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. Armstrong and his fourth wife, Lucille Wilson, purchased their home in Corona in 1943, shortly after they were married, and lived there for the remainder of their lives. P.S. 143 is located approximately half a mile from their home, which is now the Louis Armstrong House Museum, offering public tours, concerts and educational programs.

David Franklin Bluford (1932-2020) served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, and earned an honorable discharge. Upon completing his undergraduate studies at Fayetteville State University in North Carolina, he earned a Masters of Arts from CUNY Hunter College, as well as certifications for Advanced Study in Education at Columbia University and St. John’s University. He later served as an Assistant Superintendent and Junior High School Principal in East Harlem’s Community School District 4, and a middle school teacher in Brooklyn’s Community School District 23. His history as an administrator included stints as director of the Upward Bound college preparatory program at CUNY Queens College, and adjunct professor of educational administration at CUNY Brooklyn College and St. John’s University.  Locally, he served on the Board of Directors of the Queens Urban League, and as Chairman of the Alpha Phi Alpha Senior Center and Community School Board 29 in Southeast Queens. His personal affiliations also include the Jamaica NAACP branch, Freemasons, and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. He received many awards, such as Outstanding Educator, Jamaica Branch of the NAACP, the Jackie Robinson Junior High School Man of the Year Award, The Distinguished Citizens Service Award and the Community Service Award. Renee Noelyn Bluford (1937-2021) was born in Brooklyn, New York. She graduated from PS167 Elementary School and Erasmus Hall High School iand received a Bachelor of Science Degree from Baruch College (CUNY). Renee worked as an Information Technology Senior Purchasing Manager for New York City under the Koch Administration ane eventually closed out her career as the owner of the first successful Allstate Insurance Agency in Southeast Queens. Her career with Allstate spanned 30 years. and she received the “Concerned Citizen Award” for invigorating economic development in Southeast Queens.  Renee has been honored as the recipient the “Concerned Citizen Award” for invigorating economic development in Southeast Queens. We was awarded of numerous other awards from Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Jamaica Service Program for Older Adults, Greater Queens Chapter of the Links, NAACP, New York State Association of Black and Puerto Rican Legislators and many other local, state, and community organizations. Renee’s philosophy was “If I can help somebody my living would not be in vain.”

Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890-1969) was the 34th President of the United States, serving two terms from 1953-1961. Before serving as president he had a long military career including commanding the Allied Forces landing in North Africa in November 1942. In addition, he served as Supreme Commander of the troops invading France on D-Day, 1944. After the war, Eisenhower served as the President of Columbia University and in 1951 as the Supreme Commander of the newly assembled NATO forces. He ran for and won the Presidency in 1952, using the slogan “I like Ike”. As President he worked to reduce the strains of the Cold War, signing the Korean Truce in 1953. The death of Stalin in 1953 also allowed him to establish better relations with the Soviet Union. Domestically, Eisenhower was considered a moderate Republican and continued many of the New Deal and Fair Deal programs. He advocated for Civil Rights, sending troops to Little Rock, Arkansas to assure compliance with the orders of a Federal court to desegregate the schools. He also ordered the complete desegregation of the Armed Forces. He Mamie Geneva Doud in 1916.

Don McCallian (1934-2019) was a Sunnyside civic leader. He was a member of Community Board 2, vice president of the NYPD 108th Precinct Community Council and former president of the United Forties Civic Association. He was also a member of numerous clubs such as the Sunnyside-Woodside Lions Club, the Kiwanis Club, the Sunnyside Chamber of Commerce and the Sunnyside Community Services. He was a long-time parishioner at St. Raphael’s Church and was a very active volunteer at the church’s food pantry.

Mary Lena Waller Moody (1924–2021) was a committed community leader in Corona and East Elmhurst. Waller Moody began as a volunteer with the Board of Education and later served as the president of the Parent Teacher Association at P.S. 92 in Corona. This led to a career in education when she was hired as a school aide at P.S. 92 in 1962, eventually becoming the school’s supervisory paraprofessional. She retired from the New York City Board of Education in 1995. Waller Moody was active in many community efforts. She was a Girl Scout Leader at the First Baptist Church in Corona, an election inspector, and a supervisor for a Saturday educational program for children at Grace Episcopal Church. She also owned and operated Big City Realty, which helped find housing for low-income families in Corona, and provided daycare services for working mothers in the area. Her other community involvement included supporting the Flushing Meadow Soap Box Derby and collecting toys for disabled children at Goldwater Hospital. She received numerous citations, awards, and proclamations during her life. Two of the most memorable experiences for her were being crowned Miss Fine Brown Frame of Harlem and receiving a City Proclamation for "Mrs. Mary Moody Day" at City Hall in October 2019.

