A member of the Ronk family has been contributing to the quality of life in Independence Township for quite some time now.
Elizabeth Ronk worked in the township’s post office from 1933-1970, including a stint as postmistress, and Frank “Tink” Ronk was the first full-time fire chief in township history as well as township supervisor.
Now, Steve Ronk is representing the family’s history of service. A 27-year veteran of the township’s fire department, Ronk was appointed the department’s chief in late 2000 after the retirement of Gar Wilson.
The chief addressed speculation that a new post office in Clarkston will be named after Elizabeth Ronk, his grandmother, who passed away in 1999. “If there is a new post office to service the Clarkston area, the building will be named after her,” he said.
According to Ronk, decisions on whom to name federal government buildings after are often made arbitrarily, without any regard for local history. The township made arrangements with the U.S. Post Office to name a future post office building after Mrs. Ronk ahead of time to preserve a bit of the township’s history, he said.
Although he could not pinpoint an exact timetable, Ronk believes a new post office building in Independence will be needed before too long because the current building is growing outdated in terms of space. He stated he doesn’t know if a new building would be located in the same spot as the old one.
As far as his father, Frank “Tink” Ronk, is concerned, Ronk noted he was originally a barber before joining the fire department in 1947. He became fire chief in 1972 and served as supervisor from 1984-92. He said hanging around his dad in the department and learning the tricks of the trade came naturally.
“I grew up with it,” Ronk said. “I don’t think there was any pressure to join the department. It was just something I was involved in. Back then, it was more of a family atmosphere, as opposed to today, where it’s more of a business. It was part of my life. I enjoyed what the fire department did for the community, helping people in time of need. It really gave me a sense of gratification.”
After graduating from Clarkston High School, Ronk attended Macomb Community College and was on his way to earning an Associate’s Degree in fire science when an opening came up in the Independence fire department.
“It worked out the department was in a growing stage, and I was available when the department started including full-time personnel,” he said.
According to Ronk, any resemblance between the department when he first joined 27 years ago and today is purely coincidental. He likened the department’s level of growth from starting out in the kindergarten stages when he first started to being in the fourth year of college currently. He stated technological advances in firefighting and the area’s growth have a lot to do with the department’s growth.
“The department has changed so much,” he said. “It’s not even the same place. The growth of the community has forced a lot of change. We do a lot more because the community desires and demands it. There’s been a dramatic improvement in safety procedures and equipment. It’s better than it was back then.”
Currently, Ronk lives in Independence Township with wife Anne. The couple has three children: Andrea, 20, a student at Point Park College in Pittsburgh; Rob, a freshman at Clarkston High School; and Tom, a sixth grader at Clarkston Middle School.
As far as his two sons are concerned, Ronk stated they have grown up observing the firefighting trade, but doesn’t know if they will follow in their dad’s footsteps.
Regardless of whether his sons follow his career path, Ronk stated procedures and firefighting technologies are constantly changing, and the department is doing its utmost to keep up with the times.
“My two boys are growing up with it,” Ronk said. “It’s part of their life because that’s what I do. I don’t know if they’ll head down that road or not. It’s a whole different game today than it was 27 years ago, when I first started. It’s a very competitive work force for getting into the field. Guys have got to know what they’re doing. There’s a whole lot more to it than people realize. It (the firefighters learning new things) never ends. We have guys going to school all the time. Things are changing so fast – we’re doing procedures that were unheard of 10 years ago. We’re trying to be prepared as much as we can.