Since childhood, Milton Harp had longed to become a fireman.

It took decades, though, to make that dream come true.

Family photo (ENLARGE)

Milton Harp was one of the first 16 African-American firefighters hired by the city of Atlanta in 1963.

In 1963, Mr. Harp was one of 16 African-Americans who broke Atlanta's racial barrier when then-Mayor Ivan Allen Jr. appointed them as the city's first black firemen.

A pool of 38 applicants went through background checks, IQ tests and physical exams for the pioneering positions. Even after Mr. Harp made the cut, there were tough times ahead.

"Once or twice he almost quit, but his mother said, 'No, you stick with it,' and he grew to love the Fire Department," said his wife, Thayer Amar-Harp of McDonough, who married Mr. Harp in 2004.

"Milton had a heart of gold and liked helping people," she said. "So he saw it as a way to give back to the community, to fulfill his lifelong dream and to pave the way for other African-Americans to come along behind him."

Milton Louis Harp, 71, died of cancer Feb. 27 at his McDonough residence. The funeral is 11 a.m. Wednesday at Salem Bible Church West. Gus Thornhill's Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

The Atlanta native graduated from Booker T. Washington High School in 1954 and spent four years in the Navy. After he returned to Atlanta, Mr. Harp held several jobs until he and 15 other African-American men were hired to work out of the new Station 16 on Simpson Road.

The black firefighters worked with white officers and white fire apparatus officers, but the station was divided into separate sleeping and bathroom facilities.

"By them being the first 16 black firefighters, there was a lot of pressure on those guys," said James Jennings of Atlanta, who joined Station 16 in 1964. "A lot of them went through depression and some went on to other jobs."

But Mr. Harp "could deal with most anything," Mr. Jennings said. "He was one of those quiet guys, and it took a lot to make him angry. He could put up with more than the average fellow wanted to put up with and laugh and smile about it."

After a year on the job, Mr. Harp was sent to integrate Station 23 and spent the rest of his career there. He retired as a fire apparatus operator in 1992.

Mr. Harp was obsessed with punctuality and was so meticulous in his personal life that it could reach comic proportions.

His wife said if she left a sweater on the back of a chair, he would grab it and send it to the cleaners by the time she turned around.

The only thing tidier than his clothes was his car, a champagne-colored Cadillac that he cleaned every week. Watching from the sidelines were his two prized miniature dachshunds, Lady and Scrappy. No one was allowed to eat or drink in his Cadillac, but the dogs were never refused a ride.

Like many of his colleagues, Mr. Harp held down extra jobs the whole time he was employed as a firefighter. He drove a Brinks security truck for 20 years and held a part-time position with the Fulton County Board of Elections for almost three decades.

"Milton worked hard all his life and had to overcome things that I could never fathom," his wife said. "And he did it all without any animosity.

"I loved that, and I loved that when he said he would do something, he did it," she said. "There was no half-stepping with him."

Survivors other than his wife include two daughters, Cheryl Harp-Hill of Atlanta and Deirdre Fountain of Smyrna; two sons, Derrick Harp and Fenton Harp, both of Atlanta; a stepson, Kenneth Garrett of McDonough; two sisters, Carolyn Turner of Atlanta and Mildred Harris of Lithonia; several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.