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A CEREMONIAL RESOLUTION
21-110
In the Council of the District of Columbia
September 22, 2015
To recognize David Nathaniel Tinsley, Jr. on the occasion of his retirement from the District of Columbia Fire Department.
WHEREAS, David Nathaniel Tinsley, Jr., also known as “Tinman” and “Big Dave,” was born in the District of Columbia on October 10, 1961, to the late Bertha Washington and David Tinsley, Sr. as the third of 10 children;
WHEREAS, David Nathaniel Tinsley, Jr. grew up in Northeast D.C. and primarily resided with his grandparents on 3rd Street, N.E.;
WHEREAS, David Nathaniel Tinsley, Jr. attended public and parochial schools before his graduation from Mackin High School;
WHEREAS, David Nathaniel Tinsley, Jr. was joined in Holy Matrimony to Lillie G. Sanders in June 1986 and from this union 2 children were born, David N. Tinsley, III and Lillie Grace Tinsley, Jr.;
WHEREAS, David Nathaniel Tinsley, Jr. accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Savior at an early age, was baptized, and became a member of Enon Baptist Church under the leadership of the late Reverend Arthur Shingler;
WHEREAS, David Nathaniel Tinsley, Jr. is now a Deacon at Peace Baptist Church, where he is an active and devoted member under the leadership of Reverend Dr. Michael T. Bell, and serves faithfully in several ministries, including The Senior Ministry, The Male Chorus as its President, as spiritual advisor for the Junior Usher board, and as a Bass player;
WHEREAS, David Nathaniel Tinsley, Jr. is also affiliated with 2 quartets; Men of Faith and the Gaston Brothers;
WHEREAS, David Nathaniel Tinsley, Jr. was involved with numerous community activities beyond his professional career, including service as a mentor for young males with incarnated fathers, participating in numerous District of Columbia Public Schools fire prevention safety orientations for the children and staff, youth mentorship in the public school system, ministering through song to senior and disabled patients in local nursing homes, hosting DNT Annual Charity races with the proceeds donated to needy District of Columbia resident children, and serving as a certified personal trainer through the American Council on Exercise and to his DNT fitness clients;
WHEREAS, David Nathaniel Tinsley, Jr. began his career with the District of Columbia Fire Department on April 4, 1989, when he was assigned to Truck 10;
WHEREAS, David Nathaniel Tinsley, Jr. proudly served his city and community as a Fire Fighter Technician and Form Unit Technician, and after 26 years of faithful service, retired from the District of Columbia Fire Department on September 5, 2015;
WHEREAS, David Nathaniel Tinsley, Jr. never considered his tenure as a fire fighter as a job, but rather as a privilege to be a “First Responder”;
WHEREAS, David Nathaniel Tinsley, Jr. is known as a “People Person,” and his friendships with his colleagues and the opportunity to provide resources and support to his hometown community provided him with a rewarding and fulfilling career that included highlights such as his service at the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, being a first responder to the White House when the President landed and the beginning of the “Tinsley Legacy of Fire Fighters” when his son, Sgt. David Tinsley, III, began his service to DCFD; and
WHEREAS, David Nathaniel Tinsley, Jr. is a source of inspiration and joy for his family and friends.
IT IS HEREBY RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, that the Council of the District of Columbia recognizes David Nathaniel Tinsley, Jr. on the occasion of his retirement, and thanks him for his years of faithful service to the District of Columbia.
Sec. 2. This resolution may be cited as the “David Nathaniel Tinsley, Jr. Retirement Recognition Resolution of 2015”.
Sec. 3. This resolution shall take effect immediately upon the first date of publication in the District of Columbia Register.
