Fiorello H. LaGuardia (1882–1947) was born in New York City to immigrant parents, attended public schools and graduated from New York University Law School in 1910. After practicing law for several years, he was elected as the nation’s first Italian American member of Congress in 1916. He served as a U.S. Representative until 1919, when he resigned to join the Army Air Service and serve in World War I. Upon his return, he was president of the New York City Board of Aldermen in 1920 and 1921, and was re-elected to Congress from 1923 to 1933. LaGuardia then served as mayor of New York City from 1934 to 1945. Among LaGuardia's many achievements as mayor, he is credited with unifying and modernizing New York City's public transit system, consolidating much of the city government, cracking down on illegal gambling, and beginning transportation projects that created many of the city’s bridges, tunnels, parkways and airports. He was also instrumental in the establishment of Queens College. In September 1937, Mayor LaGuardia broke ground on this airport's site. Its construction was funded through a $45 million Federal Works Progress Administration grant. More than half of the 558 acres on which the airport was built was man-made, filled in with more than 17 million cubic yards of cinders, ashes and trash. The new airport opened in 1939 as New York City Municipal Airport. In August 1940, the Board of Estimates renamed the facility for LaGuardia, who considered the project one of his greatest achievements. Today it is the third largest airport in the New York metropolitan area.

Rabbi Moshe Neuman (1930-2022) dedicated his life to spiritual and academic leadership, helping to grow the Bais Yaakov Academy from a small, 27-student school in Corona into a four-story school with 850 students on Metropolitan Avenue in Kew Gardens. Rabbi Neuman was born in Germany on August 9, 1930. Later in Brooklyn, his professional life initially headed toward tax law, but his talents as a teacher soon became apparent, and he worked as a substitute. He began as a third grade rebbe and assistant principal in Detroit, where he worked for four years. When he married Rivkah Hollander, they moved to Allentown, Pennsylvania. There, Rabbi Neuman served as principal of the Jewish Community Center Day School until 1961, when he accepted the position of principal at Bais Yaakov Academy and moved his family back to New York. He went on to lead the school for more than 50 years. Former students remembered him as a warm, welcoming, hands-on presence who remembered everyone's name. Above all, they remember learning from him about the development of community as an essential civic responsibility. On April 15, 2022, Rabbi Neuman suffered a fall at shul on the first night of Pesach. Unfortunately he passed away on May 3, 2022, leaving behind his wife, their sons Rabbi Shomie, Reb Yossie, and Rabbi Nosson, and their daughter Perel Cohen, and Brochie Kramer. Councilmember Lynn Schulman proposed changing this street name in Rabbi Neuman's honor, and the memorial was dedicated just outside of Bais Yaakov Academy in 2023.

Ivan Lafayette (1930-2016) was a longtime champion of the Jackson Heights community who served for 32 years in the New York State Assembly. Throughout his career, he advocated for schools, passed legislation that made it illegal to drive without insurance, and was also one of the first elected officials to support same-sex marriage in New York. He was a founding member of the Jackson Heights/Elmhurst Kehillah, or Jewish Community Council, a member of the Jewish War Veterans Post 209, president of the Jackson Heights Community Federation, and a trustee of the North Queens Homeowner and Civic Association. Born in Monticello, New York, Lafayette grew up in the East Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn. He graduated from high school in 1947 and attended Brooklyn College. After serving in the United States Army from 1952 to 1954, he and his wife, Bertine, née Rabin, moved to Jackson Heights where they raised their family. Lafayette worked as a car mechanic and repair person, and then as a general manager of his father’s automotive franchises. He first sought the state assembly seat in 1970, ultimately winning a seat in his fourth race in 1976. Lafayette's career as an assemblyman spanned from 1977 to 2008, and in that time he sponsored hundreds of bills that became law and took on many roles in the Assembly, including leader of the Queens delegation, speaker pro tempore, and deputy speaker, among others. The Uninsured Motorist's Law he sponsored created penalties for driving without insurance coverage, and he took particular pride in helping to establish a statewide pre-K education program in the 1980s. Rather than seek re-election in 2008, Lafayette opted for a spot in Governor Paterson’s administration when he was named the state Insurance Department’s deputy superintendent for community affairs. On his passing in 2013, he was survived by his wife, three sons, and nine grandchildren. On July 29, 2018, on what would have been Lafayette’s 88th birthday, a ceremony was held co-naming the northwest corner of 92nd Street and 34th Avenue in his honor as NYS Assemblyman Ivan Lafayette Way. The site is just two blocks from PS 228Q The Ivan Lafayette Early Childhood School Of The Arts (93rd Street and Northern Boulevard) which was named in Lafayette’s honor in 2019, and one block from the intersection of 92nd Street and Northern Boulevard, co-named in 2024 as Maureen Allen Way in honor of Lafayette’s longtime chief of staff.

Christopher Columbus (1451-1506) was born in the Italian seaport of Genoa in 1451, to a family of wool weavers. He went to sea from an early age, and was an experienced sailor by his twenties. In 1476 Columbus moved to Lisbon, Portugal, and for many years attempted to gain support for a journey he was planning to find new trade routes to the Far East. Eventually Ferdinand and Isabella, the King and Queen of Spain, agreed to finance him. He is known for his 1492 ‘discovery’ of the 'new world' of the Americas on board his ship Santa Maria. In actual fact, Columbus did not discover North America. He was the first European to sight the Bahamas archipelago and then the island later named Hispaniola, now split into Haiti and the Dominican Republic. On his subsequent voyages he went farther south, to Central and South America. He never got close to what is now called the United States. Columbus called all the people he met in the islands ‘Indians’, because he was sure that he had reached the Indies. This initial encounter opened up the 'New World' to European colonization, which would come to have a devastating impact on indigenous populations. Columbus died in 1506, still believing that he had found a new route to the East Indies. Today his historic legacy as a daring explorer who discovered the New World has been challenged. His voyages launched centuries of European exploration and colonization of the American continents. His encounters also triggered centuries of exploitation of Indigenous Peoples. The City acquired this land on July 19, 1910, and since the 1920s Italian-Americans of Queens have gathered here to celebrate Columbus. The Board of Aldermen, on April 1, 1930, named the site for the famed explorer. The Italian Chamber of Commerce installed a bronze tablet here on October 12, 1937, indicating its intention to build a full monument to Columbus. In 1938, with funds from the Works Progress Administration (WPA), Italian sculptor Angelo Racioppi was commissioned to create the seven foot tall bronze of a youthful Christopher Columbus standing in front of a ship’s tiller.

