In honor of Black History Month 2025, this collection spotlights individuals featured in the Queens Name Explorer whose names carry historical significance. From outspoken ministers to pioneering musicians to female leaders in public service, this small sampling provides a glimpse into the histories of Elmhurst, Corona, Flushing, St. Albans, Jamaica, Hollis, and Kew Garden Hills. This collection coincides with an exhibit running from January 30 to April 20, 2025 at Culture Lab LIC, 5-25 46th Avenue, Queens, NY 11101.

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.

Marguerite Henderson was very dedicated to her family, seniors and the East Elmhurst community. She attended P.S. 127 in East Elmhurst and went to I.S. 145, Newtown High School, and graduated from LaGuardia Community College. She was a member of Mt. Olivet Church where she was an active choir member. She joined the First Baptist Church and became an active member of the church’s trustee ministry. She was also involved in the East Elmhurst Community Board. She was dedicated to the families and seniors in East Elmhurst, ensuring they had food and resources as part of the First Baptist Church food pantry ministry. From organizing and executing back-to-school giveaways and toy and coat drives during the holidays, to serving thousands of families on a weekly basis before and during the height of the pandemic, she was truly dedicated to her community. She also assisted many families financially, helping with bills, rent, food and shopping for their children. She spent hours talking to teenagers and counseling the neighborhood youth who were at risk of heading in the wrong direction. She was very protective of her family, specifically her children and grandchildren. Everyone on 96th Street and the East Elmhurst/Corona community knew Marguerite and was often affectionately called all sorts of nicknames by her loved ones and friends: Margret, Ursel, Big Marg, Gangsta Boo, Boo Thang, Baby Cakes, Ma, “Reet,” Babe, Mama Marguerite, sweet sweet Marguerite, Gramma and the East Elmhurst General. She was steadfast in her commitment and thanks to her dedication, many families had food on the table, coats for the winter, school supplies for their children, and most of all her love showing them that Marguerite had their back, especially throughout one of the worst pandemics of recent times.

Tadeusz Kościuszko (1746-1817) was a war hero from Poland. He fought to obtain freedom for all, whether that be in his home country or abroad. Kościuszko went to a Military Academy for his developmental years and went on to pursue art and engineering education in Paris, France. After receiving his education, he migrated to Philadelphia in 1776. Heavily moved by the Declaration of Independence, he joined the Engineers of the Continental Congress, connecting him with Thomas Jefferson. In 1776, he decided to travel with the Continental Army as a military engineer. During the American Revolution, he assumed leadership and defended Saratoga during the Battle of Saratoga and fortified West Point, NY. When odds were stacked against the U.S., these feats became some of the turning points putting the war on his side. West Point grew to become home of West Point Military Academy in 1802 to train more soldiers for the expanding U.S. army. In 1784 Kościuszko moved back to Poland to help fight for its independence against European Powers. He assisted in the Battle of Raclawice which led to Warsaw and Wilno being liberated. Upon fighting in a revolt, Kościuszko was imprisoned by the Russian Government. After being released in 1796, he returned to America. Old Penny/ Meeker Avenue Bridge was renamed Kościuszko to commemorate the work he put into defending the United States in its early stages.

Raoul Gustav Wallenberg (1912-c. 1947) was a Swedish humanitarian who saved the lives of approximately 100,000 Hungarian Jews threatened by Nazi persecution and execution during World War II. Wallenberg was born on August 4, 1912 to a prominent, wealthy family in Stockholm. He moved to the U.S. to study architecture at the University of Michigan in 1931, and then worked abroad before returning to Sweden in 1936. There he worked for a company owned by a Hungarian Jew, learning Hungarian after that country adopted anti-Jewish policies in 1938 so that he could travel to Budapest in place of his employer. In 1944 a U.S. War Refugee Board representative identified Wallenberg as someone who could lead efforts to rescue Jews in Hungary with assistance from the U.S. Department of State. He used his drafting skills to design counterfeit Swedish passports and distributed them on trains headed toward concentration camps. He purchased homes and painted them the colors of the Swedish flag, becoming neutral sites where Jews found safety. He also stocked warehouses with food for both rations and for bribes for Nazi officers. Wallenberg left Hungary on January 17, 1945 to meet with Soviet commanders about relief plans. He was reported missing soon after. A Soviet counterintelligence agency reportedly brought him to Moscow on suspicion of espionage. The Soviets claimed not to know what had become of him, but in 1957 the government shared documents that said he had died in a Russian prison in 1947 from a heart attack. Though the circumstances of his death remain unclear, it is widely believed that he was executed by the KGB. He was only formally declared dead in 2016. In October 1981, Wallenberg was made an honorary citizen of the United States. That December, City Council Member Arthur Katzman sponsored the bill to name this sitting area after Wallenberg. The site was dedicated in Wallenberg's honor on April 25, 1982. Several other locations are named for Wallenberg across the city, including streets in Brooklyn and the Bronx, a playground in upper Manhattan, and Wallenberg Forest in the Bronx.

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.

Police Officer Edward Byrne (1966-1988) was a rookie officer who was killed in the line of duty on February 26, 1988. Byrne was shot several times in the head and died instantly as he sat in his police car while on assignment protecting a drug case witness at 107th Avenue and Inwood Street in South Jamaica, Queens. The cold-blooded killing, which was apparently a plot to intimidate witnesses from testifying against drug dealers, shocked the consciousness of the city. A year after the murder, four men were convicted and sentenced to the maximum sentences of 25 years to life for the crime. Byrne was single, 22, and living in Massapequa, Long Island, at the time he was murdered. He had joined the police force the previous July, and worked at the 103rd Precinct in Jamaica, Queens.

Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson (1919-1972) will forever be remembered and honored as the first Black player in Major League Baseball. Born in Georgia, he was raised by a single mother along with his four siblings. His early success as a student athlete led him to UCLA, where he became the first athlete to win varsity letters in four sports (baseball, football. basketball and track). After serving in the U.S. Army during World War II, he played for the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro Leagues in 1944 and was selected by Brooklyn Dodgers general manager Branch Rickey as a player who could start the integration of the white major leagues. Robinson was recognized not only for his baseball talents, but because he was thought to have had the right demeanor for the challenges he would ultimately face. Robinson made his National League debut on April 15, 1947, as Brooklyn's first baseman. In spite of the abuse of the crowds and some fellow baseball players, he endured and succeeded in the sport. He won the Rookie of the Year Award that year. Two years later, he was named the National League MVP, when he led the league with a .342 batting average, 37 steals and 124 RBI. A few select players, like Dodgers’ shortstop Pee Wee Reese, were particularly supportive of Robinson in spite of the taunting and jeers and helped him excel. In Robinson’s 10 seasons with the Dodgers, the team won six pennants and ultimately captured the 1955 World Series title. Robinson’s struggles and achievements paved the way for Black players in baseball and other sports. When he retired after the 1956 season, he left the game with a .313 batting average, 972 runs scored, 1,563 hits and 200 stolen bases. After baseball, Robinson operated a chain of restaurants and coffee shops but continued to advocate for social change, serving on the board of the NAACP. He died of a heart attack in 1972. Robinson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame as its first Black player in 1962. On April 15, 1997, 50 years after his major league debut, his uniform number 42 was retired from all teams of Major League Baseball, a unique honor to this day. Ten years later in 2007, April 15 was declared to be Jackie Robinson Day. In Robinson's honor, all major league players, coaches and managers wear the number 42 on that day.

Patrolman Joseph L. Rauchut (1924-1957) was assigned to Motorcycle Precinct 2, now known as Highway 2, when he was killed in the line of duty during a vehicle stop. Born December 14, 1924, Rauchut served with the United States Army during World War II and was a prisoner of war before joining the NYPD on July 1, 1955. He served the 79th Precinct until January 19, 1957, next joining the Motorcycle Precinct On the morning of November 30, 1957, Rauchut pulled over a car at the Brooklyn end of the Kosciusko Bridge. He told the driver to get back into his car, apparently joking that there was no need for them both to be killed while he wrote out the summons. Soon after, a truck hit Rauchut's patrol car, which then struck him. He later died of his injuries at Elmhurst General Hospital. He was survived by his wife, Elizabeth, and their three young children, Joseph Jr., Jeanette, and Richard. Council Member Robert Holden proposed co-naming this street, near the site of the fatal crash, in Rauchut's honor in 2023. A ceremony to dedicate the street was held on December 14, 2024.

Richard Cecere (1943-2007) was born and raised in Jackson Heights and was a Community Board 3 chairman and civic activist. A few of Cecere’s projects with the community board were geographic information mapping of the ethnicities in the area, research on small immigrant businesses, and studying the effects bringing the 2012 Olympics to New York would have had on Queens. He was known for his forward-thinking, progressive nature. In addition to his work with CB3, Cecere served as President of the Jackson Heights Kiwanis Club, President of the John F. Kennedy Democratic Club, and was an active member of the New Visions Democratic Club, the Newtown Senior Center in Elmhurst, and the United Community Civic Association. Cecere was known for his love of doo-wop and once hosted a radio show dedicated to it.

Shri Guru Ravidass was a great Indian thinker, reformist, traveler, spiritual leader, and mystic poet-saint of the Bhakti movement in Hinduism, which emphasized love and devotion to god and preached against the caste system. Active during the 15th or 16th century CE, he attained recognition as a most learned Guru and was venerated as a teacher in the regions of Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh. The devotional songs of Ravidass have had a lasting impact on the Bhakti movement, and 41 poems attributed to him were included in the Adi Granth, the sacred scripture of Sikhism. A great social reformer, he fought the caste system in India with great courage when the system was at its peak, and upper caste kings became his followers. He was born in Banaras, Uttar Pradesh in the Chamar caste. The Chamars are a Dalit (formerly "untouchable") caste group numerically prevalent across North India, and traditionally associated with leatherwork and animal carcass disposal, connoting ritual impurity according to the Hindu religious system of caste hierarchy. In the face of enduring discrimination by wider Indian society, a sense of collective identity and solidarity remains strong amongst Chamars. The Ravidassi movement promised a collective religious identity for Chamars outside the existing socio-religious order, and Ravidas’s teachings focused on equality, social justice, and the unity of all humanity. Centered around the Punjabi city of Jalandhar, this movement has seen temples constructed across North India, including in the sacred Hindu city of Varanasi. Through these temples, religious leaders and reformers have promoted a separatist religious identity for Ravidassia, or those who follow the spiritual teachings of Guru Ravidas, one that rejects the ritually impure status afforded to Chamars as leatherworkers by Hindu cosmology. The Shri Guru Ravidass Temple was established in Woodside in 1987. It is the only known Ravidassia temple in New York City and the East Coast as a whole. On September 15, 2024, in a dedication ceremony held just outside the Temple, the intersection of 61st Street and Broadway was officially co-named Shri Guru Ravidass Marg in honor of the great poet and social reformer. The event was presided over by New York City Councilmember Shekar Krishnan, the first Indian-American ever elected to the New York City Council.

