In 2026, Queens Public Library is celebrating its 130-year anniversary! During Women’s History Month, Queens Public Library is partnering with the Queens Name Explorer project to honor the brave and brilliant women, with named places in Queens, who have built, shaped, and sustained us for 130 years! From advocates to volunteers, from librarians to gardeners, these women embody the imagination, leadership, and commitment to public service that has made QPL the vibrant and essential institution it is today.

Highlighting women from across Queens - from Long Island City to Jamaica - whose contributions reshaped their neighborhoods. These educators, activists, and public servants broke barriers to create systems of change. Their names mark more than physical places; they represent legacies of collective action. We invite you to explore these stories and consider how we choose which contributions to celebrate in our public spaces.

Tom Seaver (1944-2020), also known as “The Franchise” and "Tom Terrific," signed with the New York Mets in 1966 and pitched for the team from 1967 to 1977. He won the National League Rookie of the Year in 1967 and Cy Young Award in 1969. During his time with the team, he was selected to ten All-Star teams, led the league in strikeouts five times, and had five one-hitters and five 20-win seasons. He also led the "Miracle Mets” to win the World Series in 1969 and appeared again in the 1973 World Series. Fans were heartbroken when Seaver was traded to the Cincinnati Reds in June 1977, where he continued to dominate. He finally pitched a no-hitter in 1978 and recorded his 3,000th strikeout in 1981. He found himself back on the Mets in 1983 and finished his career with the Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox from 1984 to 1986. When he retired in 1987, he had a record of 311-205, with a 2.86 ERA and 3,640 strikeouts. Seaver was a first-ballot Hall of Fame inductee in 1992 and wears the New York Mets cap on his plaque in the Hall. After retiring from playing, Seaver continued with baseball as an announcer, working for both the New York Yankees (1989-1993) and New York Mets (1999-2005) before retiring again to run Seaver Vineyards in California. The Mets retired Seaver's uniform number, 41, in 1988. Shortly before his death in 2020, the New York Mets changed their address to 41 Seaver Way, naming the part of 126th street outside the ballpark in his honor. On April 15, 2022, a statue of Seaver created by sculptor William Behrends was unveiled in front of the stadium. The bronze and stainless steel work, which stands 10 feet high and weighs more than 33,000 pounds, depicts Seaver in his trademark pitching stance.

Paul Russo (1986 – 2018) was a lifelong resident of Ozone Park and is remembered as a young man of deep faith who dedicated much of his life to helping others. He attended local schools and was involved with local sports and Little League associations. He was also a member of the Frassati Fellowship of NYC, a Catholic group of young people dedicated to prayer and charity work. He worked as a real estate agent, and participated in volunteer-led efforts to build homes for the homeless in the United States as well as Central and South America,. Paul’s zeal for helping the poor was an inspiration to many others in the community. Paul passed away in 2018 at 33 after a long and courageous battle with cancer, and was survived by his mother, Antha, and father George Russo, owner of the Villa Russo in Richmond Hill, and president of the Boys and Girls Club of Metro Queens. He also left behind four siblings and many, many friends.

William Alexander Hammond (1828-1900) was a military physician and a leader in the practice and teaching of neurology. Beginning in 1862 at the peak of the Civil War, he served as the 11th Surgeon General of the U.S. Army, with the rank of Brigadier General. Forced out of his position in 1864, he was vindicated 15 years later when he was reinstated in retirement by an act of Congress. Hammond was the founder of the Army Medical Museum (now the National Museum of Health and Medicine) and among the founders of the American Neurological Association. The second son of Dr. John Wesley Hammond and Sarah Hammond (née Pinckney), William Hammond was born on August 28, 1828, in Annapolis, Maryland, and raised in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. In 1848, he earned his medical degree from the University of the City of New York (now NYU). He went on to complete his residency at Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia. On July 3, 1849, he joined the U.S. Army as an assistant surgeon; the following day, he married Helen Nisbit. The couple had five children, two of whom died in infancy. Having served mostly in the territories of New Mexico and Kansas, Hammond resigned from the army in 1860 to accept a position as professor of anatomy and physiology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. When the Civil War broke out in 1861, he rejoined the army as assistant surgeon. In 1862, the U.S. Sanitary Commission was in the process of urging medical reforms, including the appointment of a new Surgeon General. With Hammond’s medical military service experience, expertise in research and teaching, and knowledge of hospital design, he was favored by the Commission for the position, and President Abraham Lincoln appointed him as Surgeon General of the U.S. Army on April 25, 1862. Hammond quickly launched new reforms, including beginning an ambulance corps to more effectively remove the wounded from the battlefield, increasing the number of hospitals, and planning and locating them to better accommodate the thousands of injured soldiers in need of care. However, by 1864, Hammond had clashed with Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton, and their disagreements led to Hammond’s court-martial and dismissal on August 18 of the same year. He returned to New York City, and by 1867, he had rebuilt his professional life, becoming a professor of mental disease at Bellevue Hospital and a leader in the field of neurology. In 1878, the U.S. Congress passed a bill, signed by then-President Rutherford B. Hayes, effectively restoring Hammond on the rolls of the army as surgeon general and brigadier general on the retired list, without pay or allowances. His wife, Helen, died in 1885, and Hammond was remarried the following year to Esther Dyer Chapin. In 1887, the couple moved to Washington, D.C., where Hammond established a hospital for patients with nervous system diseases. He was among the founders of the New York Medical Journal and the Journal of Nervous and Mental Diseases, and he also authored many medical works and several novels. Hammond died of heart failure on January 5, 1900, at his home in Washington. He is buried, along with his wife, Esther, at Arlington National Cemetery. Named in honor of Dr. William A. Hammond, PS 82Q The Hammond School was constructed in 1906 and is located at 88-02 144th Street in Jamaica.