Firefighter William “Billy” Tolley (1974-2017) was a 14-year veteran of the FDNY who was assigned to Ladder 135. Before he was able to join the FDNY, Billy was a volunteer firefighter with the Hicksville Fire Department, Rescue 8, attaining the rank of lieutenant. In 2011, he joined the Bethpage Fire Department and was assigned to Ladder Company 3. He was killed in the line of duty while helping contain an apartment fire in Queens, falling to his death from the roof of a five-story building. In addition to being a firefighter, he was also a talented drummer whose passion for percussion led him to become a influential drummer in the heavy metal scene. With his band, Internal Bleeding, he helped write and release five very successful albums that made strong impressions on drummers across the world. He is survived by his wife, Marie, and daughter, Isabella. This street renaming near Billy’s firehouse, Ladder 135, occurred on September 26, 2018.

Claire Shulman, née Kantoff (1926-2020) was born February 23rd, 1926 in Brooklyn, NY, to a Jewish family. She attended Adelphi University and was one the first women in their nursing program, graduating in 1946. Shulman worked as a registered nurse at Queens Hospital, where she met and married Dr. Melvin Shulman. The couple had three children: Dr. Lawrence Shulman, Dr. Ellen Baker (née Shulman), and Kim Shulman. Claire Shulman started her political career as president of the Mothers Association of her local public school, P.S.41. She served on multiple non-partisan community boards before being appointed the director of Queen Community Boards in 1972 and was later appointed Deputy Borough President in 1980. She was initiated as the Seventeenth President of the Borough of Queens and the first woman to lead the Borough in 1986. As Borough President, Shulman went on to win four terms and participate in the revitalization of downtown Jamaica and Western Queens, as well as championing the development of cultural institutions, The Queens Museum of Art, The Hall of Science, Museum of the Moving Image, and Flushing Town Hall. Shulman also helped to secure funding for 30,000 new school seats in Queens and for the completion of the Queens Hospital Center. She also raised funding for infrastructure in senior living, public libraries, and cultural programming. Shulman left the Queens Borough Presidency in 2001 due to term limits but remained active in the Queens community until her death from cancer on August 16th, 2020.

Firefighter Richie Allen (1970-2001) died during fire and rescue operations following the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.

Casimir Pulaski (1745-1779) was a Polish nobleman, soldier, and military commander. Pulaski fought for the Continental Army during the American Revolution against the British and was nicknamed “The Father of the American Cavalry”. He was born in Warsaw, Poland and died in Thunderbolt Georgia at the age of 34 years old. Pulaski was exiled from Russia after supporting the cause of Polish-Lithuanian freedom. Through a recommendation from Benjamin Franklin, Pulaski came to America to support the fight for freedom against the British. He fought for freedom his entire life until he was fatally wounded at the Siege of Savannah during the Revolution. Pulaski was a trusted ally of George Washington, as seen by the multiple letters that were found written between them, and even saved his life when he led a skillful attack against the British which allowed Washington and his men to retreat as it looked like they were about to be defeated.

Mary D. Carter (1930-1988) was a community activist and longtime resident of the Boulevard Gardens apartment complex in Woodside. As Director of the Boulevard Gardens Tenants Association, she arranged entertainment for local children and trips for senior citizens living in the complex. Carter worked for Congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro and was involved with the Liberty Democratic Club, the Police Athletic League of the 114th Precinct, the American Legion Auxiliary, the Lexington School for the Deaf, and the Corpus Christi School and Church. She was also active in the Girl Scouts, where she served as both a Brownie and Girl Scout Leader. She was married to the late Charles Carter and had four children. The renaming of P.S. 151 in honor of Carter was recommended by the school's Parent Association, which described her as "a perfect role model" for the school community.

Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922) was born in Scotland and received higher education at the University of Edinburgh and the University of London. In 1871, he immigrated to Canada and then the U.S. in 1871. Bell’s research centered on speech and sound and the ways it can be manipulated to be more accessible. He was inspired by his mother who was deaf to create the first international phonetic alphabet. Bell’s experimentation of sound went way beyond the lab. He started to play with vibrations in hobbies and everyday life. He observed how his dog's barking patterns and pitch concerned the throat’s vibration. While practicing piano, he also discovered that you could mimic the chords of a piano in another room by the echo of it, leading him to realize they were being transmitted through the air. From this observation, he experimented with the ideas of waves and wires coming together to form an invention that could carry sound over differing distances. In 1876 this invention was patented as the telephone. Soon after, in 1876, Bell founded the Bell Company to distribute the communication device to the public. Although Bell was most famous for the telephone, a way to transport sound, he also participated in the invention of other transportation devices. He developed blueprints of airplanes, kites, and watercrafts. Bell's Silver Dart successfully flew a half mile in 1909 and his HD-4 was the fastest watercraft in the world. In 1888, Bell and his son-in-law invested their work into National Geography, an up-and-coming journal which bloomed into a well renowned science entity. P.S. 205Q Alexander Graham Bell School was established in 1954.

Peter G. Van Alst (1828 – 1900) was a surveyor who helped to build the roads and infrastructure of western Queens. Van Alst was born in Dutch Kills on May 28, 1828, and was a member of the large extended Van Alst family, a prominent Dutch farming family who moved to the area in the early 1700s and resided there until the 1870s, when they spread out and moved elsewhere. Van Alst received his education at the District School and the Astoria Institute. He apprenticed as a surveyor for a few years, and worked independently until 1872, when the city legislature appointed him to serve as a commissioner, surveying and supervising the construction of several roads in Long Island City, Queens. In 1874, Van Alst and three fellow Long Island City citizens comprised the First Ward Improvement Commission, which was in charge of raising the grades of Jackson Avenue from Vernon Avenue to the courthouse from three to eight feet, which profoundly affected the daily life of the city. Van Alst’s job consisted primarily of constructing maps, which revealed detailed organizations of street lines, grades, and sewage lines of the Long Island City area.

Detective Brian P. Simonsen (1976-2019) was a 19-year veteran of the NYPD who was tragically killed in the line of duty on February 12, 2019, while responding to an armed robbery. The corner of Jamaica Avenue and 118th Street, which leads to the 102nd Precinct where he served his entire NYPD career, has been named in his honor.

