Community Corner

Q and A: Riverhead's First Black Fire Chief, Highway Supe Reflects

Gio Woodson, highway superintendent since 2008, looks back at his time growing up in - and out - of Riverhead.

Gio Woodson has been the town's highway superintendent since 2008. At the time of his election, he was serving as the chief of the Riverhead Fire Department. He was the first black fire chief in Riverhead's history, as well as the first black highway superintendent.

Woodson was born and raised in Riverhead, and within three weeks of his graduation from Riverhead High School in 1979, was on a plane to serve in the United States Army. Woodson served with the 978th Military Police Company, traveling from Texas to New Mexico to Wisconsin, and returned to Riverhead four years later, shortly after taking a job with the highway department.

He recently sat down with Riverhead Patch and shared his thoughts on diversity in town government, who his role models were growing up, and how getting out of Riverhead for a few years has helped him put things in perspective.

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Riverhead Patch: I was surprised when the Town Historian told me you were the first black fire chief.

Gio Woodon: I think a lot of people are surprised when they hear that (laughs). 

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RP: Well, what I mean is that Riverhead is such a diverse community. I guess I expected that to come before you.

GW: We are a diverse community. But I think we as a people, as African-Americans - I don't know where the problem is. I think we need to, how do you put it, go out a little bit more, or apply yourself more.

As you can see if I was the first black fire chief and got here, you can do things if you put your heart into it. You can achieve goals and do what you want to do in life. I don’t know where were missing the boat at, but it can be done. But in other towns up west and other cities, they are moving ahead and doing a lot of different things.

You talked about diversity. Here you have a town with Spanish people, African-Americans, whites. In this town, diversity very good for a township. That means everybody is working together, and makes a town a lot better town when you have somebody from each ethnic group in the fire department, police department, and everything. That way, your younger people that grow up may develop some type of interest in becoming one of these types of people – police officers, fire men, engineer – whatever they strive to be.

And basically it’s up to the people. We're living in the United States, and you say you can be anything you want to be, but there may be some obstacles that keep you from being what you want to be. But I think you really have to go out and fight for what you want to do.

RP: How did you do that? 

GW: What helped me, when I graduated high school, within 16 days after graduating I was on a plan out of here. I strongly advise everybody to do two years in the military. They get some discipline, you get to meet different people.

My roommate was a guy from Alabama who didn’t know a lot of African-Americans. So at first, me and him would butt heads, but we found out we’re pretty much the same. He’s just from Alabama and has a different way of talking, but actually we became pretty good friends. And that’s what the military does, because you have to have each other’s back.

RP: So how has that experience helped you? 

GW: We’d meet all kinds of different people and being a police officer, you really have to be sort of caring and understanding of what people are going through. I dealt with rednecks, I dealt with Spanish people, I dealt with this group, and that group. So you come back home, and this is nothing compared to being in the military where it's so diversified, and actually it helps you out as a human being.

It's not that you're better than anybody, but you're a little bit more knowledgeable in a lot of things. Like I said, I think the military – I don’t know about now – is good for a lot of young people. You get a little bit of discipline. There ain't no mommy and daddy coming to rescue you. You’re on your own.

RP: What made you want to join the military? 

GW: I was 17 and probably didn't know what I wanted to be. So I thought I'd go in and experience something different.

RP: Who were members of the black community you looked up to growing up?

GW: Mr. DeGrasse. My mother was a nurse. My father was a technician at Brookhaven National Lab. Mr. Butler, who was a schoolteacher at the high school. People who had decent jobs and they were doing it.

And my grandmother. She was a little like Judge Judy. But if more people had grandparents like that, we wouldn’t have half the problems we have now.

RP: What did she do?

GW: She just kept us in line. Back then if you messed up, you'd go in the back yard and get your own switch. It wasn't abuse ... but kids today, they grow up and they're adults until they get in trouble. Then once they get in trouble, they go back to their parents. If they had listened to their parents, you wouldn't be in the trouble you're in. 

RP: Who do you see as role models in the black community today?

GW: Pastors of the church. Any minority schoolteachers we have. Anybody that’s actually doing something positive for the town. It’s sort of like – people may say to me you’re like a role model. I shouldn't be a role model. Your parents and grandparents should be your role models.

RP: Between your role here and volunteering in the fire department, you seem to be pretty civic minded. Where did you get that from? 

GW: I think a lot of people take the United States for granted. When I was stationed in El Paso, Juarez was right across border – you'd see people living in cardboard boxes, and the kids over there as poor as they are. And over here people complain about pickiest things. You think you got it bad? Go over and live in cardboard box for two weeks and come back and see how much you complain. They cant even go to school. Makes you think how fortunate you got it and a lot of people don’t appreciate it.


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