Alberta Lois Alston (1906-1980) was a religious and community leader who made her home in the neighborhood of St. Albans. In 1977, she served as the first African American female moderator of the Presbytery of New York City. Born on December 3, 1906, in Bergen County, New Jersey, Alston was a lifelong member of Zeta Phi Beta, a historically Black sorority founded in 1920 at Howard University. In addition to serving as a spokesperson for her sorority, she also held the position of Basileus, or chapter president, of the group’s Delta Beta Zeta Chapter in Hollis. She was the recipient of several community awards in recognition of her service to her local area. Alston died on May 19, 1980, and is buried at Pinelawn Memorial Cemetery in Farmingdale, New York. The Alberta L. Alston House, a supportive affordable housing residence serving older New Yorkers, first opened in the fall of 1984 and was named in her honor. The facility is run by PSS (Presbyterian Senior Services) and is located at 52-09 99th Street in Corona.

Cadwallader Colden (1688-1776) was born to Scottish parents in Ireland in 1688, and raised in Duns, Scotland. In his early life, Colden trained to become a Presbyterian minister at the University of Edinburgh until transitioning to the sciences. Colden immigrated to the British colony of Pennsylvania in 1710 where he worked as a doctor and a merchant until moving to New York in 1718. As a scientist, Colden studied biology, botany, chemistry, physics, and astronomy, while pursuing research on cancer, yellow fever, smallpox, and climate-based diseases as a doctor. Some of Colden’s famous academic publications include The History of the Five Indian Nations Depending on the Province of New York (1727), a classification of local species in the Linnaean system (1749), and a critique of Sir Issac Newton’s work in The Principles of Action in Matter (1751). Colden also pursued roles in public service, holding the position of Master in Chancery and Surveyor General of New York, serving on the Governor's Council, and eventually as acting Governor up until the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War. Colden was not popular among American colonists due to his British-favoring policies on trade, as seen in incidents such as the Stamp Act Crisis of 1765. Forced out of office by the war, Colden died on his Long Island estate near Flushing, Spring Hill, in 1776. In addition to this playground, the nearby Public School 214 in Flushing, is also named after him.

Cavaliere Vincent Iannece (1925-2005) served the community for many years and in many ways. He was the founder of the Federation of the Italian American Organization of Queens, and was instrumental in organizing and hosting the Queens Columbus Day Parade for more than four decades. Iannece was also the founder of the St. Michael’s Society and an active member of the Astoria Civic Association; he was appointed as a member of Community Board 1 in 1993.

Manuel de Dios Unanue (1943-1992) was a Cuban-born journalist and radio host who was killed in New York City in 1992. De Dios was born in Cuba in 1943 and moved to the United States in 1973, after time spent in Spain and Puerto Rico, he settled in Elmhurst, Queens. He worked as a journalist for several Spanish-language newspapers in New York City, before becoming editor-in-chief of El Diario La Prensa, the largest Spanish-Language newspaper in NYC, in 1984. De Dios was best known for his investigative reporting on the Colombian drug trade. He wrote extensively about the drug cartels that operated in Queens, and he named names. His reporting made him a target of the drug traffickers, and he was slain on March 11, 1992, by a hitman for the Colombian drug cartel in the Meson Asturias restaurant on 83rd Street in Queens.

Elizabeth Blackwell (1821-1910) was the first woman in the United States to graduate from medical school (1849) and obtain an MD degree.  Blackwell was born on February 3, 1821 to Quaker parents in Bristol, England. Although education for women was generally discouraged at the time, Blackwell’s parents disagreed. Throughout Blackwell’s childhood, her parents were very supportive of her educational endeavors. By the age of 11, Blackwell and her family immigrated to the United States. During Blackwell’s mid-20s, she had experienced the passing of a close friend. Prior to death, her friend had told Blackwell that she would have experienced less suffering if she had a female doctor. This inspired Blackwell to pursue a career path in medicine. In 1847, multiple medical schools rejected her because she was a female applicant. Fortunately, Geneva Medical College accepted her application but for improper reasons. The college allowed the all-male student body to determine her acceptance through a vote. Many of the students voted “yes” as a joke since she was a female. Blackwell experienced an extremely difficult time in medical school, she was constantly harassed and excluded by classmates and faculty. Despite the hardships Blackwell had to endure, she graduated in 1849 and was ranked first in her class. In the mid 1850s, Dr. Blackwell returned to the United States and opened a clinic to treat poor women. In 1857 Dr. Blackwell opened the New York Infirmary for Women and Children with the help of her sister Dr. Emily Blackwell and colleague Dr. Marie Zakrzewska. This infirmary would be the nations first hospital that had an all-female staff. This hospital still stands and is currently known as the New York-Presbyterian Lower Manhattan Hospital and is helping millions of people in New York to this date. Additionally, in 1868, Dr. Blackwell created a medical college devoted to providing education for future female physicians which is now apart of Weill Cornell Medicine. In 1869 Dr Blackwell returned to England where she continued to advocate for women in medicine until her death in 1910.