John Roberts Pitkin (1794 - 1874) was a merchant, entrepreneur, and landowner whose foresight and vision led to the early development of areas in eastern Brooklyn. Beginning in 1835 with land he purchased in New Lots, he started to develop a town he called East New York. Though he lost much of his land in the Panic of 1837, his ambitions led to the founding of the Woodhaven, Queens. The son of a shoemaker and the third of six children, Pitkin was born on September 24, 1794, in Hartford, Connecticut, to John and Rebecca (Andrus) Pitkin. He began his career in the mercantile business in partnership with S. and L. Hulbert in Augusta, Georgia. In 1823, he married Sophia M. Thrall, and together they had seven children. By 1832, he had relocated to New York City to work in the dry goods business. After visiting the area of New Lots, at that time a largely rural region in the eastern part of Brooklyn, he was impressed by the vast expanses of land so close to New York City, and he made plans to develop it into a new city, the Village of East New York. On July 1, 1835, Pitkin bought his first piece of property on land that he called Woodville for the dense woods that covered the area. Together with his brother-in-law, George W. Thrall, they purchased land, had it surveyed, and began to lay out streets and building lots, which were sold for $10 to $25 each. To attract buyers, Pitkin began the area’s first newspaper, called The Mechanic. In addition, he opened a shoe factory, the East New York Boot and Shoe Manufactory Company of New York. Located on Liberty Avenue, the enterprise employed about 100 people. Pitkin’s dreams were dashed by the Panic of 1837, a major economic depression that lasted into the 1840s and forced him to sell much of his land. However, he retained the small section he called Woodville, and by 1853 it had grown considerably into a village. When the town applied for a post office, the request was rejected because there was already a Woodville in upstate New York. In the end, the inhabitants voted in favor of Pitkin’s top choice of name, and the town became Woodhaven. Pitkin’s first wife, Sophia, died in 1849, and he remarried on June 11, 1857, to Mary Allyn. Together, they had three children. Remaining in Woodhaven to raise his family, he later died on September 2, 1874, in Brattleboro, Vermont, at the age of 79. In May 1897, the street originally called Broadway was renamed in Pitkin’s honor by the New York City Council. Today, Pitkin Avenue runs from East New York Avenue in Brooklyn to just past Centerville Street / Hawtree Street in Ozone Park. Pitkin’s grave is located on a hilltop in Cypress Hill Cemetery and overlooks the communities he helped to establish.

Jeromus Remsen (1735-1790), a native of the area that is now Forest Hills, served during the French and Indian War of 1757. He became active in local politics and rose to the rank of colonel in the Kings and Queens County Militia, fighting in the Revolutionary War's Battle of Long Island. Jeromus Remsen's grandfather, Abraham, settled in the "Forest Hills" area, then known as Hempstead Swamp in the Town of Newtown. His son, Jeromus, lived on the family farm, and then had his son, also named Jeromus, who was born on November 22, 1735. Following his service in the French and Indian War, Remsen became part of the minority in Queens who opposed the King after the colonies declared independence. Active in Whig politics, Remsen appointed a committee to ensure that the measures of the Continental Congress of 1774 were followed within Newtown. His military experience and political stance made him a natural choice to lead a regiment of militia soldiers as a colonel. He gathered his regiment during the summer of 1776 as British troops amassed on Staten Island. He commanded the 7th New York Regiment, which were among those who joined the brigade of General Greene in Brooklyn, and who were routed at the Battle of Long Island. After their retreat, Remsen fled to New Jersey for safety, where he remained until after the war. Remsen died on June 22, 1790. His wife Anna, daughter of Cornelius Rapelje, whom he had married on April 31, 1768, lived until 1816. They are among a small handful of Remsen family members that were buried in their family plot, which still exists just a short distance from the school that has his name. The triangular-shaped Remsen Family Cemetery at Alderton Street and Trotting Course Lane became a New York City Landmark in 1981 and came under the care of the Parks Department in 2005, though not without local opposition, as residents felt the local American Legion had been taking adequate care of the space already for some time. For many years the Remsen Family Cemetery and Remsen himself were the central point of Memorial Day events in the area. Parades attended by thousands began at the cemetery, and Revolutionary War reenactments took place at nearby Forest Park. Interest in designating the school, which opened in 1931, to honor the local colonel of a regiment of Kings and Queens County Militia, came in the 1950s. Diane Petagine of American Legion Post 1424's Auxiliary is credited with efforts to rename P.S. 144 in Remsen's honor, which went into effect in 1956.

Denis J. Butler (1927-2010) was a lifelong resident of Astoria who represented his district in the New York State Assembly for 24 years. He served on the Rules, Aging, Economic Development, Labor and Oversight, Analysis and Investigations Committees and on the Joint Budget Conference Committee’s Subcommittee on Higher Education, which helped to maintain and increase funding for higher education. As Chair of the Assembly Subcommittee on the Special Problems of the Aging, he was responsible for the MTA putting the rough paint on the edge of the subway platform to alert the visually impaired that the platform was ending. Assemblyman Butler volunteered with the Lighthouse for the Blind for 20 years. He also served as president of the St. Joseph’s Home School Association, and was a member of the Holy Name Society Parish Council. In 1988, he received the Brooklyn Diocese’s Pro Vita Award, presented by Bishop Francis J. Mugavero in recognition of his efforts on behalf of the unborn and in support of life. In 1992, he received the New York State Catholic Conference Public Policy Award, presented by John Cardinal O’Connor and the Bishops of New York State for his work in support of the Maternity and Early Childhood Foundation. In 2009, he was made a knight of the Papal Order of Saint Gregory the Great in Brooklyn’s St. James Cathedral Basilica by Bishop Nicholas DiMarzo.

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John McHugh Sr. (1924 - 2019) Of Whitestone, Queens, was a decorated American World War II veteran who participated in the D-Day invasion, the Battle of Normandy, and the Battle of the Bulge. Corporal John McHugh graduated from Morris Park High School in the Bronx in 1942 and enlisted in the army with his friends following Pearl Harbor. He was in the 1st Infantry Division, which arrived in landing craft at Omaha Beach on D-Day, 6 June 1944. was awarded the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, the European Theater of Operations Ribbon, Two Presidential Unit Citations, and Combat Infantry Badge and the Fort Eger given by Belgium. The State of New York placed him in its Veterans Hall of Fame. After the war, McHugh came back to Whitestone, married his childhood sweetheart Rosie McGee, and worked as a Transit Authority conductor.

