Ed Hill: A century’s commitment to lifesaving
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When Ed was very young - before and during World War I - he worked as one of the two town lamplighters. He would shimmy up the lampposts every evening and developed a lot of strength doing so. Once he came down a pole so fast that the friction set the matches in his pockets on fire.
“You never saw a pair of pants come off so fast in your life!” Hill remarked. One time when he went in to start the lights in a public restroom, a gas nozzle had been damaged, gas was starting to fill up the building and Hill was blown out the door by the resulting explosion.
It’s difficult to imagine the span of Ed Hill’s life and what he has seen. But his mind is sharp and he is a superb raconteur.
Ed’s buddy, Seton Mayhadier, was not only his lamplighter partner - taking on half of town and Ed the other. In the mid-1920s, shortly after the formation of the Rehoboth Beach Patrol in 1921, they were elected by the entire town to serve as the two members of the beach patrol. That’s how it was done in those days; people who were known to the community as good public servants and in top physical and mental health were selected by the community to keep their beach safe.
Ed was stationed where the main street of the town, Rehoboth Avenue, met the Boardwalk and beach. Seton was stationed north on the Boardwalk in front of the old Henlopen Hotel. About half a mile separated the two guards but they found ways to signal to each other if things got rough and they needed help. The only flotation devices they had as rescue devices were “ring and cork” jackets.
The mayor at that time, Arthur Dorning, tasked the two lifeguards with one order: “Don’t let anyone drown.” They lived up to that order and Ed still takes great pride in having done so.
Ed said they had many rescues but the one that scared him the most was when he ran way down the beach to make a pull-in and the victim had gone under for good. He went in to the water and, for a fraction of a second, spotted the elbow of an arm. It belonged to the victim and Ed got her to safety.
Ed’s family consisted of five brothers, five sisters and three orphans. Needless to say, it was a kind and caring family. Part of the year, Ed’s father ran a bathhouse and, in the off-season, was in the oyster business and Ed and his siblings helped.
Ed’s buddy Seton lived with his family in a railroad car that had been moved to Oak Avenue near the beach. Over the years, it became so termite-infested that it couldn’t be re-painted.
During the 1920s Ed also founded the first ham radio group on the Delmarva Peninsula. Also known as the “Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake” and surrounded almost entirely by water, the Delmarva Peninsula is the third most difficult area in the continental United States to evacuate and the ham radio system that Ed created has become part of the Delmarva disaster response.
During the 1930s Ed also built an early version of a television set, using the “electromechanical” (as opposed to the completely electrical version which came to dominate TV) version. He still has it and it is in perfect shape.
Ed spent a number of decades working for Delmarva Power. During World War II, he played an important role in tracking down a German spy in Ft. Miles, which is at the mouth of the Delaware Bay and was one of the most heavily armed coastal defenses in the United States. At the present time, Ft. Miles is being restored to its World War II appearance and is open to the public for touring and special reenactment events.
Ed celebrated will celebrate his 104th birthday Monday, Jan. 18, and the U.S. Lifesaving Association (USLA) would like to recognize his pioneering role in the early days of ocean lifesaving and his continued commitment and support of this noble profession. “Lifeguards for Life!”
The USLA would also like to recognize Mary Wolfe, who has been Ed’s loyal caregiver for many years and is a living angel.