The following was written by Christopher's sister, Patricia Cardona: Christopher grew up always wanting to follow in his father's footsteps. He wanted to be a firefighter. While in school, he learned that to be a firefighter, you would need to take the test and then wait to be called. He was attending Queens College, and decided as a backup plan, he would get an education degree so he could teach. He had a passion for history and social studies. He favored the older kids. He graduated from Queens College with a teaching certificate in middle school social studies. He got his foot in the door as a substitute teacher in the middle schools of District 30. He worked at PS 2, IS 10 and IS 141. He was offered a permanent position teaching middle school social studies at IS 10, and he turned it down because he had gotten called to the academy of the FDNY. He was on his way to becoming a firefighter. He was technically on the job for eight months as a trainee.("probie"). He was then asked where he wanted to be stationed and was given a choice since his father had just retired as a Deputy Chief of the FDNY. He was well-respected and so they wanted to grant his son a choice. Christopher chose midtown Manhattan. He wanted action. This house \[Engine 54] is known as one of the busiest firehouses in all the five boroughs. He had never been to a fire prior to 9/11. He was at that firehouse for only a couple of months. The morning of 9/11, he was expected to be off duty at 8:30 a.m. The bell rang, and he jumped on board, eager to go to his first big fire. He was excited (as told to us by his housemates). He re-suited up and jumped on board along with 14 other guys (between the two trucks). He never came home. Meanwhile my parents, who were at home in Long Island City (you could see the Twin Towers from their high rise), got a call from his fire station lieutenant, asking him to come to work. My father reported that he never came home. It was then that they realized that he had gone down to the site. My father, with all his experience, had looked out the window and knew that the towers would fall by the way that they were burning. My parents watched the burning buildings from their window, not knowing that their son was there and had perished. Meanwhile, I was teaching at a Jackson Heights school that morning (PS 149) and was watching the events on the TV. It was only that evening when he didn’t come home that we realized he was there. We called hospitals, put up signs and held out hope that he was trapped and would be found. Fifteen guys never came home from his house -- the biggest loss out of any firehouse in the five boroughs. My parents attended many funerals and memorials from his firehouse, as well as all the people my dad knew. A few days after 9/11, they recovered the body of a member of his firehouse, Jose Guadalupe. Jose was a 6-foot, dark-skinned Hispanic male. My parents attended his funeral. The next few months, they attended every funeral and memorial service. We still had not recovered Christopher. In December, a few weeks before Christmas, my parents were visited by the Coroner of the City of New York. They admitted to making a huge mistake. Jose was misidentified. The body that was buried as Jose Guadalupe was in fact Christopher Santora. (Christopher was 5’8", Caucasian with blue eyes.) According to them, they were unrecognizable. They were identifying them based only on a rare neck bone anomaly that coincidentally both had. The body had to be exhumed, and we finally had Christopher’s remains. We had a funeral for him, and he is buried at St. Michael's Cemetery in Queens. Jose was never found. A few months later, Dr. Angelo Gimondo (former District 30 superintendent) reached out to my parents. D30 wanted to build a school and name it for a fallen firefighter of 9/11. When they learned that Christopher taught in D30, they knew they wanted to name it for him. My parents agreed. They began building the school, and it was scheduled to open in September of 2002. I put in an application to transfer. I was interviewed and released from my school, and I have been there ever since. The father of one of the newly hired teachers, Rani Skopelitis, was a carpenter for trade. He built the case in the lobby of the school which has Christopher’s firefighter uniform. They had a big dedication and opening ceremony, and we are still here today at the FF Christopher A. Santora School, PS 222.

Lillian “Lily” Gavin (1931 – 2016) was the owner of Dazies Restaurant and a longtime community leader and advocate for Sunnyside. Gavin, was very active in several community groups, and served as president of the Sunnyside Chamber of Commerce, where her accomplishments included helping to raise $450,000 for a much-needed revamp of the Sunnyside Arch. Gavin was also heavily involved in neighborhood organizations, including the local YMCA, the Sunnyside Drum Corps, the Boys and Girls Club, the Queens Council of Tourism, the Sunnyside Senior Center, and was one of the first women to join the Sunnyside Kiwanis Club. Gavin also served as an honorary director of the LaGuardia Community College Foundation. She was a founding member of the Sunnyside Shines business improvement district and sponsored many events either financially or by providing food.