Carlos R. Lillo (1963-2001), was a paramedic for the New York City Fire Department’s Emergency Medical Services Division who died while on duty on September 11, 2001.  Raised in Astoria, Queens, Lillo began his career in emergency medicine as a volunteer with the Astoria Volunteer Ambulance Corps. As an emergency medical technician (EMT), Lillo joined the city’s Emergency Medical Services in 1984. He worked on a tactical unit in some of the roughest neighborhoods in the Bronx during one of the most active times in EMS history. Pursuing his dream career, Lillo attained advanced lifesaving skills and became a paramedic in 1990. Lillo demonstrated his dedication and commitment to the citizens of the city, state and country as he performed his duties on September 11, 2001. Carlos Lillo Park serves as a touchstone for the many families who lost loved ones on 9/11 and provides the neighborhood with a place for solace and reflection

Mollie A. Gustine (1930?-2020) was a pioneer of the NYPD and one of the first Black female detectives on the New York City Police force. She joined the force in 1963 in what was then the Police Women’s Division. In 1974, she was promoted to detective and was one of the first three women to join the Queens Sex Crimes Unit, where she often worked undercover. She served as an officer for 20 years, and she was also among the first women on the force to serve as a union delegate for the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association and the first Black female delegate to the Detectives' Endowment Association. Gustine was working for the Federal Reserve in the early 1960s when her cousin suggested she join the police force. She made the transition, and over the course of her career, taught ethical awareness to police department personnel. She also lectured on rape, sexual abuse, and personal safety to a variety of women’s groups and often represented her department in media efforts to warn the public about scams and con games which she understood firsthand from her undercover work. On February 26, 1982, Gustine was shot in the chest and arm during an attempted robbery as she was returning to her home in Queens after a late-night tour of duty. She fired back and was able to help stop her attackers. Three men were arrested for the crime. However, the shooting led to her retirement in 1983. In 2023, she was posthumously awarded the Police Combat Cross, the department’s second-highest honor, for engaging an armed adversary under imminent threat to life. After leaving the force, Gustine worked with the homeless and Christian fellowship through various church affiliations. A pianist who played by ear, she loved music and also enjoyed watching classic films on television. On April 3, 2020, she died of COVID-19 at the age of 90. The corner of 192nd Street and 117th Road in St. Albans was co-named in her honor on August 20, 2022, as Detective Mollie A. Gustine Way.

Detective Picciano (1938-1971), a 10-year veteran of the NYPD, was assigned to the 41st Detective Squad in the Bronx. On February 15, 1971, he was shot and killed at the 41st Precinct building while fingerprinting a suspect that he and other detectives had arrested for abducting a 13-year-old boy. Other members of the Detective Squad were able to return fire, killing the suspect. Det. Picciano resided in Maspeth, Queens, with his wife Theresa and their three children.

Saint Mel of Ardagh (d. 487 or 488) was a missionary and bishop who was active in the early part of the fifth century. One of the earliest Irish saints, he was believed to be a disciple and nephew of Saint Patrick, and his ministry was an important part of the early establishment of Christianity in Ireland. Thought to be a native of Britain, Saint Mel was the son of Conis and Darerca, who is considered to be the sister of Saint Patrick. According to legend, she was the mother of 19 children, the majority of whom entered religious life. It is said that Mel traveled with Saint Patrick into the Irish countryside, preaching and evangelizing the Christian Gospels. While at Ardagh, a village in modern-day County Longford, Patrick established a church and ordained Mel as the local bishop, also making him the abbot of an adjoining monastery. According to traditional narratives, Mel continued to travel, performing manual labor to support his missionary work and giving back much of what he earned to help those in need. He is believed to have professed Saint Brigid as a nun, also giving her abbatial powers on par with those of contemporary bishops. An often-cited legend around Saint Mel tells of his living on a farm during a portion of his ministry with a woman, possibly his aunt, Lupait. This gave rise to gossip, prompting a visit from Saint Patrick. Mel and Lupait produced miracles to prove the innocence of their relationship, with Mel pulling a live fish from his plowed field and Lupait carrying hot coals without being burned. Revered to this day as the patron saint of the Roman Catholic diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnois, Saint Mel died in County Longford, leaving behind a monastery that flourished for centuries. Saint Mel Catholic Academy opened in 1960 and is located at 154-24 26th Avenue in Flushing.

Firefighter Robert "Bobby" Dismas McMahon (b. 1965) was killed at the World Trade Center during fire and rescue operations following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. He was a member of Ladder Company 20 on Lafayette Street, and with his wife Julie, bought and renovated the house he grew up in in Woodside, Queens.

Gwendoline N. Alleyne (ca. 1907-1989) taught at P.S. 152 in Woodside for 50 years and was said to be the first Black woman teacher in the New York City Public Schools.

Conrad Poppenhusen (1818-1883), entrepreneur and philanthropist, was born in Hamburg, Germany on April 1, 1818. After working for a whalebone merchant as a whalebone purchaser in Europe, Poppenhusen moved to the United States in 1843 to set up a whalebone processing plant on the Brooklyn waterfront. In 1852 he obtained a license from Charles Goodyear to manufacture hard rubber goods, and then moved his firm to a farming village in what is now Queens. Poppenhusen is credited with creating the Village of College Point, which was formed in 1870 when it incorporated the neighborhoods of Flammersburg and Strattonport. In order to accommodate his factory workers he initiated numerous developments; including the establishment of housing, the First Reformed Church, and construction of streets.. In 1868, he opened the Flushing and North Side Railroad, which connected the town to New York City. In that same year he also founded the Poppenhusen Institute, which was comprised of a vocational high school and the first free kindergarten in the United States, and is the oldest school in Queens today. After Poppenhusen retired in 1871, his family lost much of its fortune due to the financial mismanagement by his three sons. Conrad Poppenhusen died in College Point on December 12, 1883.

The following text was written by Paul Russo's brother George: Paul was a humble and devout Christian young man. Passing at the age of 33, his life was short but meaningful. He was a person of integrity who devoted his later life to the ministry of the less fortunate. Tending to the homeless, building shelter for the poor in Third World countries and bringing the spiritually disenfranchised to the Lord became his mission. He was also entrepreneurial and business-savvy, always giving back to others whatever success he earned through his hard work. The last months of his life were an inspiration to those who witnessed the selfless acceptance of his medical diagnosis offered for the healing of others. Paul was a heroic saint to those who knew him best.

State Senator José R. Peralta (1971-2018) made history by becoming the first Dominican American elected to the New York State Senate when he assumed office in District 13. He served from 2010 until his death in 2018. His tenure was marked by a focus on immigration justice, support for working-class families, access to quality education for all children and advocacy for LGBT rights. He was most notable as his chamber's leading champion for undocumented young people whom he believed deserved equal opportunity to achieve the American Dream. He introduced the New York DREAM Act in 2013 and increased its support over the following years. Prior to his election to the State Senate, he served in the New York State Assembly from 2002 to 2010, representing the 39th Assembly District. He was a member of the New York State Senate Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian caucuses, and of the Puerto Rican Hispanic Task Force. As a state legislator, his sponsorship of gun-control legislation and a bill requiring microstamping on bullet-casings has drawn the ire of the National Rifle Association. He was a champion of economic development and job creation, and was a fighter for immigrants’ rights. He worked to heighten awareness of domestic violence and protect battered spouses from further abuse.