Ann and two gentlemen (probably members of the board) at Annual Dinner, some time in the 1960's, taken at Waldorf-Astoria.     Library Dedication at then Boys Club of Queens, Ann is the woman in a dark dress standing in doorway facing camera, Taken in the 1960-70's.   Mary Demarkos Ann Buehler and Lucille Hartmann posting before bleachers in gym at Variety Boys and Girls Club, taken some time in the early 2000s Ann working on a crafts project with kids, Taken sometime in the early 2000.

Henry E. A. Meyer (1886-1927) served with the NYPD and was assigned to the 54th Precinct, now the 104th Precinct, when he was killed while attempting to capture two robbery suspects. He was known as "Big Hen" to distinguish him from his brother, Philip "Big Phil" Meyer, who was also a member of the NYPD. The brothers were called twins despite the difference in their ages, as they had joined the force together in January 1914. The two worked together at the same station for a period, and together and separately became known for their ability to break up gangs. On September 16, 1927, Meyer was driving with his wife Tillie on Cypress Hills Street when someone stopped him to say he'd heard a woman screaming in the Beth-El Cemetery and had located and freed the two women, who had been locked in a crypt. They told Meyer they'd been robbed of money and jewelry at gunpoint by two men while visiting their father's mausoleum. Driving with his wife to find a police call box, Meyer saw two suspicious-looking men, who denied any connection to the crime and agreed to let the women have a chance to look at them. Tillie went back to meet the women, and Meyer was going to take the men in his car, but when Tillie looked back, she saw them running off. She rushed back to the car, where a crowd had gathered around her husband. He has been shot multiple times. He died at Wyckoff Heights Hospital hours later. Fellow officers from Meyer's 54th Precinct tracked down one of the suspects, who was identified by Tillie and the victims, and who had a piece from his shirt missing – the fabric was found gripped in Meyer's hand. He described the other assailant, who police tracked down through pawn shops. He admitted to the robbery as well, and police found the stolen items at a pawn shop he pointed them to. A large crowd that included many police officers gathered in support as Meyer's casket was led from his home of Loubet Street Forest Hills to Lutheran Cemetery on September 20, 1927. The two suspects, 18 and 22 years old, were convicted of second-degree murder and illegal weapons possession, and later for robbery as well. They were sent to Sing Sing, with the gunman sentenced 50 years to life, and his accomplice sentenced 45 years to life. Council Member Robert Holden proposed co-naming this street in Meyer's honor in June 2023. A ceremony to dedicate the street was held on October 25, 2023. Meyer's brother, Philip, passed away while on duty on June 19, 1929, as a result of heart disease. The street where he had lived in Glendale was co-named in his honor in December 2023.

Detective Maureen O’Flaherty (1962-2019) served in the New York Police Department starting in the 1980s, and assisted in the search and recovery efforts at the World Trade Center following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. She died on November 28, 2019 at 57 years old, following a two-year battle with cancer associated with her 9/11 work. Born in Brooklyn on August 15, 1962, she worked with the NYPD's 67th Precinct there. She was also a part of the joint narcotics task force with the Drug Enforcement Administration. Upon retirement from the force in 2002, she earned a nursing degree from the College of Staten Island, becoming a registered nurse. She helped her community outside of her professional life, as well. She volunteered with the Wounded Warrior Project, among other organizations, helped stray animals, and worked on food drives. Known as someone who helped without taking credit, her husband, former NYPD Captain Vito Spano, spearheaded efforts to rename the street, the corner where she'd lived for many years, after O'Flaherty so others would know who she was.

Maureen Allen (1954-2023), a lifelong resident of Jackson Heights-East Elmhurst, began her remarkable journey in public service as an intern for State Assembly Member Ivan Lafayette while still a student at Lehman College. After graduating in 1977, she joined Lafayette’s staff, and her exceptional dedication and competence propelled her to the position of Chief of Staff. In that role, she served both Lafayette and his successor, Michael DenDekker, for an impressive 43 years, earning a reputation for her professionalism and high standards in constituent service. Her political influence extended further as she became a District Leader, State Committee Member for the 34th Assembly District, and served in leadership roles within the Queens County Democratic Committee and as President of the John F. Kennedy Democratic Club. She was an active member of many advisory boards. She was able to obtain many certificates of merit and citations from many entities, including the NYPD and the NYC Board of Education among others. She was the youngest board president of the Northridge Cooperative in East Elmhurst, and actively participated in numerous advisory boards, which included the Naturally Occurring Retirement Community (NORC) program in Jackson Heights, the Beacon Program at PS 149 Advisory Board, the Jackson Heights/Elmhurst Kehillah (Jewish Community Council) Advisory Board, the former Jackson Heights Neighborhood Association, the 115th Precinct Community Council, and more. Additionally, she served as the board president for a group home catering to mentally disadvantaged children in Corona and held a position on Community Board 3. For decades, she played a role in her community and City as a whole. Her many accolades, certificates of merit, and citations from various organizations celebrated her commitment to the community. She was predeceased by her husband, Edward McGowan. On October 20, 2024, the intersection of 92nd Street and Northern Boulevard was co-named in her honor. Located a few blocks from Allen’s home, the intersection is just one block from the junction of 92nd Street and 34th Avenue, which was co-named in 2018 as NYS Assemblyman Ivan Lafayette Way in honor of the long-serving assemblyman.

