After getting out of the Air Force in 1972, Henry "Harry" Magee wasn't considering a career in the fire service.
"I went to have coffee with my uncle one night and wasn't even thinking about the Fire Department," Magee said. "He said, 'It's a good job,' and I said, 'Well, I'm just a regular guy.' He said, 'We're all regular guys.' "
At his uncle's urging, Magee took the Philadelphia Fire Department test and, nearly 39 years after he joined the department, he stood Friday on the second floor of the Fireman's Hall Museum as the 2012 recipient of the Firefighter of the Year Award.
Magee, 63, of Rhawnhurst, has been curator of the museum for 27 years after spending 12 years riding the rigs. His colleagues say he has evolved into the position.
"You know he's a firefighter, but he's surely more than that," Capt. Clifford Gilliam said. "He's truly a museum curator. Anything you ask him about this museum he knows front to back."
Magee said he was originally assigned to the museum in 1979 while on light duty, and, after a few years back on the street, was assigned again to the museum for two weeks in 1985 before taking over as curator.
"What people don't say in all the speeches is this has been his professional life," said Firefighter Tito Gonzalez, who will take over as curator when Magee retires in June. "He took this like he owns the place, and he made it what it is today. He built it."
The museum, housed in a refurbished 1902 firehouse on the 100 block of North Second Street in Old City, opened in 1967.
Fire Commissioner Lloyd Ayers said: "We talk about the museum as being a jewel in the city of Philadelphia. Well, it is, and Harry is the person that polished that jewel."
Magee, a fourth-generation firefighter, has four children, 12 grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren, with one on the way. He said he relies heavily on his family at the museum, where many of them volunteer.
At the award ceremony, Magee's 13-year-old granddaughter, Sarah Andrews, pinned his award to his jacket.
In addition to the pin, Magee received various gifts, including $500 donated by the National Fire Sprinkler Association, restaurant gift certificates, and two tickets to the Walnut Street Theatre.
He was also presented with a color print depicting a 1963 fire at the Fretz Building at 10th and Diamond Streets in North Philadelphia by the Philadelphia Second Alarmers Association, a nonprofit that provides rest and rehabilitation to firefighters. Magee served with the Second Alarmers before he joined the Fire Department.
His wife of 43 years, Nancy, whom Magee described as his "backbone," received roses at the ceremony.
Winners of the award, which has been given annually since 1996, may be nominated by anyone and are then chosen by a four-person selection committee.
Even with eight months to go before retirement, Magee exudes an unparalleled love for his job, Ayers said.
"He's just a good man, but he's got a passion unlike anybody else," Ayers said.
Copyright 2012 Philadelphia Newspapers, LLC. All Rights Reserved
