The Morris Fire Protection District is dedicating station 2 at 2301 Ashton Road to former Fire Chief Bob Coleman, who served with the department for 52 years.

The dedication takes place at 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 13, and will be held outside the station with current and retired fire district personnel, community members, local officials, and members of Coleman’s family.

Coleman passed away last January at the age of 86.

“Chief Coleman’s contributions were not only foundational—they were transformational,” said Fire Chief Tracey Steffes. “Dedicating Station 2 in his honor ensures that future generations will understand and appreciate the impact he had on our department and our community.”

Coleman spoke to the Morris Herald-News in May 2024, and he talked about what it was like to watch the city spring up around him. He started with the department as a volunteer in June 1960. The whole department was made up of volunteer back then.

He watched it go from 25 volunteers to 30, to 35 in the late 1970s, and the department eventually went from a municipal-and-rural department to a fire protection district.

The Morris Fire Protection District Station 2 on Ashton Road was one of Coleman’s projects.

“I designed that station,” Coleman told the Morris Herald-News in a May 2024 story, in reference to the Ashton Street station. “We had the architect sign the papers, and I knew what we needed between the firemen and me. And the whole thing is, we paid for it when it was built. There was no financing. The taxpayers didn’t have to come up with any money. It was paid for at the time. We saved and saved and saved and saved that whole time.”

According to a news release, the ceremony will include remarks from district leaders, a formal dedication, and the unveiling of signage honoring Chief Coleman’s legacy.