James 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 Boulevard 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.

Dayananda Saraswati (1824 - 1883) was an Indian philosopher, social leader, and founder of the Arya Samaj, a reform movement of Hinduism. He was an advocate of returning to the Vedas, the earliest scriptures of India, as the sole source of religious authority. Dayananda was born into a wealthy Brahmin family in Tankara, Gujarat. As a young man, he left home to searching for religious truth. He spent the next 15 years traveling throughout India, studying the Vedas and engaging in religious debates. In 1860, Dayananda founded the Arya Samaj in Bombay (now Mumbai). The Arya Samaj's mission was to reform Hinduism and to promote social progress. Dayananda's teachings are based on the principal that the Vedas are the authoritative source of religious and moral truth. He was a proponent of abandoning idolatry and superstition, the equality of all people regardless of caste or gender in the eyes of God, education as essential for both men and women, and the eradication of “untouchability” (caste) & child marriage. Dayananda traveled extensively throughout India, giving lectures and spreading his teachings. He also wrote several books, including the Satyarth Prakash, which is a comprehensive exposition of his religious and social views. He also practiced Hatha Yoga. Dayananda's teachings had a profound impact on Indian society. The Arya Samaj played a major role in the social and religious reform movements of the 19th century. Dayananda's ideas also inspired many of the leaders of the Indian independence movement. Many unsuccessful assassination attempts were made on Dayananda’s life, and he died under circumstances suggesting that he may have been poisoned. The street named in Dayananda’s honor is in front of Arya Samaj Gurukul, a gurukul is an education center where students study with their guru (teacher).

Cornelius Van Wyck (1702-1769) was part of a third generation Dutch family who played an active part in the early settling of Central Queens. He was the eldest son of Johannes Van Wyck, whose father had emigrated from Holland in 1660. In 1735, Cornelius built a home on what was then the Van Wyck family’s 125-acre farm. Today, it is one of the last remaining eighteenth-century buildings in Queens and is considered among the best examples of the period’s Dutch Colonial-style architecture. Located on the shore of Little Neck Bay in Douglaston, the Cornelius Van Wyck House was designated a historic site by the New York Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1966. Van Wyck married Mary Hicks, and together the couple had three sons — Stephen, Cornelius II, and Gilbert. Stephen and Cornelius II were delegates for Queens County to the Continental Congress. Their third son, Gilbert, remained a loyalist during the American Revolution. Their wood frame home was originally a three-room structure. Between 1735 and 1770, the home was expanded several times. The residence passed down to Van Wyck’s son, Stephen, and the family later sold the house to Wynant Van Zandt in 1819. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. \*Cornelius Van Wyck is likely Cornelius Johannes Van Wyck. Historical records also indicate the possibility of his death being in 1759 (see citations below).

Police Officer Santos Valentin Jr. (b. 1961), a member of the New York Police Department's Emergency Service Squad 7, was killed on September 11, 2001, during rescue operations following the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.

