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 Long
is fiercely dedicated to volunteer work both for veterans in the
community as well as the community at large. Much of this volunteer
work he has provided through several of the veterans’ organizations
in Lincoln, such as the American Legion Post 263 and the Veterans of
Foreign Wars (VFW). It is for these reasons, as well as Long’s heart
for service, that he is being featured as one of our Hometown Heroes
for 2024.
Long moved to the Lincoln area with his family when he was in the
seventh grade. He continued his schooling at Chester-East Lincoln
School. He was raised on a farm, and this is where he gained his
interest in antique tractors. Long shared that he got to operate a
small tractor when his father worked at a grain elevator when he was
a kid. That sparked an interest in him that he still has to this
day. Long has several antique tractors in his possession today,
including two 20-30 Fergusons and a 1944 Case SC, among others.
Long was also raised with an interest in gardening,
another interest that has followed him into his adult life. In 2006,
he began taking the courses to become a Master Gardener and a Master
Naturalist. Long learned a lot in these classes. “I thought I knew a
lot about gardening, but I didn’t know anything at all,” he shared.
Long used the knowledge he gained from these classes to join the
Logan County Master Gardeners (LCMG). It is through this
organization that he provides even more volunteer service to the
Lincoln community.
In 1965, Long joined the Navy and served as a Fire Controlman,
meaning that he controlled the radars on gun mounts. He also met
politician John McCain in the service and has had the opportunity to
meet him several more times in the years following both of their
retirements from service. Long served until late July of 1968, and
upon leaving the service, he joined the Lincoln VFW in 1969.
The VFW is where Long met Jack Barrick, someone who would turn out
to be a lifelong friend of his. Barrick also helped Long secure a
job at Barrick Transfer, a company that, while they were eventually
bought out, Long would spend over three decades working at. By the
time Long retired, the company was then known as Consolidated
Freightways.
After his retirement, Long continued working at a fertilizer plant
for an additional thirteen years. Long would spend a lot of time
volunteering before his retirement but added a lot more to his
volunteering plate after he retired.
Long and his wife Janet have both been longtime members of the VFW
and have spent a lot of time there. Long served as the State
Commander of the VFW in 2008 and 2009, and his wife served as the
State President of the Ladies Auxiliary in 1996 and 1997. Long
shared that he would spend most of his vacation time going to
conventions for the VFW. Another veteran and VFW member Gene Hickey
could not overstate Long and Janet’s contributions to the VFW. He
stated that, in his opinion, they are the VFW. Long and Janet have
been keeping the VFW afloat with all the good work they contribute
to it, Hickey shared.
The VFW has been able to do a lot of great things for the veterans
in our communities. Long and others have lobbied Congress for
veterans’ benefits, aided veterans in need with compensation, and
have taken care of veteran widows. “Lincoln is very fortunate to
have the VFW,” Long stated. When asked what the VFW means to him,
Long stated that it is about taking care of our veterans and
improving our communities.
As stated previously, Long also provides a lot of volunteer work to
the Lincoln community through the LCMG. Much of this work, Long
shared, is done at Kickapoo Creek Park. The group works on removing
invasive plant species from the park, and then replacing them with
native species the following spring. Long also appreciates all of
the different people he has been able to meet through the LCMG. He
says he has met people and friends there that he would never have
met otherwise.
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One of these friends is Jim Struebing who is also a
Master Gardener and Master Naturalist. Struebing was the person who
convinced Long to take the class to become a Master Naturalist after
Long had already become a Master Gardener. Streubing shared that
Long kills and removes honeysuckle and autumn olive from Kickapoo
Creek Park, “the most invasive plants in Central Illinois.”
Struebing said that he, Long, and others have dedicated a lot of
time to trying to remove these invasive species. “Over the last 10
years the park has changed greatly in appearance in a positive way
as a result of our efforts to fight the invasives and plant native
trees and shrubs.”
Struebing also shared that Long has volunteered at
the annual plant sale at the Logan County Fairgrounds. Many of the
plants provided for these sales came from either Long’s garden or
Struebing’s greenhouse. Struebing also shared that Long has
previously participated in a program called “Plant a Row for the
Hungry.” This is a national program that encourages people to donate
their extra produce to organizations that will distribute them to
the homeless or others who are food insecure. Long also puts his
love of tractors to use by driving them and doing tiling and
harvesting work for a friend in the spring and fall seasons.
Long does all this, and more, but does not himself
understand why he was selected to be featured in this Hometown
Heroes magazine. When first contacted by Lincoln Daily News for an
interview, Long asked, “now why would you all want to write an
article about me?” Those who were interviewed for this article
answered Long’s question by sharing their favorite things about
Long. Struebing spoke into Long’s service as a veteran as well,
saying “Vince is a dedicated veteran who is always on call to serve
in the Legion’s firing squad at funerals in Central Illinois.”
Hickey described Long as dependable, saying he was “always there
when you need him,” and that he “will do anything for you.” Pam
Moriearty also shared her approval for Long being picked as a
Hometown Hero, calling him “a great candidate.”
Long still sees others as more deserving than himself, however. At
the start of our interview with Long, he thought it important to
share that there were plenty of other deserving people. His
humbleness and love for serving others became very apparent during
the interview, as well as with what others had to say about him. He,
however, is just happy to do what he does and “see the smiles it
brings to the faces of others.”
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