean War in the 1950s. Lucarelli said Taylor worked his way up to Sergeant 1st Class, receiving a Distinguished Service Medal and Korean War Commemorative Medal.
“While serving in World War II, he was stationed in Australia, New Guinea, New Britain, Guam, the Philippines, Japan and 14 months in Alaska and … was stationed in the Asia Pacific during the Korean War,” Lucarelli said.
Lucarelli and the Borough Council presented Taylor with a key to the borough of Fair Haven and the heart of its residents.
“I … and the Borough Council, on behalf of the residents and borough staff, extend deep appreciation and gratitude to Raymond Taylor Sr. for his many years of selfless public service to his country and his hometown and wish him continued years of health and happiness.”
After numerous rounds of applause and standing ovations, Taylor thanked the mayor and council for their words and kindness.
“I want to thank the mayor, council … for the appreciation they show towards me,” he said. “It hurts me to say that most people who I went out [to war] with are no longer here, but I do all I can to keep their name out there.”
Also at the Nov. 30 meeting, police Sgt. Robert Townshend, who has lived in Fair Haven his entire life, was promoted to the rank of lieutenant.
Surrounded by friends and family, including his wife and two children, Townshend took the oath of office, marking the next step in his 20-year-career.
“Thank you to the mayor and council for this opportunity,” Townshend said. “I promise I am going to do the best I can for the borough and for the department, as I always have.”
“[The] guys [in the department] have been real models for me my entire career, so for me to get to this … I wouldn’t be here without them.”
According to notes read by captain and acting Chief of Police Joseph McGovern, Townshend started with the Fair Haven Police Department in 1994 as a part-time dispatcher.
In 1995 he became a Class II Special Officer, until being hired as a patrolman in 1999.
Townshend started serving as a detective with the department in 2006 and was promoted to sergeant in 2008.
“I would like to congratulate the other candidates because there were other candidates for lieutenant,” McGovern said. “They all did an excellent job and any one of them would make a fine lieutenant, and I’m sure in the future they will be standing up here for promotion as well.”
McGovern also took time to thank borough officials and police department members for their continued support.
“I would like to thank the mayor and council for their support in moving forward and allowing this to happen tonight,” he said. “I’ve been to many promotions in different departments both big and small … and this is one of the few departments that everybody is here for.”