Russell Risley Sage (1816 – 1906) Was a financier & President of the Chicago, St. Paul & Milwaukee Railroad, he played a large part in organizing the railroad and telegraph systems in the United States. He also served as a delegate to the Whig Convention of 1848, where he supported Henry Clay. Sage served two consecutive terms in the U.S. Congress (1853–57). Sage was born in Oneida County New York, his first job was as an errand boy in his brother's Troy, NY grocery store, very motivated he soon opened his own wholesale grocery business. He was elected as an alderman in Troy, while also serving as a treasurer in Rensselaer County from 1844 to 1851, 1852 he was elected to Congress on the Whig ticket and served for five years until he took over as vice president of the La Crosse Railroad in Wisconsin, a company he had invested in. He also had money invested in Western Union Telegraph. He relocated to New York City in 1863 where he engaged in the business of selling puts and calls, as well as short-term options known as privileges. He has been credited with developing the market for stock options in the United States and inventing the "spread" and "straddle" option strategies, for which he was dubbed "Old Straddle" and the "Father of Puts and Calls."  In 1891, a man entered Sage’s office and demanded $1.2 million, threatening Sage with dynamite. When Sage refused, the man unleashed an explosion that left him dead, but Sage was mostly unharmed. The event was in all the newspapers. By the time of Sage’s death in 1906, he had amassed a large amount of money which he left to his wife Margaret Olivia Slocum Sage (1828 - 1918), and it is largely due to her efforts that so many institutions in New York benefitted from his fortune. Olivia donated large sums to the YMCA, the YWCA, the Women’s Hospital, the American Museum of Natural History, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. As a memorial to her husband, she had built the First Presbyterian Church of Far Rockaway, at 1324 Beach 12th Street, where they used to vacation. Olivia also founded the Russell Sage Foundation in 1907 for “the improvement of social and living conditions in the United States,” and helped to sponsor the Regional Plan Association’s (‘RPA’) project to develop a regional plan for New York City in 1929, which would provide Parks Commissioner Robert Moses (1888-1981) with many of the basic ideas that shaped his career.

Hortense Powdermaker was one of the original members of Queens College’s faculty. She was born into a middle-class Jewish family in Philadelphia, earned a B.A. in history from Goucher College in 1919 and a Ph.D. in anthropology from the University of London in 1928. The following year, she became the first woman anthropologist to live alone among the Melanesians of New Ireland in Papua New Guinea; she published her study of the experience, Life in Lesu, in 1933. For periods in 1932-1934, Powdermaker lived in Indianola, Mississippi, examining its Black and white communities and their interactions. Her book, After Freedom (1939), is still notable for its insightful analysis of race relations and of the impact of psychological adaptations to segregation. Powdermaker joined Queens College upon its opening in 1937 and founded the departments of anthropology and sociology. During her 30-year teaching career at Queens, she continued to conduct research and published highly influential books on racism (Probing Our Prejudices, 1944) and the social structure of the American filmmaking industry (Hollywood: The Dream Factory, 1950). Her final book, Stranger and Friend: The Way of an Anthropologist, was published in 1966 as a candid examination of her fieldwork experiences and the appropriate role of the anthropologist and social scientist. She retired from Queens College in 1968 and was undertaking a study of youth culture in Berkeley when she died in 1970. Powdermaker Hall was built in 1962 as the Social Science Building, sometimes called Academic I. In 1977, it was renamed to honor Powdermaker. The building is home to the college’s departments of anthropology and sociology, along with its School of Education. The Hortense Powdermaker Papers are housed in the college library’s Department of Special Collections and Archives.

Henry Waichaitis (1919 – 1982) was a community leader in Broad Channel, who lived on West 20th Road. Born in Maspeth, Waichaitis was a veteran of World War II and a United States Merchant Marine. After the war, he moved to Broad Channel where he met and married Helen Hutchinson, and started a career as a civil servant in the Department of Sanitation. His love of the Broad Channel community prompted him to become involved with the local Democratic Club, of which he would later serve as president. He joined and revitalized the Broad Channel Volunteer Fire Department, where he worked his way up the ranks to Chief and was responsible for the acquisition of the first volunteer ambulance on the Island. He was Chief of the department from 1960 to 1963. He also served as President of the Civic Association, and became the first Chairman of Community Board 14.