Sarah Willets Meyer (1880-1939) (also spelled “Sara”) was a member of the Willets family, a clan that figured prominently in the early history of Queens after making their fortune in the mid-1800s in the whaling industry. In 1850, Robert Willets (1825-1889), Sarah’s grandfather, built a home on a 200-acre estate in what is now Bayside. Adjoined to Willets Point (now Fort Totten), the homestead became known as Shore Acres, and it was there that Sarah was raised and made her home. In 1939, she generously donated a portion of her family estate to New York City to allow for the construction of a segment of the Cross Island Parkway, which was part of the broader Belt Parkway project. Sarah was the last of her family to live at Shore Acres. After her death, the property was sold and, by the early 1960s, demolished. Sarah’s father, Gardiner Howland Leavitt, hailed from an affluent background and served for a period as president of Flushing Gas and Light. Her mother, Amelia Willets Leavitt, was one of two daughters of Robert Willets. When Robert died in 1889, Amelia inherited Shore Acres and the surrounding estate, which then passed to Sarah in 1923. On October 8, 1902, Sarah married Charles Garrison Meyer, the son of real estate developer Cord Meyer. Special cars were attached to the Long Island Rail Road to bring guests to their ceremony and reception, which took place at Shore Acres and included some 600 attendees. The following week, the newlyweds sailed for Gibraltar and Europe for their honeymoon. Together, they had four children: Margaret, Charles Jr., Gardiner, and S. Willets. Shore Acres was considered a high society showplace, and it was the site of many festivities over the course of its heyday in the Gay 90s, when Sarah’s parents hosted a variety of grand balls and masquerades. Sarah and Charles continued this tradition, offering society events and benefits, such as a 400-guest ladies’ card party fundraiser on June 19, 1929, that Sarah held for the North Shore Centre of the Family Welfare Society. On March 31, 1939, Sarah died at her Manhattan residence at 800 Park Avenue, and she and her husband, Charles, are buried in Flushing Cemetery. In recognition of her gift of land to complete the highway construction, the City installed a bronze plaque on a wall under the Cross Island Parkway at Bell Boulevard near Fort Totten. The plaque reads: “In grateful recognition of the gift by Sara Willets Meyer of the land on which this bridge and a portion of the Belt Parkway have been built. — Anno Domini MCMXXXIX”

On May 29, 1919, Nancy Leo, the oldest of five children, was born in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Her parents, Francesco Leo and Irene Fiore, emigrated from Bari, Italy, in 1917. After working on the railroad and then in the ice and coal business for some time, Francesco went into the food business, opening his first store in Brooklyn, on Lorimer and Skillman Avenues. Nancy and her sisters, Mary, Lily and Grace, and their brother, Al, attended P.S. 132 in Brooklyn. They often came to Corona, Queens, for "vacation" since Corona at that time was still mainly farms and countryside. In the early 1930s, the family moved to Corona where Nancy's parents set down roots and opened Leo's Latticini, later to become known as "Mama's," an affectionate nickname given to Nancy when she was raising her daughters. Nancy Leo worked at Leo's Latticini alongside her parents for some time. Then, during World War II, she became one of the first pioneer women to help in the war effort. In November 1942, Nancy completed the airplane assembly course at Delehanty Institute. She then joined the ranks of women riveters working for American Export Airlines on some of the first non-stop transatlantic flight planes carrying passengers, cargo and mail overseas. A few years later, Nancy took a vacation to visit her aunts in Italy and met her future husband, Frank DeBenedittis, who was born in Corato, Bari, Italy. They were married on August 29, 1948, in Rome's St. Peter's Basillica. Years later, when Nancy's parents retired, she and Frank took over the family store and continued in the food business. They worked very hard serving the community while raising their loving family. They had three daughters, Carmela, Irene and Marie, all of whom attended St. Leo's Elementary School in Corona. Carmela, the oldest, married Oronzo Lamorgese and owns Leo's Ravioli and Pasta Shop in Corona. Their daughter, Marie Geiorgina, who is married to Fiore DiFelo, is a teacher at P.S. 16 in Corona. They have one child, Mama's first great-grandchild. Irene, a former New York City public school teacher, joined the family business in order to keep the family traditions alive. Marie, though the youngest, has been in the store the longest. She, like her mother and grandmother, is very business-minded and also an excellent cook who strives for quality in all she does. In 1985, Frank, who was a major part of the family business, passed away at the age of 73. He was sorely missed by everyone. After Frank's passing, Nancy, with her daughters, decided to continue on with the family business and for years Nancy became known as "Mama" to everyone. After so many years of dedication to family and community, Mama passed away in 2009 at the age of 90. Upon her passing, there was a true expression of love and appreciation by all her patrons, neighbors and friends for all she had done for the community. When many of the original Corona residents moved away to "better neighborhoods," Mama stayed and lived and worked with the community's people. She instilled in all her family a sense of discipline, respect for each other and good character. She was truly a wonderful role model for all. Throughout her lifetime, Nancy saw immense change. From ice and coal to refrigeration and gas heat, from radio and television all the way to today's world of computers. She made everyone around her appreciate all the little things in life that are special and "Mama," Nancy DeBenedittis, was truly a special person.

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.

Detective Brian R. Moore (d. 2015), a promising officer with the NYPD's Anti-Crime Unit, was shot and killed while on duty in plainclothes on May 4, 2015 in Queens Village. Only 25 years old, he was just a few months shy of his fifth year on the force. Appointed on July 6, 2010, Moore began his career in the 103 Impact Zone of Queens South. He later transferred to the 105 Precinct in May 2012. Throughout his service, he earned two Excellent Police Duty medals and two Meritorious Police Duty medals for his outstanding police work. He also made a commendable 160 arrests. In the wake of his tragic passing, Commissioner Bratton posthumously promoted Detective Moore to the rank of Detective First Grade.