Stanislaw Kozikowski (1895-1967) fought in the United States Army during WWII and was awarded the Army’s Distinguished Service Cross. The citation read: “The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Stanislaw Kozikowski, Private, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action near Binarville, France, October 2–7, 1918. During the time when his company was isolated in the Argonne Forest and cut off from communication with friendly troops, Private Kozikowski, together with another soldier, volunteered to carry a message through the German lines, although he was aware that several unsuccessful attempts had been previously made by patrols and members of which were either killed, wounded or driven back. By his courage and determination, he succeeded in delivering the message and brought relief to his battalion.” After his discharge from the Army, he continued to serve his country working a job at the Brooklyn Navy Yard for over 30 years, mostly in Shop 31, which is today the home of New Lab.

Louis Armstrong (1901-1971) is widely regarded as one of the most innovative and influential figures in jazz, known for both his trumpet improvisations and his distinctive singing voice. He also broke down numerous racial divides in the music and entertainment worlds, becoming the first Black performer to get featured billing in a major Hollywood film ("Pennies From Heaven," 1936) and the first Black host of a national radio show (Fleischmann's Yeast Show, 1937). Born in New Orleans in 1901, Armstrong grew up impoverished in a racially segregated city. He dropped out of school in fifth grade to work, and developed a close relationship with a local Jewish family that gave him odd jobs and nurtured his love of music. By the age of 11, Armstrong wound up in the Colored Waif’s Home for Boys, where he joined the band and studied the cornet in earnest. Upon his release from the home in 1914, he began working as a musician on Mississippi riverboats and other local venues. His reputation skyrocketed, and by the early 1920s he moved north, performing and recording with jazz bands in Chicago and New York. Throughout the 1920s and '30s, Armstrong made dozens of records with his own and many other ensembles, toured extensively, and began performing in Broadway productions and movies. After some business and health setbacks, and in response to changing musical tastes, Armstrong scaled his group down to a six-piece combo in the 1940s and resumed touring internationally, recording albums and appearing in movies. Some of his biggest popular hits came in the later years of his career, including "Hello Dolly" (1964) and "What A Wonderful World" (1967). His grueling schedule took its toll on his heart and kidneys and in 1968 he was forced to take time off to recuperate, but he began performing again in 1970. Armstrong died in his sleep in July 1971, just a few months after his final engagement at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York. This honorary street naming identifies this block of 107th Street as the location of the Louis Armstrong House Museum, formerly the home of Armstrong and his fourth wife, Lucille Wilson. After Lucille’s passing in 1983, she willed the home and its contents to the city of New York, which designated the City University of New York, Queens College to administer it. The house was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1976 and a New York City Landmark in 1988. The archives became accessible in the 1990s, and the historic house opened for public tours in 2003. It also now serves as a venue for concerts and educational programs.

Arthur Robert Ashe, Jr. (1943-1993) was born in Richmond, Virginia, and began playing tennis at the age of 10. In 1966 he graduated from the University of California at Los Angeles, where he won the United States Intercollegiate Singles Championship and led his team to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championship. At the 1968 U.S. Open, Ashe defeated several competitors to win the men’s singles title. By 1975, he was ranked the number-one tennis player in the U.S. After this string of athletic successes, he began suffering heart problems. Retiring from the sport, he underwent heart surgery in 1979 and again in 1983. During one of his hospital stays, Ashe was likely given an HIV-tainted blood transfusion and he soon contracted AIDS. Despite his illness, he remained involved in public life. His participation in many youth activities, such as the National Junior Tennis League and the ABC Cities Tennis Program, and his role in protests against South African apartheid earned Ashe recognition as 1992 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year, long after his athletic career had ended. He died of pneumonia in New York at age 49.

This walking tour explores some of the buildings and other features on the Queens College campus that are named for individuals connected with the college.

Michael Brennan (1973-2001), a New York City Firefighter, was a lifelong resident of the Sunnyside section of Queens. From a young age Michael wanted to be a firefighter, and he joined the NYPD are age 21. He was assigned to Ladder Company No. 4 in Manhattan. On September 11th Michael Brennan answered the call to the World Trade Center and perished in the collapse of the twin towers. He was survived by his loving parents‚ stepparents‚ 4 sisters‚ and 4 brothers.

Arthur Robert Ashe, Jr. (1943-1993) was born in Richmond, Virginia, and began playing tennis at the age of 10. In 1966, he graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he won the United States Intercollegiate Singles Championship and led his team to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championship. In 1968, Ashe made history by winning the men’s singles title at the U.S. Open. He was the first Black player selected for the United States Davis Cup team and remains the only Black man to have won singles titles at Wimbledon, the US Open, and the Australian Open. By 1975, Ashe was ranked as the number-one tennis player in the U.S. After a series of athletic triumphs, Ashe began to experience heart problems. He retired from tennis and underwent heart surgery in 1979 and again in 1983. During one of his hospital stays, Ashe likely received an HIV-tainted blood transfusion, which led to his contraction of AIDS. Despite his illness, he remained active in public life, participating in youth initiatives such as the National Junior Tennis League and the ABC Cities Tennis Program. Ashe also became a vocal critic of South African apartheid, which contributed to his being named the 1992 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year. He passed away from pneumonia in New York at the age of 49.