Benjamin Oliver Davis, Jr. (1912-2002) was an aviation pioneer who commanded the famed Tuskegee Airmen, the first African American flying unit in the U.S. military who fought in World War II. He was the son of Benjamin Oliver Davis, Sr., the U.S. Army’s first Black general, and he continued his father’s military legacy by becoming the first African American general in the United States Air Force in 1954. He was later advanced to four-star general after his retirement by President Bill Clinton in 1998. Davis was born on December 18, 1912, in Washington, D.C., the son of Benjamin O. Davis, Sr. and Elnora Dickerson Davis, the second of their three children. In the summer of 1926, a barnstorming pilot took Davis for a ride in an open-cockpit plane at Bolling Field in Washington, D.C., and Davis became determined to become a pilot. He graduated from Central High School in Cleveland, Ohio, and then studied for a time at Western Reserve University and the University of Chicago before entering the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. As the only Black cadet, he was shunned by his white classmates. He lived and ate by himself, and fellow cadets would not speak with him except for official business. But Davis persevered, graduating 35th out of a class of 276 cadets in 1936. Soon after, he married Agatha Scott, the couple having met and dated during his years of study. Upon graduation, he received a commission as a second lieutenant of infantry. Though he wanted to be an aviator in the Army Air Corps, he was rejected despite his qualifications, as the U.S. military was segregated at the time and there were no all-Black units. He was assigned to the 24th Infantry at Fort Benning, Georgia, and attended infantry school. In 1937, he worked as a professor of military science at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, a position his father had also held. In 1941, the War Department established an all-Black flying unit at Tuskegee Army Air Field near Tuskegee Institute. Davis was among the first 12 cadets trained in what would become known as the Tuskegee Airmen. In March 1942, he received his pilot’s wings. He was soon promoted to lieutenant colonel and transferred to the Army Air Corps. In August of 1942, Davis assumed command of the 99th Pursuit Squadron, the first unit of the Tuskegee Airmen. In 1943, the Squadron flew support missions in the Mediterranean, seeing combat in North Africa and Italy. In the fall of the same year, Davis returned to the U.S., and he was called to command of the 332nd Fighter Group, an even larger all-Black air unit that was preparing for overseas service. Under his command, they effectively defended bombers on missions deep inside Germany, shooting down 111 planes, destroying or damaging 273 on the ground, and never losing an American bomber to enemy fighters. By the end of the war, Davis had personally flown some 60 combat missions, and he was promoted to colonel. In July of 1948, President Truman’s executive order integrated the armed forces. At the time, Colonel Davis acted as an advisor to the Assistant Secretary to the Air Force, and his draft blueprint on integration, along with the performance of his fliers, helped to set the stage for the end of segregation in the Air Force. Over the next two decades, Davis served in a variety of staff and command positions, including work at the Pentagon and overseas, with a final assignment as Deputy Commander in Chief of United States Strike Command at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida. From 1954 through 1965, he rose in rank from brigadier general to lieutenant general, before retiring on January 31, 1970. He remained active in his post-military years, serving briefly as the Director of Public Safety for the City of Cleveland, Ohio, and later in the same year, as Director of Civil Aviation Security in the Department of Transportation. In 1971, he was named as Assistant Secretary of Transportation for Safety and Consumer Affairs, and he served under both the Ford and Nixon administrations. Davis was highly decorated in his military service. His many honors include two Distinguished Service Medals and a Silver Star. On December 9, 1998, he was awarded his fourth general’s star by President Bill Clinton, making him a general of the highest order within the U.S. military and the first African American to receive the honor in retirement. His memoir, Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., American, was published in 1991. General Davis died on July 4, 2002, in Washington, D.C., and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery. General Benjamin Oliver Davis, Jr. Boulevard is located at the southwest corner of Tuskegee Airmen Way and 154th Street in South Jamaica.

David Baisley (1792-1875) was a farmer. he and his wife Sarah owned the land and operated the mill that was located on the pond that now bears his name.

Guillermo Vasquez (1953-1996) was a leading gay rights, AIDS, and Latino community activist in Queens who emigrated from Colombia in 1972. A member of Queens Gays and Lesbians United, Vasquez would go on to serve on the board of the Empire State Pride Agenda, a statewide organization that advocated for LGBT rights. In 1993, he helped organize the first Queens Pride Parade as a member of the Queens Lesbian and Gay Pride Committee and served as a translator for Spanish-speaking participants. Vasquez passed away due to AIDS-related complications in 1996. The corner of 77th Street and Broadway was co-named “Guillermo Vasquez Corner” next to the site of the Love Boat, a former gay Latino bar where he educated the community about HIV/AIDS.

Paul W. Schmalzried (1966-2022) served with the FDNY for 24 years. He was born and raised in Astoria, Queens, growing up fishing, hunting, and skiing with his two older brothers. Schmalzried joined the FDNY in February of 1998, where he helped keep his community safe, received a unit citation, and became the engine chauffeur as a regular firefighter in 2003. In 2007, Schmalzried earned a promotion to the rank of Lieutenant, then the rank of Captain by May of 2021. After becoming Captain, he served as the head of CTS Chauffeur Training School where he taught others how to operate fire trucks. In 2022, Schmalzried passed away as a result of 9/11 related illness, but is remembered by his family and community as a selfless hero.

Dr. Paul Klapper (1885-1952) was the first president and guiding force behind the establishment of Queens College. Born in Romania, Klapper came to the U.S. with his parents as a child and enrolled at City College at the age of 14. After receiving his A.B. degree, he taught in the New York City public schools and at City College, eventually earning an M.A. and Ph.D. from New York University. He became head of the education department at City College in 1917, and served as dean of the college from 1922 to 1937, when he was asked to lead the newly created Queens College. Klapper personally selected the college’s first faculty, as well as the 400 students who enrolled in that first year. He led the college through its first decade, retiring in 1948. He then served as acting dean of teacher education for CUNY's five four-year colleges, and was a visiting professor at the University of Chicago from 1949 to 1951. He passed away in 1952 at the age of 66. Over the course of his career, Klapper also was a member of the board of trustees for The State University of New York, Brandeis University and The New York State Commission Against Discrimination. He received various honorary degrees from institutions including Yeshiva University, Columbia University and Queens College. His papers are housed in Queens College's Department of Special Collections and Archives. Klapper Hall was built and dedicated in 1955 as the Paul Klapper Library, and served as the college's main library until the larger Rosenthal Library was constructed in 1988. In 1992, the building was renovated and renamed Klapper Hall; it now houses the school's art and English departments as well as the Godwin-Ternbach Museum.

Edwin Hoyt (1804-1874) was a businessman who lived in Astoria in the 1800s. he was the millionaire senior partner in Hoyt, Sprague, and Co., a dry goods business, with Governor William Sprague of Rhode Island. Hoyt’s son, Edwin Chase Hoyt, and Governor Sprague’s son both married daughters of Salmon P. Chase, Secretary of the Treasury under President Abraham Lincoln, and later Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. When Hoyt died on May 15, 1874, at the age of 70, all prominent dry goods businessmen kept their doors closed on the morning of his funeral out of respect for the deceased.

Detective Richard Arundell (1927-1963) served with the NYPD for 11 years and tragically died of a heart attack while on duty. Before joining the NYPD, Arundell served in the Army during World War II. Enlisting in 1945 at the age of 18, he served for a year as a Private First Class. Late on February 8, 1963, Arundell and his partner attempted to stop a vehicle that had run a red light at the intersection of Woodhaven Boulevard and 62nd Road. The two occupants of the car fled on foot. Arundell's partner ordered them to halt and fired warning shots, but the officers pursued the suspects, eventually apprehending one. Following the chase, Arundell experienced chest pains and was taken to the hospital, where he died shortly thereafter. Arundell was survived by his wife and four children and is buried at Saint Charles Cemetery in East Farmingdale, Long Island. In May 1963, the NYPD held a joint memorial service for Arundell and five other officers who had died in the line of duty in the preceding year. In 2024, Council Member Robert Holden proposed co-naming the street where Arundell's final chase began in his honor. The street was dedicated with a ceremony on October 19, 2024.