Christopher Emmanuel "Manny" Balestrero (1909–1998) was a double bass player who worked as a musician at the famous Stork Club, a New York City nightclub. On January 14, 1953, he was arrested in a case of mistaken identity outside his Jackson Heights home and charged with two armed robberies of a nearby insurance office. Eventually exonerated, Balestrero later sold his story, which became the basis for Alfred Hitchcock’s film The Wrong Man (1956). Balestrero was born on September 29, 1909, in Manhattan. He was the son of Italian immigrant parents Peter and Rosa (Cereghino) Balestrero and the first of their two children. Known as “Manny” to his friends and family, he began studying violin by the age of five, later switching to double bass. A working musician, he played for many New York City clubs and radio programs of the era. He married Rose Giolito, and together the couple raised two sons, Gregory and Robert. Following his arrest in 1953, Balestrero struggled to prove his innocence. A key point of suspicion against him was the argument that he needed money for his wife's $325 dental work. He went to his local insurance office, located at what was then the Victor Moore Arcade (now the 74th Street/Roosevelt Avenue subway stop in Jackson Heights), to borrow against his policy. He was later wrongly identified as the armed robber who had held up the office twice before. Balestrero was defended in court by then State Senator Frank D. O’Connor, who went on to serve as president of the City Council and then on the State Supreme Court. During the trial, a juror made a remark that implied a presumption of Balestrero’s guilt in open court, resulting in a mistrial. Shortly afterward and before Balestrero's second trial began, the real thief, Charles J. Daniell, was caught in the process of robbing a delicatessen in Astoria. Daniell confessed to more than 40 robberies, including the two for which Balestrero was accused. As a result of the ordeal, Balestrero’s wife Rose experienced a nervous breakdown which led to her spending time in a sanatorium. Following her release in 1955, Balestrero moved his family to Florida. He sued the city for false arrest, asking for $500,000 but accepting a settlement of $7,000. He sold the film rights to his story for $22,000, and the money from the film went to repaying loans for Rose's care. His wife died in 1982, and Balestrero eventually moved to a nursing home in North Carolina where he died on February 27, 1998. The family’s ordeal was featured in a Life magazine story, where it caught the attention of Hitchcock and became the main source material for the film. Shot in many of the actual locations where the events occurred in and around Jackson Heights and Manhattan, Hitchcock’s film starred Henry Fonda and Vera Miles as Manny and Rose Balestrero. On September 27, 2014, a ceremony was held to co-name the corner of 73rd Street and 41st Avenue, about a half block from the former Balestero family home, as Manny “The Wrong Man” Balestrero Way

Cadwallader Colden (1688-1776) was born to Scottish parents in Ireland in 1688, and raised in Duns, Scotland. In his early life, Colden trained to become a Presbyterian minister at the University of Edinburgh until transitioning to the sciences. Colden immigrated to the British colony of Pennsylvania in 1710 where he worked as a doctor and a merchant until moving to New York in 1718. As a scientist, Colden studied biology, botany, chemistry, physics, and astronomy, while pursuing research on cancer, yellow fever, smallpox, and climate-based diseases as a doctor. Some of Colden’s famous academic publications include The History of the Five Indian Nations Depending on the Province of New York (1727), a classification of local species in the Linnaean system (1749), and a critique of Sir Issac Newton’s work in The Principles of Action in Matter (1751). Colden also pursued roles in public service, holding the position of Master in Chancery and Surveyor General of New York, serving on the Governor's Council, and eventually as acting Governor up until the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War. Colden was not popular among American colonists due to his British-favoring policies on trade, as seen in incidents such as the Stamp Act Crisis of 1765. Forced out of office by the war, Colden died on his Long Island estate near Flushing, Spring Hill, in 1776. In addition to this school, a nearby playground is also named after him.

Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. (1841-1935) was an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court originally appointed by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1902. Holmes was born in Boston and served with the Massachusetts Twentieth Volunteers during the Civil War. He received his law degree from Harvard in 1866 and both practiced law and taught at Harvard for the next 15 years. In 1882, he was appointed to the Supreme Court of Massachusetts, where he served until being nominated and confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court in December 1902. He retired in 1932 at the age of 90. Throughout his 29 years on the Supreme Court, Holmes ruled on a number of highly influential cases protecting American civil liberties and helped build the legal framework for the New Deal. I.S. 204 is a public middle school (grades 6-8) that offers a dual-language program for students. It serves a largely immigrant and first-generation American student population, including the local Bangladeshi community, as well as children from the Ravenswood and Queensbridge NYCHA communities. Across the street is a large public recreation area called Dutch Kills playground that the school shares with P.S. 112.

Gloria D’Amico (ca. 1927-2010) was Queens County Clerk for 19 years, the first woman ever to hold that position. Under her guidance the county became the first in the city to implement a jury duty call-in system, making it easier for potential jurors to find out if they had to serve. Among her many community activities, she served on the board of Sharing and Caring, an agency providing support for women with breast cancer.

Steve Knobel (1943-2021) served as President of the Jewish Center of Jackson Heights for over twenty years, during which time the Center served not only its congregants but also the entire community. Under Steve’s tenure, the Center became the de facto community center of Jackson Heights. The Jewish Center offered many programs including piano lessons for children, ESL classes for immigrants, tutoring sessions for young people, lectures, opera concerts and Broadway and Bagel performances.

This January, we’re celebrating space exploration at Queens Public Library! Join us from January 26-31 for space-themed science and art programs, fascinating NASA presentations, and much more. Read this special blog post to learn more about our Space Week programs and book lists, and enjoy resources provided by NASA (the National Aeronautics and Space Administration)!

