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Quogue FD mourns volunteer who broke color barrier

Robert Paul Jeffries

Photo credit: Handout | Robert Paul Jeffries

Joye Brown

Newsday columnist Joye Brown Joye Brown

Joye Brown has been a columnist for Newsday since 2006.

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His is an unlikely love story with his community that began 40 years ago.

Robert Paul Jeffries, who died last week at age 63, had wanted to use his Navy firefighting training to volunteer in his hometown of Quogue after returning from service in Vietnam. But he would have to fight a more powerful enemy than fire to get there.

He was the first black firefighter in the village's volunteer...

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