Dr. Marcelo Arboleda Segovia (1946–2023) was an influential Ecuadorian community leader, as well as the founder and director of the weekly newspaper Ecuador News, based in Jackson Heights (which remains active). Prior to this, he worked as a reporter for Noticias del Mundo. Arboleda was born in Quito, where he studied at the renowned Benalcázar School for high school and went on to graduate in Sociology at the University of Moscow. He later served as the Civil Attaché at the Ecuadorian Embassy in Moscow and subsequently became the Head of Mission at the Ecuadorian Embassy in Belarus. His connection with New York, according to a tribute article written by colleague Néstor Espinoza in Ecuador News, comes directly from his mother, who made a name for herself in the city as an activist before returning to Ecuador. Among her many contributions, she organized high-profile events, including hosting a visit from future Ecuadorian President León Febres-Cordero before his rise to power. Arboleda was deeply engaged with the Ecuadorian community and regularly attended key cultural and political events. It was common to see him in long conversations with ambassadors, ministers, legislators, and even presidents. His was known for his impeccable style, and “always looked flawless,” according to colleagues. A passionate reader with a keen interest in global news, Arboleda worked tirelessly, often around the clock, to produce Ecuador News, which he personally distributed alongside his wife, Carmen. Dr. Arboleda passed away on May 12, 2023, and is survived by his wife Carmen Barrera, children Anthony, Josiane, Marcelita and Kenny, and grandchildren Tristen and Aden. Carmen has since taken on the role of General Director of Ecuador News, carrying forward the legacy her husband began and nurtured.

Sharon Christa McAuliffe (1948-1986) was born in Boston and earned a degree in history from Framingham University in 1970. Later that year, McAuliffe married her high school sweetheart and moved to Maryland, where she began her teaching career. McAuliffe taught American history, civics and economics, and earned an MA in education administration at Bowie State University before her family moved to Concord, N.H., in 1978. There, she continued to teach junior high and high school social studies. In 1984, she became one of more than 11,000 educators who applied to be part of NASA’s new “Teacher in Space Project.” On July 1, 1985, after a rigorous application process, it was announced that McAuliffe had been selected. During the next six months, McAuliffe trained for the space mission and prepared school lessons that would be aired from space. On January 28, 1986, McAuliffe joined six other astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger, which launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Shortly after launching, the Challenger\_ \_malfunctioned, and everyone on board was killed in the explosion. In 2004, McAuliffe and the 13 astronauts who died during the Challenger and Columbia tragedies were posthumously awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.

Dr. Lloyd T. Delany (ca. 1923-1969) was associate professor of educational psychology at Queens College. In February 1969, he was named interim director of the college's SEEK (Search for Education, Elevation, and Knowledge) Program after its previous director, Joseph Mulholland, resigned. Students in the program, who were almost exclusively Black and Puerto Rican, protested the fact that its teaching and administrative staff were almost entirely white, and demanded greater autonomy over the curriculum and operations of the program. They engaged in large, on-campus demonstrations that closed the college for two days. In June 1969 Delany was named SEEK's director of counseling, but he tragically died of a heart attack only several months into that position. Delany was also active in civil rights causes outside of Queens College, having been a leading figure in the fight to integrate the Malverne public schools on Long Island. Delany Hall was built in 1925 and was known as the "D" Building until it was renamed in Delany's honor in 1993, following extensive renovations. It is currently the home of the college's SEEK and Africana Studies Programs.

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.

Lt. Col. Haldane King (1921-2013) was a Tuskegee Airman who served in WWII. Born in Brooklyn, he was the sixth of seven children of Charles and Estelle (Stansberry) King. King earned a basketball scholarship to Long Island University, where he played on championship teams under Coach Clair Bee. In early 1942, he volunteered for military service in World War II and entered pilot training in Tuskegee, Alabama. He became part of the first class (43J) of African-American bomber pilots in the Army Air Corps. Trained at Tuskegee in 1943, King flew U.S. planes over Europe and North Africa. He recalled that military service presented significant obstacles for Black men. "The whole idea at the time was that you weren’t qualified to be an officer of the United States Air Force," King stated. "You were a Tuskegee Airman, which didn’t mean anything to them. You couldn’t get into the officers’ club." While white officers enjoyed refreshments between flights, King had to remain in his plane or bring his own food. After the war, King returned to New York and became one of the first African Americans to join the New York Fire Department. In 1950, he was recalled into the newly integrated Air Force and served in Germany as part of the Army of Occupation following WWII. His military career then took him and his family to Maine, Germany, California, and eventually the Pentagon, where he retired from active service. He later moved to Elizabeth City, North Carolina, and frequently shared his military experiences at local schools and community events.

This obelisk also honors those who died in World War I. It was erected by the members of the Oxford Civic Association, Inc. and friends of the “Boys who made the Supreme Sacrifice” in The Great War 1917 – 1918, erected in 1929. The names on the Plaques: George J. Wellbrock Thomas Hurley James G. Gaffney Lawrence F. Condon Herman Selner Valentine E. Gross