This park opened to the public in 1932. That same year, the Board of Aldermen named the facility Andrews Playground for one John F. Andrews "to do honor to the memory of one active in the civic affairs of the Borough of Queens during his lifetime." Unfortunately, very little is known about Andrews, save that he was born on December 15, 1896, in Long Island City and died in August 1980. Soon after the playground first opened, it underwent massive reconstruction and reopened in 1936 equipped with a children's play area and comfort station. In the 1950s, Andrews Playground was enlarged twice. The City of New York acquired one of the park's additions by private purchase in 1951, and the other by condemnation in 1955. These two additions brought the park to its current size of 2.542 acres.

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.

Major James A. McKenna (1885-1918) of the165th Regiment, 83rd Brigade, third "Shamrock" Battalion, of the Rainbow Division (42nd Infantry Division). James Augustine McKenna Jr. was born in Long Island City, Queens, in 1885. He attended local schools and went on to study at Harvard and Cornell, where he was a star athlete. After graduating from law school at Fordham in 1916, he joined the 7th Regiment and fought in the Mexican Border War (1910–1919). In 1917, he was transferred to the 69th Regiment and was promoted to Lieutenant. McKenna commanded the 1st Troop ship of his infantry while crossing into France. In October of that year, he and his compatriots arrived in France, where he was promoted to Major.  In July 1918, McKenna led his battalion across the Ourcq River in France near Villeneuve-sur-Fere, in the Second Battle of the Marne (July-August 1918). His battalion was the only one to successfully cross the river, but McKenna was killed by a stray piece of shrapnel the following day. He was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his bravery.

Sergeant Joseph Edward Schaefer (1918-1987) was a lifelong resident of Richmond Hill. He distinguished himself in World War II for having repelled, almost single-handedly, a Nazi attack on American troops positioned near Stolberg, Germany. Staff Sergeant Schaefer received the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1945 for his defensive actions. Schaefer later fought in the Korean War, before returning to Richmond Hill.

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.

Program booklet for the dedication of the Chaney-Goodman-Schwerner Clock Tower in 1989.

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).

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William T. Gunn, Jr. (1961-1992) grew up in Bellerose and joined the New York Police Department in 1982. He received many commendations during his seven years of service, including an award for meritorious police duty. On January 20th, 1989 he was shot and badly wounded by a dangerous fugitive who was wanted for questioning in connection with two separate murders. Detective Gunn fell into a coma and died on November 27, 1992.

Joseph T. Alcamo (1961-1994) was born in Queens, New York. In 1988, he became a New York City Police officer and was assigned to the 100th Precinct in the Rockaway Peninsula. On March 26, 1992, he was killed in a patrol car accident while responding to an emergency call. A plaque was dedicated in his honor on March 24, 1994. It is located in front of the Peninsula Library on Rockaway Beach Boulevard, across the street from the 100th Precinct. His badge number, 24524, was inscribed on the plaque. Officer Alcamo served for four years as a New York City police officer. He is survived by his spouse Milagros and daughter.

Saul Weprin (1927 - 1994) was an American attorney and politician. He was a member of the New York State Assembly and served as its Speaker from December 1991 until his death in 1994. Weprin was born to Jewish immigrants in Brooklyn and graduated from Brooklyn Law School in 1951, in the late 1950’s he became president of his co-op apartment board in Hollis, Queens, and in 1962 he became Democratic leader of the 24th Assembly District. In 1971, Weprin won in a run for the New York State Assembly and was re-elected many times remaining in the Assembly until he died in 1994. Weprin was an opponent of the death penalty and a supporter of abortion rights. He pushed the first gay rights bill through the Assembly, sought to increase state aid for schools in New York, and defended the state's Medicaid and welfare programs against cuts proposed by the Republican-controlled Senate.

Mary "Mae" Foley (1886-1967) shattered gender barriers within the NYPD, becoming one of its first female plainclothes detectives. Her pioneering work inspired over 2,000 women to join the force. She served from 1923 to 1945. Born in Manhattan's Lower East Side Gas House District to Irish and French immigrant parents, Mary Foley always aspired to a police career, even after marrying young and having children. As an adult, she resided at 30-16 82nd Street in Jackson Heights, Queens. Foley began her NYPD training in 1923 and joined the "Masher Squad," a unit dedicated to protecting women from predatory men. She was later assigned to detective work under Chief Inspector William Leahy, actively participating in raids with the Volstead Act enforcement squad (also known as the Bureau of Prohibition or Prohibition Unit). From 1925 to 1930, she was assigned to the 19th Precinct in Manhattan. In 1930, she transferred to the 108th Precinct in Queens, where she became a detective in the homicide division. During her career, Foley worked with Manhattan District Attorney Thomas Dewey, playing a crucial role in the successful conviction of Italian-born gangster Charles "Lucky" Luciano and exposing the pro-Nazi organization, the German American Bund. Foley also contributed to the war effort by helping to organize the Women's Volunteer Police Reserves during World War I, serving as its captain. Her legacy is documented in the book The Girls Who Fought Crime: The Untold True Story of the Country's First Female Investigator and Her Crime Fighting Squad by Mari Eder. In 2024, a street was named "Detective Mary "Mae" Foley Way" in her honor, due to its proximity to the former site of the NYPD's 108th Precinct.

