Marcellin said he is proud to be a part of the city's history of racial diversity, and hopes to hold the door open for others to follow.
Curt M. MarcellinSPRINGFIELD - Curt M. Marcellin says those who are first have a responsibility to lead the way for those that follow.
Marcellin, 47, an East Forest Park resident, was recently promoted to the rank of captain. He becomes the first black firefighter to obtain that rank in the history of the Fire Department.
In a brief ceremony held on May 4 at fire headquarters with his family in attendance, Marcellin was promoted by Commissioner Gary S. Cassanelli.
Marcellin, a 15-year veteran, said that on a personal level, he is proud of his achievement. Passing the captain's exam was not easy, and neither was the amount of time spent preparing for it, he said.
"I am pleased to be promoted, first and foremost," he said.
At the same time, Marcellin says he is both pleased and honored for his part in the city's racial history.
"I'm proud of that fact, that I'm a part of that history," he said. "In a way, I'm closing one chapter, but I'm opening another in terms of diversity."
The department has one commissioner, one deputy chief, four district chiefs and 15 captains. Marcellin is assigned to Station 10 on Main Street in Memorial Square.
Marcellin was appointed a firefighter on July 3, 1995. He was promoted to the rank of
lieutenant on April 22, 2002.
Marcellin said he knew and worked alongside Leonard A. Corbin, who in 1969 became the first black person appointed to the department.
Corbin worked for 32 years until 2001. He died in 2008, and the city has since installed a memorial to him by the Mason Square station.
"I respected him. He opened a lot of doors for us," Marcellin said.
View full sizeSpringfield Fire Commissioner Gary Cassinelli, left, shakes Curt M. Marcellin's hand at a recent ceremony celebrating his promotion. Present are his father, John Marcellin, and wife, Myra Marcellin.He also remembered another mentor, James Schider, one of the first wave of black firefighters who followed in Corbin's footsteps. It was Schider who once said to him, "Lenny opened the door, and I'm just a chock in the door for young guys like you to come in and take advantage of the opportunity."
Marcellin is active in the community through his church membership, with FIRE of Western Massachusetts and the Caring Health Center. He said his promotion provides him a responsibility to be a mentor for those who come after him.
The department is more than 40 percent minority, and Marcellin said some of the new people coming have exceptional potential to reach as far as they want to climb.
"The opportunity in the future for firefighters to meet and exceed me is theirs now," he said. "That's when I become the chock in the door."