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

Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996), known as “Lady Ella,” the “Queen of Jazz,” and the “First Lady of Song,” was the most celebrated jazz singer of her generation. In a career that spanned six decades and more than 50 years, she was widely recognized as a singular vocal talent, known for her wide range, stylish phrasing, clear and pure tone, impeccable diction, heartfelt vocal delivery, and the thrilling virtuosity of her improvisational style of scat singing. She performed with big bands, symphony orchestras, and small jazz groups, and appeared in clubs and concert halls around the world. Her work reflects a mastery of a wide array of styles including swing, bebop, show tunes, jazz songs, soul, novelties, bossa nova, and opera (in a 1959 album of excerpts from "Porgy and Bess" recorded with Louis Armstrong). She earned the respect, accolades, and love of fellow musicians and audiences the world over, as well as dozens of honors for her lifetime of vocal performances and recordings. Of Fitzgerarld, singer and actor Bing Crosby remarked, "man, woman or child, Ella is the greatest." She was born on April 25, 1917, in Newport News, Virginia, to William Ashland Fitzgerald, a wagon driver, and Temperance “Tempie” Henry, a laundress. The couple separated within a year of her birth. In the 1920s, her mother settled with her young daughter in Yonkers, and was joined by her boyfriend, Joseph da Silva. In 1923, Frances da Silva, Fitzgerald’s half-sister, was born. The family struggled financially, and to help out, Fitzgerald took on small jobs such as working as a runner for local gamblers and as a lookout for prostitutes in neighborhood brothels. In 1932, her mother died from injuries sustained in a car accident, and in 1933, Fitzgerald moved in with an aunt in Harlem. In this difficult period, Fitzgerald’s grades suffered, and she started skipping school. She was sent to a state reform school, but escaped and returned to Harlem, where she found herself broke and alone. She began singing and dancing on the streets for tips. On November 21, 1934, she made her debut at an amateur night performance at Harlem’s Apollo Theater. Having planned to dance, she panicked in the moment and sang instead. She took first prize. In 1935, she joined drummer and bandleader Chick Webb’s orchestra and began performing across the country, including at the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem. “A-Tiskit, A-Tasket,” a song she co-wrote and recorded in 1938, became a hit on the radio, and it boosted her and Webb to national fame. Following Webb’s death in 1939, Fitzgerald took over as bandleader, a position she held until the group broke up in 1942. She recorded prolifically for Decca from 1935 to 1955 and toured internationally with an array of jazz and pop stars such as Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, the Ink Spots, and the Mills Brothers. In 1949, she began to appear in producer Norman Granz’s popular Jazz at the Philharmonic series. Granz eventually became her manager, and Fitzgerald was the first artist signed to his newly created Verve label. From 1956 to 1964, Fitzgerald recorded an eight-album series of the Great American Songbook for Verve. Consisting of Fitzgerald’s now classic interpretations of the works of Duke Ellington, Cole Porter, Jerome Kern, Irving Berlin, Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer, and Ira and George Gershwin, the albums were hugely popular with jazz and non-jazz listeners alike. Lyricist Ira Gershwin said, "I never knew how good our songs were until I heard Ella Fitzgerald sing them." A frequent television guest, Fitzgerald appeared on dozens of programs, including The Frank Sinatra Show, The Carol Burnett Show, The Andy Williams Show, and The Ed Sullivan Show. She made her film debut in Abbott and Costello’s Ride 'Em Cowboy in 1942, and went on to appear in several others, including Pete Kelly’s Blues in 1955. In 1941, she married Benny Kornegay, a shipyard worker, but the marriage was annulled after two years. While touring with Dizzy Gillespie’s band, she met bass player Ray Brown, and they married in 1947. The couple adopted a child born to Fitzgerald’s half-sister, Frances, naming him Ray Brown, Jr., and they settled in East Elmhurst. However, touring schedules and the work of their respective careers took their toll, and they divorced in 1953. Fitzgerald eventually settled in the Addisleigh Park historic district in the neighborhood of St. Albans, where she resided until 1967. She continued to record and perform in the 1970s, including a two-week engagement in New York City in 1974 with Frank Sinatra and Count Basie. Fitzgerald made her last public performance at Carnegie Hall in 1991. In 1993, she established the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation, which focuses on grants for education, basic care for those in need, and medical research. After developing health problems from heart disease and diabetes, she died on June 15, 1996, at her...

Roy Ottoway Wilkins (1901-1981) was an American civil rights leader from the 1930s to the 1970s. After graduating from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, he worked for the weekly newspaper, the Kansas City Call. His reporting on the treatment of blacks in Army flood control projects helped to bring about change. In 1931 he began working with the NAACP, eventually serving as as Executive Director from 1955-1977. In 1963 her helped organize the March on Washington. In 1967 he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Lyndon Johnson.

Saint Kevin of Glendalough (498-618) was a Celtic monastic and the founder and first abbot of the sixth-century monastery of Glendalough in modern-day County Wicklow, Ireland. Remembered for his ascetic, solitary life, he is traditionally revered for his love and kindness toward animals and nature. The story of his life is often described as one of a journey from solitude to community. He was canonized as a Roman Catholic saint by Pope Pius X on December 9, 1903. Saint Kevin’s life is not well documented by contemporaneous sources and is based largely on legend and tradition. He was born in the ancient kingdom of Leinster, near today’s Dublin, and given the name of “Coemgen” or “fair-begotten” in Gaelic, anglicized as “Kevin.” His parents, Coemlog and Coemell, were said to be of noble birth. From the age of 12, he studied under monks and was eventually ordained as a priest. As a young man, he chose to pursue a life of solitude and prayer, traveling to Glendalough, or “Valley of the Two Lakes,” located in a narrow valley in the Wicklow Mountains. He lived by the shore of the upper lake, reportedly led there by an angel to a man-made cave on the south side and still visible today from the lake’s north shore. Known as Saint Kevin’s Bed, it served as a space to sleep and meditate, and it was in this area that he lived a solitary life of contemplation for seven years. Known as a holy man, people increasingly sought him out for advice. By 540, a monastic community was formed that included a walled settlement known as Kevin’s Cell. After the community was firmly established, Kevin retired into solitude for another four years, eventually returning at the request of his monks and presiding as abbot until his death at Glendalough on June 3, 618. The community grew to become one of Ireland’s leading monastic centers and flourished for a thousand years after his death. Today, its ruins are among Ireland’s most famous and best preserved. The site is considered an important part of Irish history and heritage and is a popular tourist destination. Saint Kevin is known for his love, respect, and closeness with nature. Legends around his interaction with animals include stories of cows, sheep, otter, doe, wolves, geese, boars, hunting dogs, and various flocks of birds. One well-known legend illustrates Kevin’s harmony with nature. As he was praying with outstretched arms, a blackbird landed in Kevin’s hand, laying her eggs. Kevin remained still until the eggs were hatched, and the chicks were fledged. Nobel prizewinner Seamus Heaney popularized this story in his poem “St. Kevin and the Blackbird.” Saint Kevin continues to be revered as the patron saint of blackbirds, the archdiocese of Dublin, and Glendalough. Saint Kevin Catholic Academy is located at 45-50 195th Street in Flushing. The school was built in 1939, with two additions added in 1950 and 1965. The parish was originally established in 1926.

