For the past 17 years Richard Evers has preserved Hicksville's past in the as the town's local historian. Evers maintains a large collection of memorabilia for his hometown, including everything from school yearbooks and old photos to newspaper clippings. On June 25, the Hicksville Public Library's Board of Trustees honored Evers with a dedication ceremony at the library, where they renamed the very history room that he works in, after him. The history room will now be known as the "Richard E. Evers Local History Room."

In April, the library board of trustees voted unanimously to rename the room in honor of Richard Evers. Michael Galgano, president of the library's board of trustees, said a major reason they chose to honor Evers was that they couldn't "imagine what Hicksville or the Hicksville Public Library would do without Dick Evers and his very diligent work."

Hosted by Galgano, over 75 people from all over Nassau County came to honor Richard Evers. Besides local residents, family and friends, community leaders were also present, including Oyster Bay Town Supervisor John Venditto, Nassau County Legislator Edward Mangano and members of the Hicksville American Legion along with representatives from various historical societies throughout Nassau County.

When Galgano asked if anyone would like to speak, person after person rose proudly to reminisce and to congratulate Evers personally and publicly. "He is a gentleman of the first order. He has the best interest of the Town of Oyster Bay in his heart," Venditto stated.

Howard Liebman, a member of the American Legion, spoke of how Evers assists in Hicksville's parade every year. He mentioned how Evers is the only person in town who knows who's who when the parade comes through and announces it on the loudspeaker. "He's a good all-around guy," Liebman said.

Nicknamed "Mr. Hicksville" by Thomas Heckhaus, current director of the Hicksville Gregory Museum, 83-year-old Evers was pleased to receive this honor. In an interview with the Hicksville Illustrated News, Evers said, "It's nice to be honored while you're still alive. I think it's wonderful to receive an award of this type and recognition for many years of service. It's something I've always enjoyed doing. And now on top of it, I have this lovely honor."

Born in Westfield, NJ in 1922, Evers moved to Hicksville in 1949 and taught New York State history and social studies at Hicksville Junior High School. "The story of Long Island communities is really the history of the United States and of the world in a microcosm. We've experienced every bit of it. And so I came soon to fall in love with my new hometown places and people and with the greatness of New York State. I've had 50 years of local history; 17 years right here as librarian historian and archivist," Evers told those who attended the dedication ceremony in his honor.

"For me, teaching about and publicizing our hometown is a real contribution to America. To help develop a sense of roots, a feeling of personal and group identity. I don't think you can be at peace with yourself unless you have a feeling of belonging to family and church or club," he continued.

Towards the conclusion of his speech, Evers described himself as a storyteller. "For too long, modern man has missed the minstrels, the bards and the troubadours. Our media bombards us with a babble of contradictions. I prefer my old time storytelling and folksy moralizing in my photo essays. I show in my photos fair maidens and handsome knights. I tell the story of notable rebels and parties of succulent feasts and ballroom gallants and damsels...," he said.

Evers became the library's historian in 1988 under the guidance of the late Kenneth Barnes. After discussing his massive collection of Hicksville history with Evers, Barnes helped the library board create the history room with Evers in command. Today, Evers continues to actively work in the history room and give tours.

In addition to taking photographs - which can often be found weekly in the pages of the Hicksville Illustrated News, publishing books about Hicksville history and maintaining the library's history room, Evers is a member of many Hicksville community organizations. He has received awards from the Hicksville Community Council, the Hicksville Historical Society, the Knights of Columbus and the Hicksville Gregory Museum.

A former president and director of the museum, Heckhaus said Evers still makes sure the museum gets recognition and is always instrumental in getting proposition 2 of the Hicksville School District's annual budget on the ballot every year. Proposition 2 allocates $50,000 to the Gregory Museum each year to support its educational endeavors.

Bob Koenig, vice president of the Hicksville Historical Society, said that over the years Evers has been instrumental in aiding and guiding him into seeing local history as something of much importance. "I couldn't ask for a better mentor," Koenig said.

Galgano added, "Whenever I look at his books or slides or any of the photographs, it's part of my history as a lifelong resident of Hicksville ... There's such as massive collection of photographs, clippings, the books that he has written. There are pictures that go back 40, 50, 60 years. It allows the younger generation a way to see what Hicksville looked like, and how Hicksville has changed over the years... We have a special community here in Hicksville and we can't lose that. And we shouldn't lose that. And that's why Dick Evers is so important."