LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION honoring Bill Teator upon the occasion of his
retirement after more than 50 years of distinguished service to the Town
of Colonie

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to recognize and pay
tribute to those individuals within the State of New York who, in the
course of their jobs, perform acts of heroic dimension; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-
standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to honor Bill
Teator upon the occasion of his retirement after many years of distin-
guished service to the Town of Colonie; and
WHEREAS, Western Turnpike Rescue Squad volunteer Bill Teator has been
working with several different emergency medical services within the
Town of Colonie for more than 50 years; in between having a family and
traveling across the country for work, he was able to devote the remain-
der of his free time to lending a helping hand to his community; and
WHEREAS, Bill Teator volunteers twice a week with the Western Turnpike
Rescue Squad and infrequently volunteers as a fire policeman with
Colonie's Midway Fire Department; he officially retired from it all in
May of 2013; and
WHEREAS, Born in Watervliet, Bill Teator attended Colonie Central High
School and studied electrical engineering at Hudson Valley Community
College; he decided to focus his engineering talents by working on tele-
phone equipment; and
WHEREAS, After working a slew of jobs straight out of college, Bill
Teator eventually landed a spot with Western Electric Company, now known
as Luca Technologies, in Utica, and stayed there until he retired 41
years later; he installed telephone equipment in central offices or
businesses for the bell system and traveled throughout the country; and
WHEREAS, Bill Teator married in 1963, had two sons, and settled his
family in Colonie; yet with his job, he continued to travel and called
himself "The Suitcase Man"; and
WHEREAS, Though he spent much of his life away from home, Bill Teator
still found the time to begin volunteering with Colonie EMS in 1962, and
shortly after, the Fire Department in West Albany on the weekends; in
1965, he joined the Midway Fire Department, and in 1978, trained as an
EMT; and
WHEREAS, When he eventually retired from his job in 2002, Bill Teator
continued to volunteer and began to work as a fire policeman for the
Colonie Fire Department, where he would protect a scene and redirect
traffic; and
WHEREAS, After working so many years in emergency services, Bill
Teator admitted that many times he was in a situation that made him
scared or nervous; he stopped working with the Colonie EMS several years
ago, and his wife of 48 years of marriage later passed; and
WHEREAS, For the past few years, Bill Teator has worked with the
Umbrella of Colonie, a service of Colonie Senior Service Centers, where
he works to help other seniors around their homes to do repairs and
maintenance; and
WHEREAS, Bill Teator will continue work with Umbrella and try to work
on his own house; as for the remainder of his time, he will be visiting
his eight grandchildren in other states and focusing on improving his
score at the lanes with the local bowling league; and
WHEREAS, In his various capacities, Bill Teator served with loyalty,
honor and distinction; and

WHEREAS, On numerous occasions, Bill Teator has acted with bravery and
steady precision in dealing with the risk and drama of emergency situ-
ations; and
WHEREAS, In his official acts, Bill Teator was governed by a keen
sense of duty and always showed a unique grasp of human problems; and
WHEREAS, During his tenure with the Town of Colonie, Bill Teator
earned the admiration, esteem and affection of his colleagues; and
WHEREAS, In the performance of his duties, Bill Teator has demon-
strated his character and his compassion for the welfare of others; he
served as a tremendous asset to his EMS Unit and is a distinguished
citizen of the State and Nation; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
honor Bill Teator upon the occasion of his retirement after many years
of distinguished service to the Town of Colonie; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to Bill Teator.