John Vincent, civic leader and Downey historian, has died

DOWNEY – John Vincent, a World War II veteran who spent decades as the preeminent expert on Downey history, died Sunday, friends announced. He was 98.

Vincent joined the Downey Historical Society in 1982 and went on to serve 27 years as president. As a new president, he was instrumental in saving the historical Dismukes House, which now sits at Apollo Park.

Later, he helped save the original Speedee McDonald’s after it was threatened with demolition.

“History, they say, repeats itself,” Vincent said in a 2013 interview. “But if you don’t save something, you don’t know if it repeats or not.”

An active civic leader, Vincent was a three-time president of the Downey Rose Float Association. He also belonged to the Delvers, a group of gem and rock collectors. In his day job, Vincent led the science department at Santa Fe High School before retirement.

John Vincent and Valentin Flores. Flores called Vincent “a living encyclopedia of our lovely town.”

Vincent was also a writer and poet, and wrote about his encounter with Gen. Douglas MacArthur during World War II. Vincent served as a bugler during basic training at Ft. Leonard Wood and would later serve across the Pacific with the Second Army Eleventh Corp., Two Eleventh MP Company.

After stepping down as president of the Downey Historical Society in 2013, Vincent stayed mostly out of the spotlight.

“I’m just one of the workers now,” he said at the time. “Once it’s over, history is all we have.”