Daniel Carter Beard (1850-1941) was a prominent Progressive-era reformer, outdoor enthusiast, illustrator, and author, and is considered one of the founders of American Scouting. His series of articles for St. Nicholas Magazine formed the basis for The American Boy's Handy Book (1882), a manual of outdoor sports, activities, and games that he wrote and illustrated. In addition, he authored more than 20 other books on various aspects of scouting. His work with author and wildlife artist Ernest Thompson Seton became the basis of the Traditional Scouting movement and led to the founding of the Boy Scouts of America in 1910. Beard was born on June 21, 1850, in Cincinnati, Ohio. When he was 11, his family moved across the Ohio River to Covington, Kentucky. The fourth of six children, he was the son of Mary Caroline (Carter) Beard and James Henry Beard, a celebrated portrait artist. In 1869, Beard earned a degree in civil engineering from Worrall's Academy in Covington and then worked as an engineer and surveyor in the Cincinnati area. In 1874, Beard was hired by the Sanborn Map and Publishing Company, and his surveying work led him to travel extensively over the eastern half of the United States. His family joined him in moving to New York City in 1878, and they settled in Flushing. From 1880 to 1884, Beard studied at the Art Students League, where he befriended fellow student Ernest Thompson Seton. Beard’s time there inspired him to work in illustration. His drawings appeared in dozens of newspapers and magazines, such as Harper's Weekly and The New York Herald, and he illustrated a number of well-known books, including Mark Twain’s A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (1889) and Tom Sawyer Abroad (1894). In 1894, he met and married Beatrice Alice Jackson, and together they had two children, Barbara and Daniel. His career led him into the magazine industry, and he became editor of the wildlife periodical Recreation in 1902. While at Recreation, he wrote a monthly column geared at youth, and in 1905, he founded the Sons of Daniel Boone to promote outdoor recreation for boys. By 1906, he had moved on to Women’s Home Companion and then to Pictorial Review three years later. In 1909, he founded Boy Pioneers of America, which merged together a year later with similar scouting groups, including Seton’s Woodcraft Indians, to become the Boy Scouts of America. In 1910, Beard founded Troop 1 in Flushing, one of the oldest continuously chartered Boy Scout Troops in the United States. Beard was one of the Boy Scouts’ first National Commissioners, holding the position for more than 30 years until his death. Affectionately known to millions of Boy Scouts as “Uncle Dan,” he served as editor of Boys’ Life, the organization’s monthly magazine, and he became an Eagle Scout at age 64. In 1922, he received the gold Eagle Scout badge for distinguished service, the only time the badge was awarded. Through his work with his sisters, Lina and Adelia Beard, who together wrote The American Girls Handy Book (1887), Beard also encouraged girls to take up scouting. He helped in the organization of Camp Fire Girls and served as president of Camp Fire Club of America. His autobiography, Hardly a Man Is Now Alive, was published in 1939, and Beard died at his home in Suffern, New York, on June 11, 1941. In 1965, his childhood home in Covington, Kentucky, became a National Historic Landmark. J.H.S. 189 Douglas Carter Beard is located at 144-80 Barclay Avenue in Beard’s former neighborhood of Flushing. Other sites in Flushing named for Beard include Daniel Carter Beard Mall and Daniel Carter Beard Memorial Square.

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

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.

Rose M. Singer (1896-1991) was a longtime jail reform activist and an original member of the New York City Board of Correction. She volunteered for the Board for more than three decades, beginning with its inception in 1957. In the early 1950s, she was founder and first president of the Friendly Visitors, a service group that helps women in prison. Singer was born in Brooklyn to Russian-immigrant parents Samuel Singer, a presser, and Molly (Cluhock) Singer. After graduating from Brooklyn College, she continued her studies at Columbia University, where she earned a master’s degree in child psychology. In 1956, she received an award for distinguished and exceptional service to New York City from Mayor Robert F. Wagner, Jr., in recognition of 20 years of volunteer work. A year later, Wagner appointed her as one of nine members to the Board of Corrections, a newly formed volunteer citizen watchdog group formed to assist the Department of Corrections with managing and planning and to serve in a monitorial role on behalf of the public. Singer continued to serve on the Board until her death in 1991, when she was the last of the original nine. Active in civic affairs, Singer fulfilled many roles, serving at various times as chairwoman of the voluntary advisory council to the Department of Correction, chairwoman of the executive committee of the Women's Prison Association, vice chairwoman of the Citizens Union of the City of New York, and trustee of the National Conference of Christians and Jews. At their 50th anniversary celebration in 1977, the National Conference of Christians and Jews named Singer as one of 50 Women of Achievement. On June 20, 1988, a ribbon cutting ceremony was held to dedicate a new $100 million jail for women on Rikers Island as the Rose M. Singer Center in Singer’s honor. Singer died of heart failure at her home in Manhattan on March 14, 1991. She was survived at the time by three sons (Ronald, Edward, and Martin), seven grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

Laura Almeida Egas (d. 2017) a native of Ecuador, moved to Queens with her young children in 1975. She began work as a seamstress and soon organized coworkers and learned labor laws to demand they be paid the appropriate wage and have better working conditions - a fight she won. When Almeida became involved as a parishioner at the Most Precious Blood church, her work to support fellow congregants who were unable to attend mass showed her that many needed more than prayers. She recruited other members to help get them, and members of the greater community, to their doctors, get them food and clean their homes. Almeida was well known for her extensive community service, particularly amazing as she was a single parent of three daughters, including Queens Supreme Court Justice Carmen Velasquez.

