‘Grandpa Hank’s mohawk stops traffic
RIDGEFIELD, Wash. – No, really. Cars stop.
As the 82-year-old strolled downtown Ridgefield on a recent weekday afternoon, he garnered attention from passers-by. “Hey, Hank,” one man shouts, slowing his sport utility vehicle. “Nice hair,” a skateboarder says.
A cane in one hand, he waves with the other, flashing a toothy grin. It doesn’t matter that he doesn’t recognize them. Waves, shouts, and thumbs up from strangers aren’t out of place for Hank, a fixture in this small town north of Vancouver.
“People who don’t know me take my picture all the time,” Hank said, chuckling.
It’s just a guess, but it’s probably because of the purple mohawk.
It started last summer. On a whim, Hank experimented with the hairdo “just to see what people would say.”
Now, he changes his hair color each week. When Ridgefield High School’s baseball and basketball teams compete in the playoffs, he dyes it orange and blue – the school colors.
On Halloween, it’s orange. For Easter, the mohawk was pastel striped – the work of his daughter, who purchases the hair dye and gel.
Despite the attraction he gets for the mohawk, Hank is known for the array of figurative hats he wears in town: live-in groundskeeper at Abrams Park, sports enthusiast, crossing guard, beer buddy and mentor.
Earlier this month, Hank’s most prominent role in Ridgefield came to an end. After 15 years of serving as the Little League groundskeeper, he retired and moved out of his two-bedroom home at the park.
In his honor, the city of Ridgefield named a neighborhood park after him.
For Ridgefield residents, Hank is the whole package: quirkiness, flair and dedication to community issues. An 80-year Ridgefield resident, Hank also is a knowledgeable town historian.
“Everyone knows Hank,” said Matt Swindell, a city councilman and president of Ridgefield Little League. “Hank is like Ridgefield’s grandpa. He’s what gives Ridgefield its small-town feel.”
Since Hank’s retirement, Abrams Park has taken a beating, Swindell said. There are weeds sprouting in the once perfectly manicured grass. Flowers Hank planted are withering. Graffiti – not a problem when Hank was around – marks the park building. Hank still comes by twice a week to mow, but it’s not enough. The city is looking to hire a new groundskeeper.
Hank was known to have the mowing, pruning and weeding down to a science. “The (Little Leaguers) respect him because they know they wouldn’t have the field if it weren’t for him,” Swindell said.
Hank cared about the kids who play there more than the field itself. While he mostly stayed in the background, he always watched games, waved at kids and introduced himself to newcomers. Many came to know him as “Grandpa Hank.”
The Little Leaguers also knew Hank for his sharp tongue when they got out of line. He often interceded when parents became unruly during games.
When he got the mohawk, all the Little Leaguers thought the same thing: Cool.
“Usually, you see that hairstyle on a 20-year-old,” said baseball player Dalton Morales. “It’s cool because he’s having fun at his age.”
“He just makes the field more fun,” added teammate Andrew Flury. “He’s 82 and young.”
Even before the mohawk, people knew Hank. Now everyone knows him. “Even if they don’t know his name, they know ‘the old guy with the mohawk,’ ” Swindell said.
The Hank haircut became all the rage in Ridgefield, and it’s not ending anytime soon
“Everybody loves it,” said his daughter, Helen Krebser. “There are grown men in town getting mohawks. There are kids wanting to get mohawks. Everybody wants to know what color it’s going to be this week.”
Some people have asked him when he’s going to stop sporting the attention-grabbing hairdo. After all, it’s been nearly a year since he got it done.
But Hank can’t imagine going back to combing his hair straight and looking like everybody else.
It’s just not him.