George Wilford Ludwig Sr. joined the St. Petersburg Fire Department on February 2, 1946 and rose steadily through its ranks — Lieutenant on April 6, 1954, Captain on June 7, 1961, and District Chief on June 7, 1965.
On Thursday, December 15, 1966, Chief Ludwig took part in a SCUBA class for firefighters at the city's North Shore Swimming Pool. He suffered an apparent heart attack while returning to Station 1 at 128 3rd Street South. He was given oxygen and taken to the hospital, where he died later that day. He was 45 years old.
The photograph beside this account was taken on the morning of December 15, 1966. His family remembers it as the finest photograph ever taken of him. Portraits of the district chiefs were being made at headquarters that day; afterward, he stopped by his house to pick up a bathing suit and went on to the training at North Shore.
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