Paul A. Vallone (1967-2024) was an attorney and civic leader whose political career in the service of northeastern Queens and New York City was cut short when he died of a heart attack on January 28, 2024, at the age of 56. Part of a noted Queens political family, Vallone served as City Council member for District 19 from 2014 to 2021, and then as deputy commissioner of external affairs for the New York City Department of Veterans' Services from 2022 to 2024. His grandfather, Charles J. Vallone, was a judge in Queens County Civil Court. Both his father, Peter Vallone Sr., and his brother, Peter Vallone Jr., represented Astoria on the City Council, from 1974 to 2001 and 2002 to 2013 respectively, making for a 47-year run of City Council service by the Vallone family. Born on June 2, 1967, and raised in Astoria, Vallone attended high school at St. John's Preparatory School, graduated from Fordham University, and received his law degree from St. John's University. He was admitted to the New York and New Jersey Bar Associations in 1992. Prior to his political career, he was a managing partner at his family’s general practice law firm, Vallone and Vallone LLD, which was founded in 1932 by his grandfather. Vallone moved from Astoria to northeast Queens and, failing in a bid for City Council office in 2009, he followed in his family’s footsteps in 2014 when he won the District 19 seat. He was known as an advocate and champion for the Queens communities he served. During his tenure, he sponsored 800 pieces of legislation — 128 of which he was the first primary sponsor — and was credited with fundraising nearly $40 million in funding for his district. He was at the forefront of adopting participatory budgeting, which allows constituents the opportunity to vote for and prioritize the capital projects they want funded by their councilmember’s office. As Vallone shared with the Queens Daily Eagle in 2021, “It was a beautiful way to create community involvement in your own tax dollars.” Vallone was dedicated to supporting students and seniors in his district. While on the council, he helped expand school capacity by 4,500 seats and reinstated the New York City Council Merit Scholarship, known as the Peter F. Vallone Academic Scholarship, awarding high school graduates up to $350 per semester. He also helped to launch a free transit service for northeast Queens seniors. In addition, he spearheaded a project that brought $3.6 million in improvements to Flushing’s Bowne Park. The work was completed in the spring of 2023 and included upgrades to the playground, pond, plaza, and bocce court. In recognition of Vallone’s dedication to improving schools for his district, a 627-seat addition to P.S. 169 Bay Terrace School and Bell Academy in Bay Terrace was named in his honor. Located at 18-25 212th Street, the Paul Vallone Community Campus officially opened at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on October 17, 2024. The site serves students from kindergarten through eighth grade and includes 16 classrooms, five kindergarten rooms, and three special education rooms. As a strong advocate for veterans, Vallone voted as a city council member in favor of a measure that established the New York City Department of Veterans' Services in 2016, making it the first City agency in the country dedicated to serving veterans and their families. After his tenure on the city council ended due to term limits in 2021, Vallone lost a bid for a Civil Court seat in eastern Queens. But he continued his public service in 2022, when Mayor Eric Adams appointed him as deputy commissioner of external affairs for the new Department of Veterans' Services. Vallone held that role until his death in 2024. In addition to his government work, Vallone was active in his Flushing community as a soccer coach for St. Andrew Avellino Catholic Academy, winning two championships for the school, and also coaching his two daughters, Lea and Catena, and his son Charlie (Charles J. Vallone III). Vallone was survived by his wife, Anna-Marie, and three children. Two other city locations are named in Vallone’s honor. They include Paul A. Vallone Way, at the intersection of 157th Street and 32nd Avenue in Flushing, and the Paul A. Vallone Queens Animal Care Center, located at 1906 Flushing Avenue in Ridgewood.

Lewis Mumford (1895 - 1990) was a literary critic, historian, sociologist, philosopher of technology and city planner, who was an expert on urban architecture and cities. Mumford was an original homeowner in Sunnyside Gardens, where he lived with his wife, Sophia, and their two children from 1927 to 1936, at 40-02 44th Street. Mumford was born in Flushing and graduated from Stuyvesant High School in 1912. He studied at the City College of New York and The New School for Social Research. Showing his early interest in utopianism, he wrote his first book at the age of 27, entitled, The Story of Utopias, where he argued that utopian literature could provide useful ideas for the present. Mumford had a broad career as a writer whose literary output consisted of over 20 books and thousands of articles and reviews. He was also the long-time architecture critic at The New Yorker magazine. In 1962, his book, The City in History, won the national book award for nonfiction. Mumford was arguably the most read and influential urbanist of the mid-20th century.

William Wordsworth (1770-1850) was born in Cockermouth, Cumberland, in the Lake District of England. He was one of the founders of English Romanticism and one its most central figures and important intellects. Wordsworth's collaboration with Samuel Taylor Coleridge led to one of the most famous collections of poetry, entitled "Lyrical Ballads." Wordsworth was Britain's poet laureate from 1843 until his death in 1850. He is remembered as a poet of spiritual and epistemological speculation, being deeply concerned with the human relationship to nature and for his fierce advocacy of using the vocabulary and speech patterns of common people in poetry.

The Remsen Family Cemetery is on a triangular plot of land that was once part of the Remsen family farm, which was established after the family immigrated from Germany in the 17th century. Among those buried here are members of the family who fought in the Revolutionary War. Rem Jansen Van Der Beek came to America from northern Germany in the mid-1600s. His sons, who adopted the name Remsen, settled around Brooklyn and Queens. His son Abraham Remsen settled in the area that is now Forest Hills, but at the time was known as Hempstead Swamp in the Town of Newtown. Abraham's son Jeromus lived on the family farm, and then had his son, also named Jermous, who was born on November 22, 1735. The younger Jeromus is one of the most notable Remsens, having served in the French and Indian and Revolutionary Wars and being active in politics. He was part of a minority in Queens who was outspoken against the king after the colonies declared independence. Active in Whig politics, he was appointed to a committee to see that the measures of the Continental Congress of 1774 were followed within Newtown. His previous army experience and politics made him a clear choice to lead a regiment of militia soldiers as a colonel, which he gathered during the summer of 1776 as British troops were gathering 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, Jeromus fled to New Jersey for safety, where he remained until after the war. He returned to his farm, where he later died on June 22, 1790. P.S. 144Q is named in his honor. The Remsens used this cemetery as a family burial ground from what's thought to be the mid-18th through the 19th centuries. Eight Remsen family gravemarkers were found during a survey in 1925, which were dated between 1790 and 1819. The oldest is that of Jeromus. His cousins Abraham, Luke, and Aurt were also Revolutionary War officers. The Remsen farmlands were sold off by 1925. Most of the gravemarkers disappeared over time, some the victims of vandalism. Over the years, several local groups, including the American Legion, helped maintain the cemetery. In 1980 the Veterans Administration put in new marble gravemarkers to honor Jeromus and the other veterans buried there. The cemetery was given New York City Landmark status in 1981.

