Founders Circle Memorial

The Memorial Circle is a circular plot setting at the entrance to the Cranford/Graves Fire Services building in Landover Hills, Maryland.

The Founder’s Memorial Circle is comprised of a central stone, back dropped by three stanzas bearing the United States, Maryland and Prince George’s County flags and a circle of memorial stones representing the volunteer and career organizations of the Prince George’s County Fire and Emergency Service system. The central stone honors the names of those who died in the “line-of-duty,” while the ring of stones memorializes the names of founders and leaders from each department.

The Memorial Circle’s construction began in 1988 and was completed for dedication in 1990 to honor those who gave their lives in “line-of-duty, and to honor the “historical legends” of the fire, rescues and EMS departments comprising the Prince George’s County Fire and EMS Department and the member companies of the Prince George’s County Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association who founded these departments, managed and lead them through the years.

On the one-year anniversary of the attack on our nation, a new memorial was placed in the Memorial Circle dedicated “In memory of those who gave their lives on September 11, 2001.”

Line Of Duty Honor Roll

Volunteer Fire Captain B. Wesley Cranfor	Upper Marlboro	October 25, 1930
Volunteer Firefighter Clarence L. Joneston	Bladensburg	September 1, 1937
Volunteer Firefighter Robert Lohman	Bladensburg	April 1, 1944
Volunteer Firefighter Clinton D. Walker Sr.	Berwyn Heights	March 25, 1945
Volunteer Firefighter Jesse Lovejoy	Berwyn Heights	November 13, 1945
Volunteer Firefighter John Hamer	Landover Hills	January 21, 1949
Volunteer Firefighter William R. Stainback	Hyattsville	October 21, 1953
Volunteer Firefighter John T. Streets	Hyattsville	October 21, 1953
Volunteer Fire Chief William H. Wells	District Heights	September 10, 1958
Volunteer Fire Chief James A. Melton	Branchville	November 30, 1959
Volunteer Firefighter Gerald Britton	Riverdale Heights	May 14, 1960
Volunteer Firefighter Dennis M. Boswell	Tuxedo-Cheverly	November 12, 1963
Volunteer Firefighter Phillip E. Tierney	Boulevard Heights	June 6, 1967
Volunteer Firefighter Robert J. Harmon, Jr	Chillum-Adelphi	August 10, 1969
Volunteer Firefighter C. Robert Hobstetter	Chillum-Adelphi	August 10, 1969
Volunteer Firefighter Richard L. Whittington	Clinton	October 23, 1971
Volunteer Firefighter James M. Herbert	Clinton	October 23, 1971
Volunteer Firefighter Charles R. Hoffman	Tuxedo-Cheverly	August 6, 1972
Volunteer Firefighter George P. Duvall, III	Cottage City	December 11, 1972
Volunteer Firefighter Dennis M. Mandragos	Baden	July 10, 1973
Volunteer Firefighter Mark W. Van Tassel	Baden	July 10, 1973
Volunteer Firefighter Richard W. Meyers	Baden	July 10, 1973
Volunteer Firefighter Raymond H. Smallwood	Accokeek	January 1, 1976
Volunteer Firefighter James M. O'Connor	Upper Marlboro	June 15, 1978
Volunteer Firefighter Donald A. Bowen	West Lanham Hills	January 12, 1980
Career Firefighter Thomas L. Graves, Jr	Prince Georges County Fire & EMS	April 16, 1980
Volunteer Firefighter Michael P. McCarthy	Morningside	September 12, 1983
Volunteer Firefighter Alan P. Sondej	Hyattsville	March 16, 1988
Volunteer Deputy Chief James G. Yvorra	Berwyn Heights	January 29, 1989
Volunteer Firefighter Kenneth M. Hendrick	Morningside	January 12, 1992
Volunteer Firefighter Leonardo Maguigad	Allentown Road	March 2, 1996
Fire Commissioner Charles B. Burton	Landover Hills	November 29, 1999
Volunteer Firefighter Clarence Kreitzer	Bowie	September 24, 2001
Volunteer President William Howzdy	Glenn Dale	October 25, 2001
Career Emer. Res. Tech. Nadar Hammett	Prince Georges County Fire & EMS	December 1, 2003
Volunteer Fire Chief Paul H. Thorne, Sr.	Forestville	October 25, 2005
Volunteer President George H. Linnell	Landover Hills	April 13, 2007
Volunteer Firefighter James D. Brooks	Volunteer Marine Fire & Rescue	January 15, 2014
Career Firefighter/Paramedic John E. Ulmschneider	Prince Georges County Fire & EMS	April 15, 2016
Career Captain Christopher E. Hill	Prince Georges County Fire & EMS	July 21, 2016