As we close out the last National EMS Memorial Service in Roanoke, the Board of Directors wish to publically thank the many, many volunteers who have selflessly donated their time and talents to help make the Memorial Service a success these past 17 years and to those who continue to do so.

It would be virtually impossible to list everyone on this page so we are not even going to try. Instead, we would like to take the opportunity to thank ALL of you for helping us remember and honor the brave men and women of America's EMS systems who made the ultimate sacrifice, and for brining their families some small measure of comfort and closure.

Instead, we will use this space to spotlight a few representative profiles of individuals and groups from among you. Over the coming months, we hope to update the profiles every few weeks as members of our board submit the names of volunteers in their areas of responsibilities, so please check back every now and them to see any new additions. And again, our thanks to all of you who have in the past and continue to support the mission of the National EMS Memorial Service.

NEMSMS Board of Directors

Cave Spring Rescue Squad and Auxiliary

Since its inception, the National EMS Memorial Service has been able to rely on the men and women of the Cave Spring Rescue Squad for their aid in almost any facet of the Memorial Service Weekend where their help has been needed. This includes such often unthought-of items as serving as drivers for attendee transportation, dealing with pre-event logistics, or simply supplying a pair (or quite a few pairs) of strong arms when they were needed.

In recent years, it was the men and women of the Cave Spring Auxiliary who have stepped up to host, prepare and serve the meals at our Volunteer Appreciation Dinners held each Friday evening prior to the Service. While many of the rest of our volunteers got to take a few minutes off to relax and enjoy a delicious home cooked meal, these folks were busy preparing and serving us those meals.

The continued support of all the folks at Cave Springs is very much appreciated by all of us at the Memorial Service.

Phil Bagby

Phil Bagby's artistic talents were realized at a very early age. As a young boy of 3 or 4, he would watch the Sailor Bob Show and was able to recreate the drawings that Sailor Bob drew on his show. A few years later, Phil began to watch artist Don Nagey, who aired on Saturday mornings and he was hooked! His gift came so naturally and his enthusiasm and commitment to his artwork were incredible.

As a young teen, Phil was well known among his neighborhood friends and classmates as the kid who drew all of those wonderful and crazy characters. During his years at Hermitage High School, Phil was the cartoonist for the yearbook, "The Panthian." His greatest creation was the Rat Fink, who eventually became the Logo for his business, "Phil Bagby Signs." His beloved Rat Fink embellished shirts, signs and even his vehicles.

You will find glimpses of Phil Bagby in each of his beautifully hand painted signs. His work is a legacy to his life and is displayed throughout Ashland and neighboring counties and cities.

Phil was generous with his talent, and, at the request of his mother, National EMS Memorial Service Vice President Shirley Bagby, he created the rose and flag logo for this organization. In addition, he made banners and signs for use during registration each year. After the "To The Rescue" Museum closed, he created panels with trees for attaching the engraved bronze leaves honoring the ultimate sacrifice EMS providers have made. These panels have become the NEMSMS memorial until such time as a permanent memorial in Colorado Springs, Colorado is constructed.

Marie and Everett Davis

For the past six years, Marie and Everett Davis, of Henrico, Virginia, have given very willingly of their time to help get the National EMS Memorial Service invitations ready to mail. Anywhere from 1,000 to 1,500 are mailed each year. They have folded, stuffed, labeled, stamped and sealed each one of them.

They look forward to doing this each year. Unfortunately, in June of 2009 Everett passed away. Marie still continues this important project for us.

Marie and Everett also support the service each year with a very generous donation. Our thanks go out to this very unselfish family.