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.

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Francisco "Frank" Munoz (1972-2011) was a 29-year-old IT consultant working in the World Trade Center when the towers collapsed. He was one of 358 employees of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. killed during the attacks. Munoz was the son of Dominican and Colombian immigrants. On October 30, 2011, the corner of 111th Street and Roosevelt Avenue in Corona was co-named Francisco Munoz Way in his honor. Father Juan Ruiz, a priest at Our Lady of Sorrows where Munoz attended elementary school, gave the invocation and benediction at the ceremony. State Assemblyman Francisco Moya (D-Corona) said the street renaming ensures Munoz will not be forgotten. "He will live every day because he will be remembered for the wonderful things he did and the love that he brought to his family, his friends, and his neighbors," Moya said.

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.

Teddy White was born on July 25, 1971 to Edward and Regina White, in Boulevard Gardens in Woodside, Queens. His family grew to include brothers Jimmy, Chris and Billy, and a sister, Sue. Teddy attended kindergarten at Public School 151 and then went to the Corpus Christi School for eight years. After grammar school he continued at Monsignor McClancy High School from which he graduated in 1989. On April 18, 1998 Teddy White married his lovely wife Jennifer, and a daughter, Taylor, was born to the couple on December 16, 1999. The young family bought an apartment at Boulevard Gardens and settled there. Mr. White joined the New York City Fire Department and was assigned to Engine Company 230 in Brooklyn. On September 11, 2001 Teddy White and the members of Engine Company 230 responded to the emergency brought on by the attacks on the World Trade Center. Mr. White died while attempting to save lives when the twin towers collapsed. He was survived by his wife, Jennifer, his daughter, Taylor, his parents, Edward and Regina, and four siblings.

William Hallett (1616 – 1706), an early English colonizer in America, was born in 1616 in Dorsetshire, England. Hallett's arrival in America is not definitively documented, but by 1647 in Connecticut, he married his second wife, Elizabeth Fones Winthrop Feake Hallett. Elizabeth was the niece of John Winthrop, the first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Her first husband died by drowning, and she divorced her second husband due to mental illness. When Elizabeth married William while pregnant with their first child, it caused a scandal in the Puritan colony. The Puritan church didn't recognize mental illness as grounds for divorce, and the townspeople of Connecticut, upon learning they were considered "living in sin," demanded Elizabeth be hanged. John Winthrop Jr., Elizabeth's uncle and the governor of Connecticut, intervened. He struck a deal with Peter Stuyvesant, allowing the Halletts to flee to New Amsterdam. Under the cover of darkness, Elizabeth left behind all her property, and they sailed to Hell Gate in Newtown, present-day Hallets Cove. Stuyvesant appointed Hallett Sheriff of Flushing around 1650. However, he later imprisoned Hallett for hosting an Episcopalian minister. Hallett was eventually forgiven. In 1652, William Hallett purchased 160 acres of land, which became known as Hallett's Cove. Twelve years later, his holdings expanded to include all of present-day Astoria, encompassing roughly 2,200 acres. The area remained largely rural and used as a ship landing until 1839 when fur merchant Stephen A. Halsey officially founded Hallets Cove. A steamboat and ferry line were then established, connecting the area to 86th Street in Manhattan. The original farmhouse at Hallett's Cove was burned down by indigenous people, forcing the Hallett family to flee to Flushing. Despite this setback, they persevered and built a life in the new world, becoming part of early American history. Elizabeth's actions in Connecticut helped establish women's property rights, while William's banishment and reinstatement played a role in setting the stage for future protests like the Flushing Remonstrance. The couple eventually left the Anglican church and converted to Quakerism. William Hallett died in April 1706 in the area now known as Hallets Cove in Newtown, Queens, New York Colony, British Colonial America. A fictionalized account of their marriage appears in the book The Winthrop Woman by Anya Seton.

Ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Wilson Rantus Rock, October 27, 2022.

Bruce Sapienza (d. 2007) served as a senior vice president at Maspeth Federal Savings. He was also a civic leader, serving as president, director and treasurer of the Maspeth Chamber of Commerce, chairman and division marshal of the Maspeth Memorial Day Parade and was responsible for the Maspeth Street Fair.

Ann Buehler (1916 – 2010), began as a volunteer fundraiser in 1952 at the Boys Club, later known as the Variety Boys and Girls Club; eventually it became her career, and she became the first female executive director of the Variety Boys and Girls Club where she served for 30 years and was affiliated with for more than 50 years. She worked as the Civil Service Commissioner under Mayors Koch and Beame and was president of the Astoria Women’s Club, member of the Ravenswood Lions Club, Astoria Civic Association, United Community Civic Association, Astoria Historical Society and board member of Central Astoria Local Development. She received a citation from President Truman for volunteer work during World War II and also volunteered for the Red Cross and Greater NY Fund and received many citations from the 114th Police Precinct. She was also responsible for obtaining many college scholarships for Variety Boys and Girls Club members.

Robert Sorrentino (1944 - 1980), was a police officer with the 101st precinct the the Rockaways. he was killed in the line of duty on April 24, 1980.

