Vinnie Grimes: Person of the Year

Vinnie Grimes is one of the few people who can say he was born in Montauk — not at Southampton Hospital, but at home in the hamlet on Sept. 17, 1928.

Now 86, Mr. Grimes is credited with bringing several large fund-raisers to Montauk, including the annual Blessing of the Fleet. He first saw one when he was stationed with the Navy in California, and he thought the Montauk fishing fleet could use a little help from the man above. Another fund-raiser was the now-defunct horse show that ran for 38 years.

From his home on Second House Road, on the banks of Fort Pond, Mr. Grimes pointed out a wall of plaques and proclamations he has received over the years, one of which is a Good Deed award that he received from the Boy Scout Council of Suffolk County. He started in scouting when he was 11 and went on to be a scout leader for many years.

When he received the phone call in August that informed him that the Montauk Chamber of Commerce was honoring him as person of the year, Mr. Grimes thought they had the wrong Grimes. His son James Grimes was honored by the Montauk Village Association as its man of the year in August, hence the confusion.

But chamber members told him that they had the right Grimes and that it had been a unanimous decision among board members. He has given a lifetime of service to Montauk, a release said. It also said that it was heartwarming to see that a man who has lived here all his life and raised his family here still had time to give so much back to the community.

“It was the right thing to do for the Montauk Chamber of Commerce to honor such a man who has been doing the right thing all his life,” the release said.

The chamber’s end-of-season party will be on Saturday at East by Northeast restaurant, starting with cocktails and an open bar from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. There will be dinner and dancing until 11. Tickets cost $80 per person and can be purchased at the chamber or at the door if available.