Excerpts from the ChicagoTribune.com:
The date Sept. 9 always held special significance for Lawrence Matthews. It was his birthday, his first day as a Dolton firefighter and this year, it will become the day a village street is rededicated in his honor.
Dolton on Saturday will rename the portion of Park Avenue that runs past Fire Station No. 1 Firefighter Lawrence Matthews Way and unveil a plaque designed in honor of the eight-year department veteran who died in the line of duty in June.
The public ceremony, which will be attended by village officials, area firefighters and Matthews’ family and friends, starts at 12:30 p.m. in front of the fire station, 14022 Park Ave.
“We want to honor Lawrence, his wife, his kids, his entire family, and we want to be able to show that his legacy was for the community,” Dolton Fire Chief Steven McCain said. “That’s part of our mission statement — having a community orientated fire department — and Lawrence fit that bill to a ‘T’ with his own passion to the community.” He said Matthews’ death had been devastating for the Dolton fire department and questioned whether it could ever fully recover from the loss.
Matthews, a heart transplant recipient, went into cardiac arrest and died while fighting a house fire in Harvey on June 10. Matthews, who is survived by his wife Rachel, their three young kids and two stepchildren, was sworn in as a Dolton firefighter in 2009 — with the blessing of his doctors — just two years after receiving a new heart.
