Granddaughter surprised by honor

The telephone call caught Margaret Jackson by surprise.
The Indianapolis woman had been told family stories about her grandfather’s death.
But until this week she had no idea Guy O. Dollins was the only firefighter in history to lose his life in the line of duty for a Jay County department.
“That’s the only one in Jay County as far as we know,” said Portland Fire Chief Mike Thomas.
Dollins died Feb. 15, 1950, of a heart attack because of overexertion during rescue attempts after the Home Café exploded in downtown Portland. The explosion killed two people that day and claimed another life about a week later.
His deeds might have gone forgotten but for the efforts of Portland Fire Department and Jay County Historical Society.
After the death of fire chief Matt Aker in a motorcycle accident in 2011, the local department researched the criteria for having a name added to the Indiana Fallen Firefighters Memorial. Chief Aker did not qualify because he didn’t die in the line of duty.
But that led to more research.
“We started looking through our records,” said Thomas.
That’s when the name of Guy Dollins surfaced, and the department submitted the necessary documentation to have his name added to the memorial, which is located on the west side of the Statehouse at Government Way and Senate Avenue in Indianapolis.
A re-dedication ceremony for the memorial with the addition of new names — including that of Guy Dollins — was conducted Sept. 20. A plaque and medal recognizing the Dollins family’s sacrifice were given to the Portland Fire Department.
But no local descendants could be found.
Chief Thomas had enlisted the help of Chris Kennedy, staffer at the Jay County Historical Society, but that effort ended in a dead end.
With the name added to the memorial, Kennedy gave the search a second try this week in hope family members could be reached before this weekend’s Heritage Festival, which is honoring local firefighters.
“It’s such a roundabout way of finding things,” said Kennedy.
Using Ancestry.com, she combed through directories and phone books. She knew from the newspaper obituary that a son, John William Dollins, was among the survivors. And she found a John William Dollins Jr. in her search.
That, in turn, led her to the widow of John William Dollins Jr. and an email address.
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But she still had no idea whether there was any direct connection to Guy Dollins.
“I just took a shot and emailed her (Sue Dollins), and she emailed back,” said Kennedy. Sue Dollins shared the contact information for the sister of her late husband.
Unfortunately, Margaret (Peggy) Dollins won’t be able to attend this weekend’s Heritage Festival to receive the plaque and medal. But she was put in touch with Chief Thomas, who will send them to Indianapolis.
“It’s very nice to have this,” she said, still dealing with the surprise of a phone call out of the blue.
And she knows the recognition will be especially meaningful to one of her sons, Greg Jackson, who is a firefighter and paramedic for the Indianapolis Fire Department.

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