One of Vanderhoof’s most well-known members has passed away.
Len Fox served three consecutive terms as mayor in the 1980’s before entering provincial politics as MLA of the Prince George-Omineca riding and was a member of the Reform Party of BC.
He left provincial politics in 1994 and regained the mayor’s chair in Vanderhoof in 1999 before stepping down in 2008.
Current Mayor, Gerry Thiessen had a lot of good things to say about his mentor.
“He was a great advocate for our community and so on a day where we often give thanks for what we have, certainly was thankful I knew Len as well as I did but it was a sad day.”
“He was a watchmaker and had a lot of good qualities but he was an incredible sportsman and that’s what brought him to Vanderhoof and he had the opportunity to play hockey in a number of different areas and he told me the reason he came to Vanderhoof was because he wanted to go somewhere where he could make an impact.”
For as political as Fox was, his athletic side was just as well-known, suiting up for the Vanderhoof Bears hockey team.
“He was a great goaltender and he was a great role model for not in political life but for people just starting out and also some physical challenges.”
Thiessen’s bond with Fox grew on both a personal and professional level, with both families spending time with one another.
“I remember times with the young family he would say ‘hey I want to take you out fishing for the day’ and he would take me and my wife Leslie and another time I didn’t have enough money to get to a conference I wanted to go to and he was driving and said ‘I can make this work’ and took me along.”
“He would take time to hear me out and also give me words of advice and he saw me heading down a road that might not be the best and he was just a really stable person who had an understanding and knowledge far beyond his years, he was just a really great all-around guy.”
Fox’s voice in the BC Legislature was a very important one where he had a great understanding of the area he was representing and how to push rural issues in front of his metropolitan counterparts.
“He understood the community and what a rural voice was in Victoria and that’s a challenge many rural municipalities face but he understood that,” explained Thiessen.
Originally born in Telkwa, Fox passed away on Monday.