Edward Fisher (1904-1970) was an active member of his East Elmhurst community. He is remembered for his dedicated leadership in numerous local initiatives, including working to improve public education, fighting for alternative parking in his neighborhood, and playing a key role in halting the proposed Highway 678 project, which would have uprooted residents and profoundly changed the character of the community. He is perhaps most notably remembered for his instrumental role in the creation of the community pool in East Elmhurst named in his honor. Fisher was born in Byronville, Georgia, and lived for a time on West 121st Street in Harlem with his wife, Carmilla. He moved to East Elmhurst in 1945, where he lived for a period at 32-50 95th Street with Carmilla and his mother, Addie, and his mother-in-law, Marie Cantey. In addition to working as a truck driver for Solomon Brothers, he also drove for a trucking company in the 1940s and for a chain of grocery stores in the 1950s. Fisher held numerous leadership roles, reflecting his commitment to civic and spiritual life. He served his community as president of the 16 Square Block Civic Association of East Elmhurst and was a member of Community Board 3. In 1969, he served as the East Elmhurst/Corona chairman for the Independent Citizens Committee for the Reelection of Mayor Lindsay and was a member of the Mayor’s Urban Action Task Force and the Coordinating Council of East Elmhurst. He was also engaged with the Jamaica chapter of the Keystone Lodge of Masons. For the East Elmhurst Church, he offered service as president of the Ushers Board, vice-chair of the board of trustees, and as a deacon. Fisher also championed the naming of a park in East Elmhurst for William E. Gray, a soldier who was severely wounded in combat in Gia Dinh, South Vietnam, in February 1967 and who died from his injuries soon after. A neighbor, friend, and mentor to Gray, Fisher spearheaded the effort to name the park after Private Gray. Mayor John V. Lindsay and Parks Commissioner August Heckscher attended the dedication ceremony for the Private William Gray Playground in the summer of 1968. In January 1970, the City acquired the property for the pool in response to lobbying efforts that were led by Fisher. Located on 32nd Avenue between 99th and 100th Streets, Fisher Pool is in the heart of the East Elmhurst community where Fisher lived and served.

Officer John Scarangella (1940-1981) was one of five children born in Brooklyn to Italian immigrants. A graduate of the adjacent Lafayette High School, Scarangella was an avid participant in Police Athletic League programs as a child. In 1969, he joined the New York City Police Department, as did three of his siblings. He served in the 60th, 67th, and 113th Precincts and was awarded two commendations, two Meritorious Police Duty Citations and five Excellent Police Duty Awards. Officer Scarangella was shot on May 1, 1981 when he and his partner stopped a van sought in connection with several burglaries. He died two weeks later. The suspects were later caught, convicted of murder, and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. Both died in prison.

Frank Toomey was a community leader in Middle Village, perhaps best known for helping open the walkway that now bears his name. Frank and his wife Rosemarie were among the first to buy one of the attached, two-family homes that were built on 75th Street between Caldwell and Eliot Avenues in 1961. At the time, Juniper Valley Park was a swamp, and there was a small farm at the north end of the block that had horses, chickens, and goats. When the area was developed, builders included a narrow walkway leading to 74th Street, with a path to Eliot branching off between what was a gas station and the railroad property that runs along 75th Street there. Frank's sons, Paul and Gary, and their friends on the block used this path to walk to Our Lady of Hope Grammar School, and to run errands for their families. Frank would use the path to catch the bus on Eliot on his way to work. Then the gas station decided to seal off the walkway, citing safety–and litigious–concerns, understandably. Frank, whose friends called him "Buddy," stepped in. Though not much for civic participation previously, he found this issue compelling, and wanted to find a solution. He helped form the 75th Street Block Association to address the issue, serving as its secretary. Navigating local politics, dealing with the railway company, and coming up against one impassioned opposing neighbor who didn't want a new walkway right in front of his home, the Block Association eventually struck a compromise and got a lease to a portion of the railway's property (away from that opposing neighbor's home), promising to insure and maintain it. After 10 months of civic education, on Halloween Day, 1998, Frank joined about 50-100 of his neighbors, some dressed in costume, to celebrate the 150-foot walkway opening. Our Lady of Hope's Monsignor Sivillo Pastor, a friend of Frank's, stopped by to bless the walkway even though he was running late to a wedding. This path led to more than just Eliot Avenue. It helped neighbors connect, and those relationships continued to grow. The Block Association held an annual hot dog block party, complete with rides and recipe exchanges. Frank had also started a neighborhood newsletter, initially to share information about the walkway, but later to discuss news about neighbors. Frank passed away at the age of 83. The 75th Street Block Association unveiled the co-named street sign in September 2010.

Rufus King (1755-1827) was a distinguished lawyer, statesman and gentleman farmer. The son of a wealthy lumber merchant from Maine, King graduated from Harvard in 1777, served in the Revolutionary War in 1778, and was admitted to the bar in Massachusetts in 1780. He was a member of the Confederation Congress from 1784 to 1787, where he introduced a plan that prevented the spread of slavery into the Northwest Territories. King was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention in 1787, and made his most famous contribution to American history as a framer and signer of the U.S. Constitution. After his marriage to Mary Alsop in 1786, King relocated to New York and was appointed to the first U.S. Senate, serving from 1789 to 1796 and again from 1813 to 1825. An outspoken opponent of slavery, he led the Senate debates in 1819 and 1820 against the admission of Missouri as a slave state. King served as Minister Plenipotentiary to Great Britain from 1796 to 1803 and again from 1825 to 1826. In 1816 he was the last Federalist to run for the presidency, losing the election to James Monroe. In 1805, King purchased a farmhouse and 90-acre farm in Jamaica for $12,000. He planted orchards, fields and some of the stately oak trees that still survive near the house in the park. By the time of his death in 1827, the estate had grown to 122 acres. Cornelia King, granddaughter of Rufus, was the last family member to occupy the house. After her death in 1896, the house and the remaining 11 acres were bought by the Village of Jamaica for $50,000. The village was absorbed into City of New York in 1898, and the property came under the jurisdiction of the Parks Department.

