The community of Hicksville has suffered a great loss with the passing of Mr. Richard Evers (87) on February 25, 2010. He served all of us over the years as a teacher, mentor, historian, role model, friend and last but not least a U.S. Marine from 1942 to 1946. A proud member of the Greatest Generation, I first met Mr. Evers in Jr. High School in 1953. He had a way of teaching history/social studies that made it fun. He stressed the importance of knowing our history so we could avoid making mistakes of the past. As kids, we never knew what he experienced during his service to our country. One can only imagine. During my lifetime, I was privileged to know many members of the Greatest Generation and almost all of them hardly spoke of what they went through.
He was a humble man and a mentor to many, including me. He was an avid supporter of our fire department. When I worked at fire headquarters he would call me and ask me to talk to his history tour groups about the history and functions of the fire department, and of course, the obligatory act of sliding down the pole to the delight of his group. I’m sure, through his efforts, we eventually got some new volunteers out of those trips. I will miss his good humor (pun intended) and my visits to the history room at the library to talk about Hicksville and its history. He and his beloved wife Anne wrote several books about this little hamlet with the funny name and I know after they read about “Hicksville” and its proud history, they came to know it as a great place to live and raise a family. That is why I’m still here.
When I was informed of his passing, I said if there was anyone who deserved something public to keep his memory alive, it was Mr. Evers. With that in mind, I have requested the Town of Oyster Bay to name Second Street from Jerusalem Avenue to Frevert Place, Richard Evers Way. It would be between the old Junior High (now called the Middle School) opposite the windows of his classroom and the library where he spent his later years preserving the history of Hicksville.
Please help me let the Town Board know of your support for this effort to keep his memory alive for future generations to come. The kids will see the signs as they arrive and depart and know he was something special to Hicksville. Rest in peace, Mr. Evers, we will take it from here.
Owen W. Magee