Lewis Howard Latimer (1848-1928), was an African American inventor and humanist. Born free in Massachusetts, Latimer was the son of fugitive slaves George Latimer and Rebecca Smith, who escaped from Virginia to Boston in 1842. Upon arrival, George Latimer was captured and imprisoned, which became a pivotal case for the abolitionist movement in Massachusetts. His arrest and the ensuing court hearings spurred multiple meetings and a publication, “The Latimer Journal and the North Star,” involving abolitionists like Frederick Douglass. The large collective effort eventually gained George his freedom by November 1842. Against this backdrop, Lewis Latimer was born in 1848. Latimer’s young life was full of upheaval as his family moved from town to town while tensions in the country continued to mount before the Civil War broke out in 1861. In 1864, Latimer joined the Union Navy at age 16. After the conclusion of the war, Latimer was determined to overcome his lack of formal education; he taught himself mechanical drawing and became an expert draftsman while working at a patent law office. He went on to work with three of the greatest scientific inventors in American history: Alexander Graham Bell, Hiram S. Maxim and Thomas Alva Edison. Latimer played a critical role in the development of the telephone and, as Edison’s chief draftsman, he invented and patented the carbon filament, a significant improvement in the production of the incandescent light bulb. As an expert, Latimer was also called to testify on a number of patent infringement cases. Outside of his professional life, Latimer wrote and published poems, painted and played the violin. He was one of the founders of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Queens and was among the first Civil War veterans to join the Grand Army of the Republic fraternal organization. He also taught English to immigrants at the Henry Street Settlement.

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Stone commemorating the former location of the Jamaica Academy on the Queens College campus. Walt Whitman taught at the Academy in 1839.

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.

The following text was contributed by Det. Abear's widow, Catherine Abear: Ray Abear \[1976-2020] was a Queens native and spent his entire life in this community – he was raised on this block and this is where he would start a family and raise his children as well. He attended St. Nicholas of Tolentine church, P.S. 131 and St. John’s University. His first job was at Mark’s Aquarium on Parsons Boulevard, which gave him his passion for sea life, something he shared with many communities he came into contact with. He even helped businesses, community members and members of the NYPD set up their own aquariums. There’s even a fish tank in his memory at the Queens Special Victims office.   Ray’s passion and commitment to the community was professional as well. His entire 20-year career in the NYPD was spent making the Queens community a better place – first in the 112th Precinct and then in the Queens Special Victims Squad. Local business owners, restaurants, community members – everyone knew Ray and his giant smile.   There are few more challenging tasks in law enforcement than Special Victims, and Ray was passionate about his work with the Queens Squad. Each of the letters from colleagues supporting this honor of a street co-naming highlighted the compassion, patience, sensitivity and skill Ray brought to this most difficult work and the commitment he brought to finding justice for these individuals. One letter even said, “No one performed this difficult work better than Detective Raymond Abear.”   This honor – having their dad’s name permanently affixed to this street corner – is a reminder to his children that their dad was a hero not only to his family but the entire community and he will never be forgotten. Ray’s legacy will live on forever thanks to everyone who helps keep his memory alive.

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.

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. The Louis Armstrong Playground is adjacent to P.S. 143 Louis Armstrong, a public school serving grades Pre-K through 5.

Patrolman Kenneth Nugent (d. 1971) had served with the NYPD for 13 years and was assigned to the 103rd Precinct. On August 21, 1971, while on his way to work, he entered a luncheonette on Hollis Avenue and interrupted three men robbing the manager. Nugent drew his weapon and ordered the men to drop their weapons, but the suspects suddenly turned and opened fire. The officer managed to shoot and kill one suspect before being fatally wounded. Two other suspects escaped but were later apprehended and charged with murder. He was 41 years old when he was killed.

Thanks to his granddaughter, Susan Latham, we can tell a fuller story about William Latham, whose name graces a pocket park in Elmhurst.

