Firefighter
John Tipping II
Ladder 4
Memorial
Service was held
on October 15, 2001
Carrier
of the Skiing Bug
For
the first half-dozen years after he lurched through college,
John Tipping 2nd was still deciding what he wanted out of a
career. But he always knew what he wanted out of a weekend:
biking and skiing. Especially skiing. The four Tipping children
— John was the third, and the only boy — were half-grown when
their father, John, bought a cabin at Lake Placid. As one February
vacation followed another, the son outgrew the father's intermediate
slopes and moved to expert runs. Six years ago, Mr. Tipping
found the career he wanted. At the suggestion of his father,
a retired firefighter, he joined the New York Fire Department
and was assigned to Engine Company 54, Ladder Company 4. "He
matured as a person when he was in the Fire Department," his
father said. Firefighter Tipping, 33, also moved from skis to
a snowboard. Last winter he enticed his father, who had lost
the skiing bug, to join him in Vermont. Two John Tippings, the
younger mastering his snowboard, the older getting the rust
out of his turns, were back on the intermediate runs. "I got
my enthusiasm back," the father said. On Thanksgiving, the Tipping
family lit a candle for their son, brother, uncle and cousin.
And the older John Tipping made plans to buy new skis. Profile
published in THE NEW YORK TIMES on November 30, 2001.
Newsday
Article