Reyes’ hard work recalled         By Monty Tayloe The Winchester Star  2/23/09

Winchester — Sidney A. Reyes, the first black person to serve as Frederick County Supervisor, died Saturday morning at home after a long battle with cancer.

“He was really the heart and soul of the Democratic Party in Frederick County,” said Cary Kimble, a former head of the Frederick County Democrats.

In December, Reyes, 75, was presented with a plaque naming him as “Mr. Democrat” for his work with the local party.

“He would do anything for you, he was the person you’d want as your neighbor,” said Joan Whitacre, Reyes’ campaign manager during his successful 1999 run for Gainesboro District Supervisor.

Reyes was born in 1934 in the New York City neighborhood of Harlem. He enlisted in the U.S. Marines in 1951, serving as a cook during the Korean War.

“The blacks were relegated to either be a steward or a cook,” Reyes said in 2003. “I didn’t want to be a cook, but I knew it was the only way I would move up, so I took pride in my work.”

Reyes eventually joined the U.S. Customs Service, becoming a customs agent and serving for decades — during which time he traveled with three presidents as their customs representative.

He also met his wife, Brit Reyes, at a Customs function.

In the 1980s, the Reyes had a second home in Paw Paw, W.Va., and would pass through Frederick County on their way from their home in Reston.

When Reyes retired in 1990 as the U.S. Customs Washington District Director, the couple decided to move to Cross Junction.

“I come from the Big Apple with high rises and traffic, but I made Frederick County my home,” Reyes said in 2003.

Reyes kept a relatively low profile during his first nine years in Frederick County, opening his own photography studio at one point. But he transitioned from being a self-described political novice into a history-making local politician.

In 1999, neighbor Demaris Whitacre — a prominent Frederick County Democrat — talked him into running for the open Gainesboro seat against Republican W. Wayne Miller, a county native.

“He worked so hard ... he probably visited every house in the Gainesboro district,” said Doug Kiracofe, who made his own unsuccessful run for the Gainesboro seat under Reyes’ tutelage in 2007.

Reyes defeated Miller, 1,224 votes to 948.

During his four years in office, Reyes focused on growth in Frederick Country, and trying to make sure it didn’t occur haphazardly.

One of the defining moments of his tenure was his disclosure of what he called an unethical discussion between former supervisor Charles W. Orndoff Sr. and Chairman Richard C. Schickle in a closed session in June 2001.

Reyes claimed Orndoff mentioned postponing a controversial vote until after an upcoming election.

A judge ruled nothing illegal took place, and Reyes received frosty treatment from the supervisors thereafter.

“He was a man of high integrity, he expected so much of himself and he expected the same of other people,” said Brit Reyes.

Reyes’ political service — and his kindness — may have helped prolong his life.

In 2003, late Supervisor W. Harrington Smith accidentally backed his car into Reyes in the Joint Judicial Center parking lot in Winchester. At the time, Reyes was clearing snow from Smith’s rear window.

The accident broke Reyes’ arm. When he went to the hospital to be treated, doctors discovered that a tumor had weakened the bone, facilitating the break.

Reyes was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer, which would eventually kill him.

“We were told it was highly treatable but not curable,” said Brit Reyes.

Despite learning he had cancer, Reyes decided shortly afterward to make a bid to be Chairman of the Frederick County Board of Supervisors.

He surrendered his Gainesboro seat to do so, but was unsuccessful in his bid to unseat Schickle.

“I saw things that needed to be changed, and I needed to take the top position [on the board to do so],” Reyes said after losing to Schickle. “So it was all or nothing.”

Despite no longer serving in an elected office, Reyes stayed active in local politics until his death, helping the Frederick County Democrats in local races and working with the local Young Democrats.

“He took a special interest in the younger generation,” said Kimble.

Though his illness had worsened, Reyes took an active interest in the 2008 presidential campaign and the candidacy of eventual President Barack Obama.

“To my mind he lived long enough to see [Obama win], we followed the race every day,” said Frederick County Democratic Party vice chair Bob Houlihan, who spent considerable time with Reyes in recent years.

“He claimed [Obama’s win] would be a kind of vindication for him ... in his life he was challenged in racial ways.”

Reyes personally financed several large signs in the Winchester area supporting Obama.

“He was very proud to see Obama get elected,” said Brit Reyes.

According to Houlihan, Reyes studied the piano and painting in his later years, and was animatedly discussing and playing music with friends just a few days before he died.

Reyes is survived by his wife Brit, three children from a previous marriage, and four grandchildren.

Visitation will be held Thursday from 6 to 8 p.m. at Omps Funeral Home, Amherst Chapel, and a Mass will be held at Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church on Keating Drive in Winchester at 10 a.m. on Friday.

Brit Reyes said he will be cremated and interred at Arlington National Cemetery.

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This is the MOST AMAZING picture..........
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This is a remarkable panorama of the inauguration. It might not work well with a dial-up modem, but you can actually focus in on faces near the back of the crowd- nearly 1/2 mile!