Lieutenant Peter J. Farrenkopf (1952-2009), a 30-year FDNY veteran, died on October 18, 2009, from glioblastoma, a condition his doctors attributed to his work at the World Trade Center site after September 11, 2001. Farrenkopf, a resident of 207th Street in Bayside, was diagnosed with glioblastoma in 2009 and passed away just 90 days later. He served over 30 years with the FDNY Marine Company and was recognized as a victim of the 9/11 attacks. Farrenkopf began his firefighting career at Engine 84/Ladder 34 in Harlem. Following his promotion, he joined the Marine Division, where he handled numerous projects, including the Summer Boat program, transporting grieving family members to the World Trade Center site, and a boat ride for President Bush to Ellis Island aboard Marine 1. He also coordinated with the Macy’s Fourth of July fireworks. Farrenkopf was instrumental in improving the FDNY's relationship with the Coast Guard by arranging a meeting with the port captain. This collaboration led to better communication, a clearer understanding of each agency's roles, and the inclusion of an FDNY representative in monthly harbor meetings and on the Port of NY/NJ Harbor Safety Committee. In June 2012, Councilmember Dan Halloran unveiled the street sign for the Lt. Peter J. Farrenkopf Place on 207th Street at 26th Avenue in Bayside, a lasting tribute to a dedicated public servant.

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.

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.

Terri Mona Adams (ca. 1942-2017) was a lifelong Hunters Point resident and civic leader. She retired from the United States Navy in the 1980s as an operations supervisor. She served as president of the Hunters Point Community Development Corp. (HPCDC), a merchant group established in 1952. She was also a member of Community Board 2. Under her leadership, HPCDC initiated an Easter Parade on Vernon Boulevard and an egg hunt and Easter Bonnet contest in John Andrews Playground. Halloween and Stop the Violence events were also held there under her leadership. She started the annual Hunters Point Community Unity event in 1995 and also worked with the 108th Precinct to combine Community Unity with National Night Out Against Crime. She organized the first Hunters Point Farmers Market and Hunters Point Eco-Friendly Flea Market on 48th Avenue in 2005. In addition, under her leadership, HPCDC started sponsoring Holiday Lights on Vernon Boulevard, and the annual Breakfast with Santa for Children at the Riverview Restaurant. She also served as president of St. Mary’s Seniors.

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.

Luz Colon (d. 2003) was an advocate for new immigrants in Queens. Born in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, she grew up in East Harlem and later moved to Queens. She graduated from John Jay College and served as the executive director of the Community Conciliation Network, a not-for-profit organization in Corona, and as the vice president of the Sociedad Puertorriqueña de Queens. In 1997, she became the director of the mayor’s Queens citizenship and immigration office upon its opening, and served in that role until her sudden death from a brain aneurysm in 2003. Luz Colon Place, at the corner of Baxter Avenue and Layton Street, was co-named in her honor in 2006. The street name marks the spot where Colon set up her “Citizenship Van” in the 1990s, from which she helped thousands of immigrants through the naturalization process.

Father John J. Gribbon (1925-2005) was a priest with the Church of St. Anastasia in Douglaston for 39 years. He also served as chaplain for the Little Neck-Douglaston Volunteer Ambulance Corps.

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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.

Seymour “Sy” Seplowe was a community activist and youth advocate. He was born in the Bronx, served in World War II, then settled in northeastern Queens during the early 1950s. Seplowe organized the Little Neck-Douglaston Memorial Day Parade and, in 1953, founded the Little Neck-Douglaston Youth Club, an organization of 1,200 members dedicated to providing community youth with athletic opportunities. Seplowe was also a founding member of Community Board 11 and the president of the Little Neck-Douglaston Community Council. Throughout his life, Seplowe worked to promote baseball, and served as the Little League administrator for School District 26 for 35 years. In 1951, the City of New York acquired the land adjacent to P.S. 94 and constructed a park for the school’s use. The City named the new park in honor of Seplowe. In 1985, Parks renamed the property Admiral Park; however, the playground within the park continues to be known as Sy Seplowe Playground.

Albert Shanker (September 14, 1928 – February 22, 1997) served as president of both the United Federation of Teachers (1964-1985) the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) (1974-1997.) Early in his career, he was a math teacher at I.S 126, the school that now bears his name.

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.

Henry Bohack (1865-1931) was born in Oster-Wanna, Hanover, Germany. He came to the United States at age 17, in 1882. He began clerking in a grocery store in Lower Manhattan and three years later opened his own store in Brooklyn with his future brother-in-law. His business expanded in Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island to 740 stores and 8,000 employees. Bohack served on the boards of many businesses and organizations. He participated in the Queens and Long Island Chambers of Congress and the Kew Gardens County Club. He resided in Kew Gardens at the time of his death. The operations for the supermarkets was located at the intersection of Metropolitan and Flushing Avenues. The supermarket chain faltered after Bohack’s death, struggling to survive through a succession of management teams. In 1972, the supermarkets were permanently closed. According to the Bohack Square website, "The complex went through many tenants... Bohack’s industrial, manufacturing warehouses have been converted into a mixed-use commercial complex consisting of class “A” creative office and retail space. Bohack Square offers retail opportunities to Brooklyn focused food and retail, as well as loft-style office space geared towards creative professionals and teams".

