Kentucky State Police Capt. William John Ward began his public safety career as a volunteer at Upton Fire Department. Just a teenager, he rode his bike to the department to assist on fire runs.
Elizabethtown Fire Chief Mike Hulsey, who was a state fire instructor at the time, remembers teaching the teenage Ward.
“He was dedicated to helping people,” Hulsey said.
Ward, now 51, retires at the end of the month after 28 years with KSP, the last nine of which have been spent as commander of Post 4 in Elizabethtown.