Joseph Lisa Sr. (1898-1977) was a Democratic leader in Queens. His 26 years of community and political service included seven years as a New York State Assemblyman, representing the 31st and 34th districts. Born on October 16, 1898, Lisa and his wife, Marion, lived in Corona and raised three children: James, Charles, and Joseph Jr. For a time, he worked as the proprietor of a bar and grill in Queens Village. Lisa served in the New York State Assembly from 1969 to 1976, retiring in 1977. His son, Joseph Lisa Jr., succeeded him as a district leader and was later appointed to the New York State Supreme Court. On August 31, 1981, a New York State blue spruce was planted in Lisa's memory during a dedication ceremony at William F. Moore Park in Corona. A commemorative stone tablet at the site reads: "THIS TREE PLANTED IN MEMORY OF JOSEPH LISA SR. DEMOCRATIC LEADER FROM 1950-1976."

Francis Lewis (1713-1802) was a merchant, a Founding Father of the United States, and a signatory of the Declaration of Independence. Born in Wales, he attended school in England before working in a mercantile house in London. In 1734, he came to New York to establish a business. While working as a mercantile agent in 1756, Lewis was taken prisoner and sent to prison in France. Upon his return to New York, he became active in politics and made his home in Whitestone, Queens. A member of the Continental Congress for several years before the Revolutionary War, Lewis played a significant role in the nation's founding.

Father Joseph David Colbert (1933–2000) was born in Brooklyn and baptized at the Church of Saints Peter and Paul. He was educated at St. Francis of Assisi School, Cathedral High School/College, and the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception in Huntington, New York. He was ordained on May 30, 1959, at St. James Pro-Cathedral in Brooklyn. Following his ordination, Father Colbert ministered to the people of the Diocese as an Associate Pastor at St. Mel’s Parish in Whitestone, New York; as an Associate Pastor and later Pastor at St. Pascal Baylon Parish in St. Albans; and finally as Pastor at St. Pancras Parish in Glendale. At St. Pancras, Father Colbert led the restoration of the church, improved the grounds, and maintained the school. He aimed to make St. Pancras “the showcase of the eastern seaboard.” He loved being present at school assemblies, class masses, student programs, and graduations. He always stressed to his students that they should do everything with “grace, dignity, and poise.” A lover of the arts, Father Colbert incorporated this passion into his daily life and his homilies. He approached all that he did with vigor, energy, and pride. Father Colbert continued as pastor of his parish until his death on October 10, 2000.

Wilson Rantus (1807-1861) was a free African American businessman, farmer and civil rights activist who owned land in both Flushing and Jamaica in the mid-1800s. He built a school for Black children and took part in the struggle for equal voting rights in New York State, seeking to end property requirements for African American citizens. He also was a financial backer of Thomas Hamilton’s "Anglo-African" magazine and newspaper. The Rantus family farm and cemetery were located adjacent to the site on the Queens College campus where this commemorative boulder is found.

Lawrence Murphy (1970-2013) was an architect and community activist who successfully advocated for more green space in Jackson Heights. He played a crucial role in establishing the Jackson Heights Green Alliance, which focused on creating and maintaining public open spaces and green areas. Projects included the expansion of Travers Park, and the Grow-a-Park campaign, which successfully turned private school land near Travers Park into public parkland. His work in the Jackson Heights community helped serve as the archetype for the transformation of 34th Avenue into one of the city’s most prosperous open streets during the COVID-19 pandemic and in the years following. Originally from the Bronx, Murphy studied urban design and architecture in Brussels at the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Visuels de La Cambre, known as La Cambre, and in New York City at The Cooper Union. He began his career in design and construction administration in the early 2000s, ultimately working for Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx as a project architect. During his morning commutes on the 4 train to Montefiore, Murphy noticed many dilapidated staircases in the Bronx. In response, he and fellow Montefiore architect Alvin Niere created The Bronx Steps Up initiative, encouraging residents to use outdoor staircases for exercise as well as raising money to renovate the borough’s many street steps located on hillsides too steep for roads. Murphy died on December 15, 2013, and was survived by his wife, Nadine Kela-Murphy, and sons Max and Luke. On May 19, 2024, a street co-naming ceremony was held to dedicate the intersection of 88th Street and 34th Avenue, just ten blocks from the park Murphy advocated for, as Lawrence Murphy Street.

NYPD Patrolman Benjamin M. Bruno (1928 - 1956) of Woodhaven was 28 years old when he was killed in a car accident in the line of duty. In the early hours of January 30, 1956, Patrolman Bruno was in pursuit of a speeding car headed east on Northern Boulevard, when a collision with a westbound car took place on a wet patch of pavement near 230th Street, on the border of Alley Pond Park and Douglaston-Little Neck. The collision killed both Bruno and Alexander Johnson, 19, of Corona. Johnson was a passenger in the car driven by his brother, Lindbergh Johnson. Bruno spent four years in the marines, before joining the NYPD in 1951, as part of Highway Unit 3. He was survived at the time by his parents Sylvia and Cono Bruno, along with three sisters and three brothers. A mass, attended by 300 police officers, was held for Patrolman Bruno at St. Thomas the Apostle Roman Catholic Church in Woodhaven. He was buried at St. John Cemetery, in Middle Village. The stretch of Northern Boulevard between 234th Street and the Cross Island Parkway, the vicinity where Patrolman Bruno died while on duty, was named in his honor.

Luis Manuel Gonzalez (1982-2009) was a Queens native who went to Flushing High School. He had dreamed for years of joining the Army and enlisted after graduating from high school in 2002, he had a commanding presence that made him a good fit for the Army. Assigned to the 2nd Infantry Division, he was killed in combat in Afghanistan, along with six other soldiers, when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device. Sargent First Class Gonzalez grew up in the Corona area of Queens, but later moved to the South Ozone Park neighborhood. Gonzalez, an avid New York Yankees fan, had a wife, Jessica, and son. He distinguished himself by earning more than twenty-three medals, including the Bronze Star. Gonzalez served twice in Iraq before being deployed to Afghanistan.

