New Bern’s newest bear was unveiled Saturday as firemen, museum volunteers and friends got their first look at No Burn Bear outside the New Bern Firemen’s Museum.
“No Burn” is mounted on a concrete pad, with a bright red fireplug beside him and a broad, two-sided mural of historic fire department photos behind him.
The bear, himself, was donated to the museum by two descendants of Johnnie Gaskill, the first New Bern fireman to die in the line of duty when, tradition says, he was kicked by a horse in 1904.
Gaskill, 29, who was assistant fire chief of the Button fire company, languished almost two weeks before he died on November 7th.
The donors, siblings John Gaskill Jr. and Georgene Gaskill Eakes, describe themselves as the great-niece and nephew of Gaskill. John Gaskill told the audience that his was the first generation since the 1904 death to not serve on the fire department.