May 15, 2013 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 9 Midland Park George Hoogenhuis has been selected to serve as the grand marshal of this year’s Midland Park’s Memorial Day Parade. He will be the first Korean Conflict veteran to be so honored. “We chose George because this is the first year that the Post will be honoring a Korean War Veteran, and George’s combat record and selfless service to the Post and Midland Park make him an exemplary grand marshall,” said Midland Park/Wyckoff VFW Post #7086 Commander Bruce Strengberg. “He is someone who garners the respect of young and old, and the Post membership is strengthened by his being a loyal and faithful servant. The Post is proud to call him comrade.......and friend,” Strengberg added. A Mahwah resident, Hoogenhuis has been a member of Post #7086 for over 30 years and has served in the color guard for 28 of those years. He said he was recruited by former Commander Charles Marcus, an institution in the post until his death a few years ago. Hoogenhuis, who as a young man worked with his father in the family woodworking business, was in charge of renovations to the Post home when the building was purchased from the American Legion five years ago. Born and raised in Midland Park, Hoogenhuis attended Midland Park Christian School and graduated from Central High School in Paterson. He was also a member of the Midland Park Ambulance Corps. He was inducted into the United States Army in Febru- Hoogenhuis to be Memorial Day Parade’s grand marshal Medal by the County of Bergen, along with other area veterans. Hoogenhuis was employed at Hoffman La Roche in Nutley, NJ for 25 years, retiring in 1991. He and his wife are members of the Midland Park Christian Reformed Church, and he is a volunteer at the Center for Food Action pantry in Mahwah. He and his wife, Clara, have lived in Mahwah for 58 years. They have a son and three daughters, seven grandchildren and one great-grand child. The parade is scheduled for Saturday, May 25, stepping off from the municipal parking lot at 10 a.m. Memorial observances will begin at 11 a.m. at Veterans Plaza in Wortendyke, followed by a picnic at the firehouse on Witte Drive. Rain causes The Midland Park Council will have to resort to an emergency appropriation to fix a sinkhole that developed in Erie Avenue in the aftermath of last Wednesday’s rainstorm. Mayor Patrick “Bud” O’Hagan said estimates for the emergency repair work run from $38,000 to $50,000, which will depend on the conditions found at the site once the work begins. According to DPW Superintendent Rudy Gnehm, a portion of the corrugated metal pipe beneath Erie Avenue near the Godwin Avenue intersection rusted out and caused the Rain storm causes Erie Avenue sinkhole ary,1951 and saw active duty in Korea for 11 months as a unit light commander in charge of battlefield illumination. PFC Hoogenhuis was transferred to the Army Reserve in1953 and was honorably discharged on Jan. 3,1957. At a ceremony held on October 24,2011, he was awarded a Military Service George Hoogenhuis hole in the roadway. Police were called at about 6 p.m., and the road was closed to traffic. The contractor working on the reconstruction of Parker Place was called in to make emergency repairs, including filling the hole with gravel and placing a steel plate above it until permanent repairs can be made. The road was reopened about noon Thursday. Gnehm said a new concrete pipe has been ordered, and the repair job should begin later this week and take about five days to complete.