People: The 'mayor' of Hoover Street People: The 'mayor' of Hoover Street (May 11, 2005)

By Bill Russ

Special to the Almanac

Did you know that Hoover Street in Menlo Park has its own mayor?

That is the title given by the firefighters in the Menlo Park Fire Protection District's Station 6 to longtime neighbor Mickey Reif.

Mickey, who will be 94 this week, moved in 1969 to Hoover Street in Menlo Park with his wife, Evelyn.

Upon their arrival, Mickey was pleased to learn that a fire station was just a few dwellings away from their new residence. You see, Mickey's father was a career fireman in Elizabeth, New Jersey, and Mickey had fond memories of visiting his dad on the job.

Mickey would take lunch to his father, slide down the pole from the upper level, and watch him leave for a fire on the rear of the hook and ladder rig.

In time, Mickey chose his own career path with Standard Oil of New Jersey, but he never lost his youthful admiration for his dad and the local firemen.

Nor did he lose his desire to be part of the excitement and camaraderie of the neighborhood fire station.

These enduring emotions made it a natural for Mickey to make friends with the local firefighters in 1969, and that closeness has continued to this day with even greater meaning.

Mickey is mostly alone now, having lost his son, Dick, a popular architect, in 1995. His wife, Evelyn, died in November 2002 after 66 years of marriage. The on-duty engine company crew of three firefighters attended her memorial service at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church in uniform, parking their rig at the curb.

"Mickey has a genuine and gentle, caring nature," says the Rev. Frank VanderZwan, who conducted Evelyn's service. "What you see is what you get. He is such a consistent man."

Today the firefighters in Station 6 look forward to visiting Mickey or having him visit. They have invited him to dinner, watched football with him, and sent him home with leftovers (Mickey particularly enjoys their meatloaf!).

For Christmas, the men once gave Mickey a microwave oven, complete with some meals to cook in it.

A visit to the fire station elicited these sentiments from the firefighters: "Mick is always welcome." "We know Mick well." "We know his story." "His dropping in on us is what our work is all about."

Firefighter John Giraudo says: "Mick has been one of our biggest supporters. He brightens our days with his visits. Mick is more than a friend; he is family, our guardian angel."

Mickey himself says, "You have to know what kind of men they are. ..." He then tells how once his doorbell rang on a dark stormy evening. It was one of the firefighters checking on his welfare.

"You might say they have adopted me," he says. "Friends are so important in life."

A deeply spiritual man, Mickey prays for the men in Station 6 every night. A very unusual mayor, indeed!

The writer of this article, Bill Russ, is historian at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church, where Mickey Reif is a member. A version of this article was previously published in the newsletter of a foundation supporting the church.

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