Detective Randolph Holder (d. 2015) came from a family of Guyanese immigrants who all served as police officers and settled in Rockaway, Queens. Holder had served with the New York City Police Department for five years and was assigned to Police Service Area 5. He and his partner were on patrol in East Harlem when they responded to a call of shots fired. The officers canvassed the area for the suspect and located him approximately 18 blocks away, near a footbridge over Franklin D. Roosevelt Drive at 120th Street. A gun battle ensued, and Officer Holder was struck in the exchange of gunfire and was killed in the line of duty on October 20, 2015. He was 33 years old. The suspect, who had been wounded in the exchange of gunfire, was located several blocks away by responding officers and taken into custody.

Samuel J. LeFrak (1918-2003) was born on February 12, 1918 in Manhattan to Harry and Sarah Schwartz Lefrak. His grandfather had founded a construction company called the LeFrak Organization in France in 1883 which he then brought to the United States. Samuel grew up with his father and grandfather running the family business and he took it over after graduating from the University of Maryland. Noticing a need for more affordable housing in the city after World War II, he dedicated his life and his business to creating that housing in New York City. Under Samuel’s leadership, the LeFrak Organization specialized in building six-story apartment buildings featuring two-bedroom and two-bathroom apartments. He used what he called the “Four S Principles” when designing and building: Safe, Shopping, Schools, and Subways. During his lifetime his company built over 150,000 rental units in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and New Jersey. He received honorary doctorates from the Pratt Institute, New York Law School, Colgate University, Michigan State University, Queens College, St. John’s University and the University of Maryland. He ventured into supporting music and other artistic ventures saying, ““Music is my life and this is where I get my fulfillment. Samuel passed away in 2003. His most iconic venture, LeFrak City serves as a reminder that building affordable housing is possible when developers are dedicated and willing.

John Watusi Branch (1943 – 2013) was the co-founder of the Afrikan Poetry Theater in Jamaica, Queens. Branch, known as “Baba,” meaning “father,” co-founded the Afrikan Poetry Theater Ensemble, the progenitor to the theater, with Yusef Waliyayain in 1976, bringing together poets and musicians performing jazz, funk, and African rhythms. The Afrikan Poetry Theater was incorporated as a nonprofit in 1977 and expanded to offer cultural and educational tours to West Africa and developed a summer youth employment program. He was a well-known figure in the pan-African movement to establish independence for African nations and unify black people across the world. He was a published poet and author of several titles, including “A Story of Kwanza: Black/Afrikan Holy Days” and “Journey to the Motherland.”

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.

Lucia Crifasi (1950-2001) worked for American Express at the World Trade Center. She was killed in the terrorist attack of September, 11 2001.

John J. Florio (1967 – 2001) was killed during fire and rescue operations at the World Trade Center following the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001. Florio grew up in Middle Village, Queens and graduated from St. Francis Preparatory High School in Fresh Meadows in 1985. He attended Nassau Community College before joining the FDNY and worked at a fire company in Queens before he was transferred permanently to Engine 214, Ladder 111 in Brooklyn. An athletic person‚ Florio pumped iron and he played halfback on the FDNY football team. The father of two coached his son’s Little League team and his football team in Oceanside where he had moved with his wife. Florio was huge fan of the band Metallica‚ Florio corresponded with the group’s lead singer‚ James Hetfield, and an emotional letter from the rocker was read at Florio’s funeral.

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.

From 1968 to 1998, Lynn Gross (d. 1998) was a dedicated advocate for students and parents within the PS 175 community and throughout Queens. Gross served as the Parents Association President of PS 157 and the president of the Presidents Council of District 28. In 1980, she was elected to the Community School District 28 Board of Education. As a first-time candidate, she emphasized the need for equitable spending with limited resources. District 28 covered an area from Rego Park to Forest Hills and south to Jamaica. By the late 1980s, Black parents voiced concerns about unequal representation and insufficient attention to issues in schools in the district's southern region. Consequently, efforts were made to diversify the board's composition. In 1993, Shirley Huntley, a longtime active parent leader, ran for the board, asserting that it had failed students in her part of the district; she won. That same year, incumbent board member and former vice president Claudette Gumbs made history as its first Black president. Racial tensions within the district escalated in 1996 when a white school librarian at PS 80 in South Jamaica allegedly used a racial slur towards a student. Following heated public meetings where Black parents and community members demanded the librarian's dismissal, the board voted to retain her. The dissenting votes all came from the Black board members. Gross and others who voted to keep the librarian expressed disbelief that she had made the remark. This case significantly strained the long-standing friendship and political alliance between Gross and Huntley. A year later, Schools Chancellor Rudy Crew removed Gross from the board, citing her failure to adhere to new regulations in the hiring process for a new superintendent. Local residents suspected this was retaliation for the librarian incident, as Crew had urged the board to terminate her employment. Huntley, however, maintained that all board members had been informed of the new hiring rules and that Gross had violated them. Despite an initial appeal, the Board of Education upheld her dismissal. She was granted a second appeal opportunity in the spring of 1998. Gross passed away in December 1998. An obituary from Community School Board 28 lauded her "intelligent and caring leadership, grace, and drive." PS 175, formerly known as the Annandale Park School, was renamed The Lynn Gross Discovery School in 2000. Joseph Seluga, a former PS 175 Principal, explained that he added "Discovery" to the name because he and Gross had encouraged students to delve deeply into the social sciences.