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T TO OR RC CH H D DO OW WN N • • C CO OL LD D P PR RO OC CE ES SS S • • E EP PD DM M • • B B-D DE EC CK KI IN NG G R RE EP PA AI IR RS S 2 20 01 1. .4 48 81 1. .1 15 58 82 2 airoofingandguttersnj.com Crossing: Hillsdale guard Dot Higinson, 90, has fans
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when youʼre 20 years, 25, years, or 30… I forgot about it,” she said. “But this…”
Police Captain Sean Smith told Pascack Press, “The Hillsdale Police Department wants to remind everyone how important and dangerous a job school crossing guard
can be. Congratulations and happy birthday to Dorothy Higinson, a staple of the community.”
Smith agreed, “We coerced her. Sheʼs very sharp, and we said, Dottie, can you come into the school, and she said whatʼs this all about, and I caught it on video.”
Smith said of crossing kids, with drivers sometimes ignoring the guard or hurling verbal abuse, “Itʼs a very, very dangerous job. you have to be alert at all times just to get those children across the street. Itʼs not an easy task, especially in inclement weather.”
He said, “Itʼs not a glamorous job, put it that way, for someone to do it for over 30 years. It takes a special person.”
He said there are some 15 crossing guards on the roster, including substitutes. George G. White School also posts a guard at Magnolia and Hillsdale Avenue, also a very busy intersection.
“Dottieʼs a real figure in town. Sheʼs been in town a long time. Sheʼs notable — her familyʼs name carries weight as far as service in town,” said Smith, whoʼs also a published local historian. “Sheʼs a no-nonsense type of crossing guard; thatʼs what sheʼs known for, and thatʼs what you need to be.”
He added, “But sheʼs very compassionate, and sheʼs fostered a connection with the students. Itʼs Not just one year, itʼs every year that sheʼs worked; sheʼs able to make a connection with the student body. Sheʼll know kids on a firstname basis, sheʼll give them highfives; but at the same time sheʼs not
taking any nonsense from motorists and people parking illegally. ”
Smith said since Covid-19 the borough has seen a shortage of crossing guards — as have other municipalities. “Itʼs a four-season job, and for seniors especially itʼs not easy in the wintertime, getting out of the house... so weʼre always in need of crossing guards. We have some substitutes but weʼre always looking for qualified applicants.” The department is advertising on its web page.
Higinson told Pascack Press sheʼs hanging up the reflective jacket and stop sign in September 2023 — “Enoughʼs enough” — but that sheʼs not done working.
She had a long career working for a doctor, until his passing, which led her to taking on crossing duties in 1991.
Actually, it was a neighbor of hers, Hillsdale police officer Robert Miele, who essentially tricked her into applying for the job. He asked for her signature on a piece of paper. “ʻOK, now youʼre a crossing guard,ʼhe said. I figured Iʼd give it a year. And here I am.”
There have been close calls. “Itʼs scary. Many times my sign is shaking and someone doesnʼt stop, and someone says, ʻI donʼt know how they missed you.ʼBut youʼre safe and the kids are safe. Thank God. Thatʼs the important thing, that the kids are safe: Theyʼve got their whole life ahead of them.”
She goes by Dot and Dottie, but “The kids that I cross know me as Get back on that corner! I want them to be safe. I want them to be safe. And no one on that corner has been hurt, not when Iʼm on duty. Thatʼs my biggest concern, is stay back on the corner,” she says.
Higinson missed the job during Covid and loves when former students come back from high school or college to say hello, to give her a hug and a smile. “I always feel if youʼre good to people, people will be good back to you... it works. My mother always said, you receive what you give. Most of the time, most of the time.”
And her next steps? Her daughter wants to know too. “I worked all my life. Iʼll find something to do, if Iʼm still here. I donʼt know how people can waste a whole day, sitting at home.”
It happens that George G. White School is not much older than Higinson, at a neat 100 years. A referendum is set for next year on a proposal to raze the school and build new across the street. But some town staples, weʼll bet, canʼt be improved on.
The Hillsdale Police Department says on its website itʼs hiring for crossing guards — full time and substitute. The requirements: minimum 18 years old, valid driverʼs license, good moral character. The commitment is approximately 3–4 hours per day, depending on the schedule. Contact Lou Spagnoli at the Hillsdale Police Department for an application or for more information.
Higinson directs us to a stipulation of her own:“Crossing guards should like children. Otherwise they should not be crossing guards.”
Hillsdale’s Dot Higinson, 90, is lauded on Oct. 28.
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