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.

Born in Veracruz, Mexico, Lorena Borjas (1960-2020) was a fierce advocate for the transgender and Latinx communities in Queens. Borjas moved to the U.S. in 1980 and earned a green card through a Reagan-era amnesty program. She was convicted of charges related to prostitution in 1994, but the charges were later vacated, since she was forced into prostitution by human traffickers. However, other convictions remained on her record until 2017, when then-Governor Andrew M. Cuomo pardoned her. She became a U.S. citizen in 2019. Borjas inspired many people through her advocacy for the LGBT community. She co-founded the Lorena Borjas Community Fund in 2012 and was actively involved in many organizations, including the AIDS Center of Queens County, the Hispanic AIDS Forum and the Latino Commission on AIDS. In 2015, she founded El Colectivo Intercultural TRANSgrediendo, a non-profit organization that works to defend the rights of transgender and gender non-binary people. The organization provides legal and medical services to trans and non-binary sex workers and undocumented members of the community. Although Borjas had already been taking sex workers to clinics to get tested for HIV and helping to get lawyers for possible deportation cases, El Colectivo was a way for her to officially continue that work. She also became a counselor for the Community Healthcare Network's Transgender Family Program, where she worked to obtain legal aid for victims of human trafficking. Borjas died on March 30, 2020, of complications from COVID-19. On June 26, 2022, a bill was signed by Governor Kathy Hochul establishing the Lorena Borjas transgender and gender non-binary (TGNB) wellness and equity fund, which will be used to invest in increasing employment opportunities, providing access to gender-affirming healthcare, and raising awareness about transgender and gender non-binary people in New York.

Timothy Patrick “TK” Klein (1990-2022), a six-year veteran of the FDNY with Ladder 170, Engine Company 257 in Brooklyn, died at age 31 while battling a fire in Canarsie, Brooklyn. Born September 17, 1990, joining the FDNY had been Klein's dream. His father Patrick was an FDNY firefighter, as were many of his other extended family members. Known as “The Golden Boy,” and the “Canarsie Kid," he grew up on Beach 137th Street and graduated from St. Francis De Sales School on Beach 129th Street. He graduated from Archbishop Molloy High School in 2008, where he had played on the basketball team, and then attended York College of Pennsylvania for a degree in sports management. Klein joined Ladder 170 FDNY on December 28, 2015. His fellow firefighters remembered him as someone who was constantly learning and always keeping himself busy, including, at the time of his passing, studying to take the lieutenant’s test. Outside of work, Klein volunteered with the nonprofit Fight for Firefighters, where he helped remodel homes to make them more accessible for first responders with disabilities. On April 24, 2022, Klein was critically injured in a Canarsie fire. As conditions worsened, a third alarm was called, and the order to evacuate came. Before exiting, Klein removed window bars, likely saving lives. Eight other firefighters were injured, and one resident died in the blaze. On August 23, 2023, a street renaming ceremony was held to honor John Klein. The initiative, spearheaded by City Councilmember Joann Ariola, renamed a street near Klein's first home on Beach 129th Street. His sister noted that Klein loved the area and spent significant time there. He was remembered as a quiet, yet charismatic individual who enjoyed sports, the beach, music, and spending time with loved ones. Klein continued to play basketball, participating in the annual St. Francis Summer Classic Men's Open Division basketball tournament, now named in his honor. The Timothy P. Klein Memorial Foundation, created in his honor, hosts an annual volleyball tournament and country fest. Klein's name is also inscribed on the National Fallen Firefighter Memorial in Maryland.

Adrien (Adriaen) Block (1567-1627) was a Dutch explorer, trader, and ship’s captain best known for his early exploration of the northeast coastal regions of North America. He was among the first to establish trade with various North American Indigenous peoples, and the map of his 1614 voyage was the first to note Long Island and Manhattan as separate islands. This served as an important step in the establishment of the Dutch New Netherland settlement in 1624. Block was born in Amsterdam. Though little is known about his early life, he was married in 1603 to Neeltje Hendricks van Gelder, and they settled in his hometown where they raised their family. He became active in the shipping trade in the 1590s and made four voyages to North America between 1611 and 1613. While there, he helped to establish the fur trade and to chart coastal areas that were first explored by Henry Hudson for the Dutch in 1609. In 1613, he sailed on the Tyger for what would be his last voyage to the New World. While moored off of Lower Manhattan, the ship caught fire and was destroyed. With the help of the local Lenape, the crew built a new ship that they called the Onrust (Dutch for “Restless”), and they continued to explore up the East River. They entered Long Island Sound through a passage Block called “Hellegat” (Hell Gate), a narrow and dangerous waterway separating modern day Randall’s Island and Astoria. The first known European to sail from the Hudson into Long Island Sound, Block went on to explore the Housatonic River and the Connecticut River, sailing as far as Hartford and also through Narragansett Bay. The crew later rendezvoused with another ship near Cape Cod and returned to Europe. Block compiled a map of his travels that showed for the first time many details of the northeastern coast from present day New Jersey to Massachusetts and was the first to describe the region as New Netherland. The “figurative map of Adriaen Block” also identified several Indigenous communities, including the Pequot and Narragansett, who were future trading partners with the Dutch. Block died in 1627, and he is buried in Amsterdam’s Oude Kirk. Named in his honor, I.S. 025 Adrien Block is located at 34-65 192nd Street in Flushing and construction for the school was completed in 1970.

