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Former Wichita Fire Chief Larry Garcia Dies At 81

Courtesy photo

Retired Wichita Fire Chief Larry Garcia died on Tuesday morning. He was 81 years old. Chief Garcia was the longest serving city of Wichita employee, working in the department for nearly 50 years. Recently retired Fire Chief Larry Blackwell remembers Chief Garcia as a leader and a mentor.

"Very compassionate and caring and, in fact, one of the last things he said to the department was 'Never get tired of doing good,' and with that, he completed his retirement ceremony and went out the door," Blackwell says. "It's been 10 years since he retired but we think about him every day."

Chief Garcia was one of the highest ranking Hispanics working for city government. He fought historic fires, including in Wichita's 1965 Piatt Street plane crash, which is considered the worst aviation disaster in Kansas history.

Credit Wichita Fire Department / Facebook
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Carla Eckels is assistant news director and the host of Soulsations. Follow her on Twitter @Eckels.

 
To contact KMUW News or to send in a news tip, reach us at news@kmuw.org.

 

Carla Eckels is Director of Organizational Culture at KMUW. She produces and hosts the R&B and gospel show Soulsations and brings stories of race and culture to The Range with the monthly segment In the Mix. Carla was inducted into The Kansas African American Museum's Trailblazers Hall of Fame in 2020 for her work in broadcast/journalism.