In an emotional meeting that included the resignation of Mayor Jack Martins, the Mineola Village Board honored former mayor Bob Hinck for his years of service on the board of trustees and other activities in the neighborhood by naming a new street called Hinck Way.
“I served for the benefit of others. Faith was a part of my motivation. I wanted to represent those who perhaps weren’t represented before,” Hinck said.
Village attorney John Spellman introduced Hinck, calling him ” one of my closest friends in the world.”
“Those who know him appreciate his deep dedication to his community. He is a person who always places the common good above his own,” Spellman said.
In his remarks before presenting Hinck with the street sign for the formerly unnamed street that runs between Willis Avenue, Martins said, “I can’t think of a person who’s more deserving.”
Hinck said his first reaction on being informed about the honor by Martins last week was to search for his smelling salts.
“It was a very moving, emotional experience for me,” he said of the sign presentation. “I was very glad to have my children and my grandchildren with me.”
Spellman quipped that naming the street would placate GPS users who previously couldn’t find the street when they were driving on it.
“So if you’re stuck in traffic on Willis Avenue and you need to get to Roslyn Road, remember, take Hinck Way,” Martins said.
Hinck, 73, took over as mayor in 1990 when the previous mayor, Ann Galante stepped down for health reasons, and held the position until 1994. He was first elected to the board in 1974, serving until taking a four-year hiatus after competing a term in 1982. He subsequently became deputy mayor in 1986.
Hinck was Chairman of the village’s Community Planning Committee which produced both the Mineola Area Revitalization Study and the Village’s Master Plan. He also served as a co-chair of the Mineola Centennial Committee.
Hinck is currently head of the Community Development Program, which has facilitated streetscape improvements in the downtown Mineola area and also assists residents in renovating their homes.
He has lived in Mineola with his wife, Patricia, since 1948.
Hinck attended the Corpus Christi School, St. Mary’s in Manhasset and St. John’s University, before embarking on a career in banking. He served as a lending officer for 13 banks, with HSBC his last stop before he “sort of retired” in 2002.
Over the years, he was involved in the Mineola Athletic Association and Mineola Police Athletic League, coaching his sons Kevin and Thomas on little league and football teams, and was also involved in the local cub scouts.
He served as president of the Corpus Christi School Board, and he and Patricia have been eucharistic ministers at Corpus Christi since 1982.
Hinck was on the board of directors of Dominican Village Home for the Elderly, an Amityville retirement home, and currently serves as a director and financial advisor of the Nassau Pops Orchestra as well.