Bishop Moses Taylor (1924-2004) was founder of The Long Island City Gospel Tabernacle and the Center of Hope International (COHI), which provides various services to the needy. Taylor, was born in 1924, and came to the Queensbridge Houses/Long Island City community in 1961. He began the Long Island City Gospel Tabernacle with just 12 members, and later opened up the Center of Hope International Church at 12-11 40th Avenue in Long Island City. He was involved in many philanthropic endeavors including an award-winning bread pantry in LIC and the Astoria Outreach Ministries.

Catharine Turner Richardson (1903-1988), a local civic activist, was a former president of the Douglaston Garden Club. She moved to Douglaston in 1932 and worked to preserve the residential nature of the community, as well as its wetlands. The park was named for her in 1991.

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.

Rev. Floyd H. Flake (b. 1945) is a former congressman and the longtime pastor of the Greater Allen African Methodist Episcopal Cathedral. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1987 to 1997; served as president of Wilberforce University from 2002 to 2008; and is the senior pastor of the Greater Allen A. M. E. Cathedral of New York in Jamaica. Rev. Flake is also the author of the books "The Way of the Bootstrapper: Nine Action Steps for Achieving Your Dreams" and "The African American Church Management Handbook." In Congress, he funded the nation’s first One Stop Small Business Capital Center; it has been the model for additional centers that are now operating in the Federal Empowerment Zones and provides technical assistance and loans to small businesses.

Harry Lefrak (1885-1963) was a prominent builder of middle-income apartments around New York City, and, with his wife Sarah Lefrak (1888-1962), dedicated time and money to charitable causes. Harry was born in Russia (Belarus) on March 31, 1885. He spent his early years in Palestine before moving to New York in the winter of 1900 with just some spare change to his name. He immediately found himself work, doing errands and carpentry in the Lower East Side. By 1905 he'd saved enough money to buy a carpentry shop in Manhattan when his employer there moved to a larger space. By the end of World War I, he sold that business for $250,000 and became a full-time homebuilder. He first built single-family homes in Brooklyn, and his construction enterprise grew steadily. He soon recognized a need for higher-density homes, and began building apartments for middle-income families. As it grew, the Lefrak Organization built 400 such buildings across the city. His work is said to have influenced the face of several neighborhoods. In Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, the Lefrak Organization built the 500-apartment Kings Bay Houses, along with a giant shopping area nearby. He also saw the construction of the first part of the sprawling Lefrak City, which was built to house 25,000 people. By 1948, Henry had left his business in the hands of his son, Samuel J. Lefrak. Henry then spent more time on charitable activities, including the Lefrak Foundation, which he and Sarah had founded, which helped build several hospitals and medical centers in Israel. He also tried to avoid the stereotype of the evil landlord. In 1956, he heard about a producer of an off-Broadway production—which was about a tenant who murders his merciless landlord-—who owed the theater nearly $300 in rent. Henry, noting the irony of the play's subject, paid the bill. Sarah was also born in Russia, on November 15, 1888, but moved to Long Beach on Long Island. She and Henry had Samuel, their first child, in 1918 when they lived at 246 E. 52st Street in Manhattan. They moved to Forest Hills in 1953. In addition to the Lefrak Foundation, she worked with charitable organizations such as the Women's Zionist Organization of American and State of Israel Bonds. Sarah passed away on November 19, 1962 at the age of 74, with Henry following a few months later, on July 1, 1963 at the age of 78. In addition to his son Samuel, Henry was survived by his daughters, Sophie Menowitz and Fagel Lipschutz, his sister, Molly Alpert, and seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. At the time of their death, Sarah and Henry lived at 103-25 68th Avenue. They are buried at Mount Hebron Cemetery. In 1965, the City Council approved Councilmember Arthur J. Katzman's bill to rename the triangle at Queens Boulevard and 65th Avenue as Lefrak Memorial Square. Mayor Robert F. Wagner soon approved the bill, which was made to honor the roles they played in community and philanthropic activities in Queens.