Outgoing county official leaves a legacy of service
Submitted photo
Cecil V. “Buddy” Martinette Jr., left, shakes hands with President George W. Bush during rescue operations following Hurricane Ivan in Florida in 2004. In the background to the right is the President’s brother, Jeb, who was serving as governor of Florida at the time.
The photographs prominently displayed throughout his office are a testament to what he values most—family, friends and service.
Cecil V. “Buddy” Martinette Jr.’s life is reflected in the images that provide a glimpse into a world of courage and camaraderie.
On Sept. 1, he will step aside as assistant county administrator for Hanover County and return to a career that started when he was a teenager. The next day, he will assume the duties of fire chief in Wilmington, N.C.
Surrounded by the mementoes of his years of service—including a fire helmet that was made with a bucket, photos of friends and colleagues, and walls filled with awards and acknowledgements of accomplishments—Martinette said he “got trouble in school” when he was a 15-year-old student in Virginia Beach, his hometown. “The vice principal refused to suspend me anymore. He basically told me I had to do community service.”
He found himself passing by a fire station, so he decided to offer to wash trucks in an effort to meet the requirements of his assigned community service. The three firefighters he approached with his proposal declined, but said he could become a volunteer.
“You can volunteer at 16,” he was told. “I’m only 15” was his reply. They repeated “You can volunteer at 16.” So Martinette decided at that point that he was 16.
When those three men provided the teen with an opportunity to perform his community service, they also opened the door to a rewarding career.
“Those men mentored me when I was young,” teaching him about “a greater good,” which he described as “a powerful motivation.”
But the fire station didn’t only start him down the path of employment, it was there that he spotted the girl who would become his bride.
“I met my wife when she was walking home from school. I didn’t have a car, so I pleaded with one of the guys to let me borrow his car.” With a grin, he recalled telling the colleague that he wanted to “give that girl a ride home.”
It’s been 33 years since he borrowed that “big huge Bronco” to give the future Sarah Martinette a ride. On July 29, they will celebrate 30 years of marriage.
The Martinettes have two children, Brittany and Ryan, and two grandchildren, Mason and Madison. Their daughter manages the new TGIFriday’s in Mechanicsville and their son is with the U.S. Army stationed at Fort Lee.
With pride, Martinette points out that his son, a combat medic, has completed two tours in Iraq. Ryan plans to pursue a career in law enforcement as a police officer when he leaves the military. When he returned to the United States, he told his father that “it’s not 130 degrees and nobody is trying to kill me.”
The return to fire services comes at a time when Martinette has fulfilled his tenure with the government system in the Commonwealth.
When his retirement was officially announced on July 9, he was quoted as saying, “Because of my 31 years of service in the Virginia Retirement System and my age (50), I have the ability to retire with full benefits. But I’m not ready to be ‘put out to pasture’ yet.”
He said Wilmington had offered him “the chance to take on a new challenge, and I am looking forward to meeting it.”
His firefighting career officially took flight in 1978 when he was hired full-time by the Virginia Beach Fire Department. He was serving as battalion chief and fire marshal when he left his hometown department for the fire chief position in Lynchburg in 2000. He also spearheaded emergency medical services there.
Martinette was encouraged by several city and county managers “to stretch myself a little bit” and utilize his broad-based skills. “Hanover took a chance on me,” he said. He has held the assistant county administrator spot since January 2006.
In Hanover, he has been the guiding force behind fire and emergency medical services, animal control, building inspections, emergency communications, and community corrections and pre-trial services.
The legacy he leaves includes managing $30 million in new capital projects, including a state-of-the-art 15-tower public safety radio system, a new Emergency Communications Center that is under construction at Hanover Courthouse, and replacement fire stations in Ashland and Farrington.
He is most proud of the Public Safety Strategic Plan that has “all [departments] pointed in the same direction” and “working together.” Martinette said this project will be “very powerful for years and years to come.”
When the job offers started heading his way, Martinette said “different places came up.” “I’m from the beach; it’s a good community—a good fit. I couldn’t give that opportunity up.”
As fire chief in Wilmington, he will supervise 225 firefighters. The experience in Lynchburg—with about 170 on staff—helped prepare him for the next chapter in his life.
Martinette plans to be a familiar face around the stations in Wilmington. His own experiences provide a knowledge that will enable him to lead as well as support and teach.
“I learned a lot about the fire services culture over the years. They are great people—and that’s what drew me back.” He also cited the pride that comes with that service.
Looking around his office at the Hanover County Government Complex, he points to a framed newspaper article about his heroic efforts in rescuing a man from a house fire early in his career in Virginia Beach. He recalled the man coming by the fire station to extend his thanks. He humbly asked Martinette if he remembered him.
However, Martinette has seen the “dark side” in his profession with the Oklahoma City bombing on April 19, 1995, and the horror of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Somerset County, Pa. Photos of his experiences show him at the World Trade Center site and the Pentagon after 9/11.
When Hurricane Ivan struck Florida in September 2004, Martinette found himself in the company of a familiar family name in this country. A photograph shows President George W. Bush with his brother, Jeb, then the governor of that state, in the background.
As for leaving, Martinette said “I love this job. My moving has nothing to do with Hanover. I love this community.”
“We’ve done some great things here in Hanover the three years I’ve been here,” Martinette said, noting the support of the Hanover County Board of Supervisors.
His immediate supervisor, County Administrator Cecil R. “Rhu” Harris Jr., recognized Martinette’s “great leadership and management skills in all the tasks to which he has been assigned.”
He called Martinette “a key part of our senior management team. I’m sorry to lose him, but I’m also excited at this opportunity that he has.”
Aug. 15 will be Martinette’s last day in Hanover County government. And while he will find a new home for his photos and honors, this time he will take Hanover County memories with him.
Reader Comments
Not many angels walking the earth. This man is a good inspiration to all. Well done, sir, well done.
Frank Harvey of Richmond, VA
Jul. 28, 2008 at 07:29 AM