Gilbert Ray “Gil” Hodges (1924-1972) helped win championships for his teams both as a player and as a manager. He was born in Indiana and excelled at baseball at an early age. He was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1943 but only managed to play one game that year, leaving to serve in the Marines for World War II. Hodges returned to the team in 1947 and played a number of positions before finding success at first base. During his peak offensive production from 1949 to 1957, Hodges averaged 32 home runs and 108 RBI per season. It was during these seasons that the Dodgers won five National League pennants and the 1955 World Series title. One notable achievement for Hodges occurred on August 31, 1950, when he became just the second modern-era National League player to hit four home runs in one game. Hodges moved with the team to Los Angeles in 1958 and helped it win its first National League pennant and World Series on the West Coast in 1959. His abilities and playing time diminished after that; he played two more years with the Dodgers and then with the new New York team, the Mets, in 1962 and 1963. He is credited with hitting the first home run for the Mets. Hodges retired early in the 1963 season with 370 homers (third most for a right-handed hitter at the time), 1,921 hits, 1,274 RBI and three Gold Glove Awards at first base – even though the award was not created until 1957. He was quickly chosen by the last-place Washington Senators to manage the team. He brought the Senators out of recent 100-loss seasons to a more respectable 76-85 record in 1967 with limited resources. This success was noted by the New York Mets, who hired him after the 1967 season to help their expansion team. It didn’t take long for Hodges to turn a team that hadn’t won more than 66 games in a season to “The Miracle Mets” of 1969 that won 100 games and the World Series title. The Mets had winning seasons in 1970 and 1971 but, tragically, Hodges had a heart attack and died just before his 48th birthday on April 2, 1972. Hodges’ uniform number 14 was retired on June 9, 1973, at Shea Stadium. He was inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame in 1982. After years of consideration, his number 14 was retired by the Los Angeles Dodgers and he was finally inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Golden Days Eras Committee in 2022. In 1978, The Marine Parkway Bridge was renamed the Marine Parkway - Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge, marking the first time a bridge was named for a major sports figure. Appropriately, it spans the Rockaway Inlet from Jacob Riis Park in Queens to Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn.

The Persia Campbell Dome, August 2022. The dome houses a lecture space for the Queens College community.

Don Capalbi (d. 2018) was a civic leader and community activist in the Queensboro Hill neighborhood of Flushing, Queens. Capalbi was the son of an Italian immigrant mother and an American father, and he grew up in Astoria. He was also a businessman and owned the College Green Pub on Kissena Boulevard, which he sold in the early 2010s. Capalbi served as president of the Queensboro Hill Flushing Civic Association and was a member of many other community groups. He also served as a community liaison for Assemblywoman Grace Meng. In addition to his street co-naming he has been honored with an engraved bench at the Queens Botanical Garden.

Aurora Gareiss founded the Udalls Cove Preservation Committee in 1969. The organization's mission was -- and remains -- the conservation, preservation and restoration of the remaining undeveloped wetlands and wooded uplands in the Udalls Cove watershed. Udalls Cove is the eastern arm of Little Neck Bay, itself part of Long Island Sound. At the time, most of the area that is now preserved as Udalls Cove Park was mapped for residential development. As a result of the efforts of Gareiss and the organization she founded, almost all the undeveloped lands have been protected as part of the park.

Richard S. Newcombe (1880-1930) had a long and illustrious career in public service, including as the Queens County District Attorney in the 1920s, where he prosecuted several notable cases, including a scandalous murder trial that was dramatized as a famous Hollywood film. Newcombe was born in Manhattan on in 1880. His father, also named Richard, was a law partner to Albert Cardozo, whose son, Benjamin, also became a lawyer and then a judge who served on the New York Court of Appeals and as an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. After attending public school, Newcombe went to Phillips Andover Academy, then to New York Law School, passing the bar in 1904. After working for a law firm and launching an unsuccessful bid for Justice of the Supreme Court, Newcombe began his career in public service when the corrupt Queens Borough President Maurice Connolly appointed him as Queens Public Works Commissioner. The two clashed and he didn't last long in the position, next running for Queens District Attorney in 1923, defeating the incumbent, and then winning reelection three years later by a substantial margin. One of the cases he pursued was a $16 million sewer contract scandal in Jamaica, which ultimately caused Connolly to resign. The most famous case he prosecuted, however, came in 1927. On March 20th of that year, Ruth Snyder and her lover, Henry Judd Gray, murdered Snyder’s husband, Albert, in the couple’s Queens Village home, staging it to appear as a robbery. Their sloppy alibi was further diminished by the discovery that Snyder and Gray had recently taken out a double indemnity insurance policy together, which, if Albert died accidentally, would pay twice as much. The trial was a sensation from the start, with a media circus that resulted in unprecedented news coverage, but it culminated in even more sensationalism. After being found guilty and sentenced to death by electrocution, a Daily News reporter snuck a camera into Snyder's execution room. The photograph that captured the moment of her electrocution was on the front page the next day, and the paper sold out in 15 minutes. The murder gained more notoriety following the release of James Cain’s 1943 novella Double Indemnity and its 1944 classic film adaptation, all based on this true-life story. Newcombe did not live to see these dramatizations, however. He was elected as Surrogate of Queens County in 1929, and May 7, 1930, was Newcombe's first day as a judge. He had a packed schedule, presiding over three jury trials and overseeing the installment of another jury. In addition, the city was in the middle of a heat wave. At the end of this exhausting workday, Newcombe, along with his wife, Rosena Reis Newcombe, and accompanied by his secretary, visited a heart specialist. He and his wife then joined his brother-in-law for dinner before returning home. Just after 10pm, Rosena contacted the secretary to notify him that Newcombe had died, having collapsed as he was dressing for bed. Though it was a modest ceremony, more than a thousand people gathered for his funeral, held at his home at 75 Greenway Terrace in Forest Hills. Newcombe had been a leader with the Boy Scouts for some time, and the only official ceremonial aspect to the funeral was led by them. Twenty Eagle Scouts served as a guard of honor at his home, and they played taps as Newcombe's casket was lowered in Woodlawn Cemetery. Newcombe had been a leader across many areas. In addition to serving as president of the Boy Scouts Sustaining Association of Queens, and having inspired the naming of Camp Newcombe in Wading River, Long Island, he had been a director of Flushing Bank, helped to organize the Boulevard National Bank in Forest Hills, and served on the board of the American Trust Company. By January 1937, friends and colleagues of Newcombe set out to petition the Board of Aldermen and the Transit Commission to rename this triangle and the nearby Kew Gardens subway station, which had just opened a week earlier, in his honor. On November 18, 1939, around 100 of those supporters gathered to unveil a granite block with a bronze plaque to designate the area as Newcombe Square.

Horace Harding (1863-1929) was born to an influential publishing family. He entered the banking world and moved up through connections on his wife's side. Harding served as a director for multiple entities including American Express and numerous railway trusts. Harding enjoyed art collecting and spent time cultivating the Frick collection. Harding was extremely influential in Long Island and supported Robert Moses' "Great Parkway Plan" to build a highway from Queens Blvd. to Shelter Rock in Nassau County. He also supported the Northern State Parkway and construction of the Long Island Expressway. His support of new roads happened to coincide with his desire for an easier pathway to his country club. Harding died at 65 from influenza and blood poisoning.