By Lynne Klaft
Telegram & Gazette
Copyright 2007 Worcester Telegram & Gazette, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
LANCASTER, Mass. — John P. Sonia retired as superintendent of the Department of Public Works this spring with 202 years of service to the town.
Mr. Sonia was on the police force 32 years, was water commissioner 22 years, Civil Defense director 36 years, at the Highway Department for 42 years, and a firefighter for 39 years, including 34 years as chief of rescue.
Mr. Sonia’s career began in 1949 while still in high school. “I worked as a part-timer for the cemetery and tree department spreading fertilizer on the town green and mowing cemetery lots,” said Mr. Sonia.
Mr. Sonia also assisted Cemetery Superintendent George Black in delivering the Town Report to every home in town over the February school vacation week.
“I was very lucky to be able to work in the cemeteries, tree and road departments all through my high school years and vacations.
“I remember being put in charge of cleaning out the cement mixer after we made a cement guardrail post. Well, I put water and stone in the mixer, as I was told, let it whirl around and then shut it off.
“No one told me you had to dump it out...the mixture hardened and guess who got to chip out the hardened cement the next day...yep, that would be me. I never did that again,” said Mr. Sonia.
After high school, Mr. Sonia was appointed to the Auxiliary Police force to work on the town ambulance which was under the control of the Civil Defense Department, an all-volunteer department.
In 1953, the ambulance was dispatched to Worcester to assist in rescues after a tornado struck.
“I’ll never forget our first patient, a little girl lying next to a telephone pole. We stopped and found out that she had been killed,” said Mr. Sonia, who added that the crew transported her to the morgue and spent the rest of the night giving first aid to residents of the Great Brook Valley Housing project on Lincoln Street.
“I joined the Lancaster Fire Department as an auxiliary firefighter in 1960, became a regular firefighter in ’64 and served until I reached the age of 65, mandatory retirement age, in 2000.
“I really enjoyed being on the fire department because I got to work with a great bunch of men,” said Mr. Sonia.
Mr. Sonia was injured at a fire at the Atlantic Union College Bindery, and because the town ambulance was out on a call, had to be transported to the hospital in the back of a pickup truck.
“I made a promise that no one else would have to go to the hospital in the back of a pickup truck,” said Mr. Sonia.
Working with other firefighters, and with the help of the Civil Defense department, the men started the town’s first rescue squad.
“We bought an old fruit farm truck, painted it, and collected donations to equip it. When we got done we had one of the best-equipped rescue trucks in the state,” said Mr. Sonia, who added that the squad also had a seven-person rescue dive team on call for water emergencies and recovery.
“Most of our rescue members were certified EMTs, and I was appointed rescue chief in 1966,” said Mr. Sonia, who received training from the state’s rescue school in Topsfield and served as chief of rescue for 34 years.
Mr. Sonia also served as Civil Defense director during the 1960s, when the threat of nuclear war was paramount in the nation’s mind.
“We had several well-stocked fallout shelters throughout the town. The cellar of town hall was considered 100 percent radiation-proof,” said Mr. Sonia.
Mr. Sonia also served a stint in the U.S. Army Reserves and was called to active duty during the Berlin Crisis as a supply sergeant for the 850th Signal Company out of Worcester.
Some of the projects that Mr. Sonia is most proud of during his years as DPW superintendent include the rebuilding of five bridges in town, construction of water lines to the George Hill water tanks, replacing rusty water lines on Langan Road, installation of a 60-inch culvert on George Hill Road, working with tree warden Sandy Foster and extending the East Wood Cemetery by 250 lots.
Mr. Sonia is not resting in his retirement. He ran and was elected to the Board of Public Works this May, and has many other projects in mind.
“I have a few projects in mind...planting new trees where the townspeople request them, installing drainage on South Meadow, traffic lights at Lunenburg Road at Old Union Turnpike, Lunenburg Road and Main Street, and Main Street and Route 117.
“I also want to continue developing a new water source off of Route 110 and Old Common Road. And we need to work to replace the safety guardrail on North Lunenburg Road and Chase Hill Road,” said Mr. Sonia.
What job would Mr. Sonia want if he could have any job in the world?
“Are you kidding, I would want to work for the DPW. It’s an exciting job...roads to build, meetings to go to, flood damage to fix...” said Mr. Sonia.