Frank Joseph McManus (1948-1968) was killed in action in Dau Tieng, Vietnam, on September 17, 1968, at the age of 20. He had been in Vietnam for only six weeks when the helicopter transporting his unit back from a scouting patrol was struck by heavy fire as it landed. The first man out of the helicopter was wounded. Private McManus, despite the intense fire, left the helicopter to try and help him. McManus wrote from Vietnam that the men in his platoon were like his brothers. He had many friends and was always there for them. He was proud to wear his uniform and loved his country. He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star. McManus grew up in Queens on 80th Street, near Ditmars Boulevard. He attended Our Lady of Fatima Parochial School and Bryant High School in Queens. In December 1975, seven years after his death, residents of his Queens community erected a small stone monument at 81st Street and Ditmars Boulevard, around the corner from his family's home, at the park where Frank McManus played as a child. The inscription reads: "A Community Remembers." The following passage is from a message that Agnes and Peter McManus, his parents, wrote at his entry on “The Wall of Faces”: "The community erected a beautiful memorial stone in his memory near his home. LaGuardia Airport donated the Frank McManus Park... Every Memorial Day, we fly up to New York to attend the Memorial for Frankie and all the Boys who lost their lives for the Freedom of our Country. I am a Gold Star Mother who is very proud."

George J. Ryan (1872 – 1949) was the President of the Board of Education in Queens in the 1930s. In the 1940s, after his time as president, he advocated for a school in Fresh Meadows, a newly built community after World War II. Plans for the construction of this school were announced in 1952. In honor of his contribution, the school was named after him. Ryan was born and raised in Queens and spent his entire life there. Aside from his role as Board President, Ryan was very active in Democratic politics, and was also president of Long Island City Savings Bank and the Queens Chamber of Commerce.

James J. Lanza (1945-2017) served in the United States Navy during the Vietnam War and later became a member of FDNY’s Engine 53, Ladder 43, known as ‘El Barrio’s Bravest.’ On September 11th, he and other firefighters pulled 16 people out of the rubble alive. During his 30 years with FDNY, he assisted in the search-and-recovery mission in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina; served on the board of the FDNY Fire Family Transport Foundation; and volunteered at the Red Cross. He died as a result of 9/11-related cancer.

Peter’s Field is named for two of the city’s most prominent historical figures: Peter Stuyvesant (1610-1672) and Peter Cooper (1791-1905). Peter Stuyvesant, a Calvinist minister’s son, born in The Netherlands, joined the Dutch West India Company at the age of 22. After becoming the director of the company’s Caribbean colonies of Curaçao, Aruba, and Bonaire in 1643, Stuyvesant led a victorious attack on the island of Saint Martin; he gravely injured his right leg and was forced to have it amputated. The wooden leg he wore from then on earned him the nickname “Old Peg-Leg.” Stuyvesant arrived in New Amsterdam in 1647 as the Director General of New Netherland and quickly worked to limit the sale of liquor, enforce his own church’s domination, and persecute Lutherans, Quakers, and Jews. Stuyvesant bought a farm, the Bouwerie (the namesake of the Bowery), in 1651, and built his home, White Hall, in 1655 at what is now the intersection of Whitehall and State Streets. Often remembered as a violent despot, Stuyvesant also encouraged commerce and helped form New Amsterdam’s municipal government until the British seized New Netherland in 1664. Following his withdrawal from public life, he retired to his farm where he lived until his death in February 1672.  New York City native Peter Cooper, an inventor with little formal education, began his career as a cloth cutter during the War of 1812. After becoming a prosperous glue manufacturer, Cooper built the country’s first steam engine, the Tom Thumb, at his Canton Iron Works factory in Baltimore. Deeply involved in New York City politics, he worked to disentangle the fire and police departments from their political connections, to supply better water and sanitation, to improve prison conditions and to provide the poor with public education. The namesake of the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art (formed between 1857 and 1859), Cooper was an unsuccessful presidential candidate in 1876, when he ran on the Greenback ticket.

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

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.

Doris “Dorie” Miller (1919 – 1943), was a World War II hero who shot down several enemy planes during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. He was the first African American recipient of the Navy Cross for valor. Miller joined the US Navy on September 19, 1939, at age 19 and was assigned to the Messman Branch. At the time, African Americans were limited to positions on supply ships. The easy-going serviceman was described as an impressive 200 lbs., and over 6 feet tall. On December 7, 1941, he was assigned as a Mess Attendant aboard the ammunition supply ship Pyro anchored in Pearl Harbor. In the Japanese attack that day, the Pyro was struck by at least six torpedoes and two bombs. Miller, leaving his post, raced to his ship commander Captain Mervyn Bennion, who was mortally wounded. After helping move the captain to a safer place, Miller, in the midst of bombing and a flame-swept deck, proceeded to help pass ammunition to two machine gun positions. When one of the gunners was killed, Miller took over his position and he downed at least two Japanese planes and as many as six. Shortly after, he was ordered to leave the bridge as bombing and danger increased. Dorie Miler was awarded the Navy Cross by Admiral Chester W. Nmitz to become the first US Hero of WW II and the first African American to receive the Navy's highest award. Two years later, on November 24, 1943, Miller was among more than seven hundred crew members who died in the sinking of the USS Liscombe Bay, torpedoed by an enemy submarine. In his honor, the Navy named a Knox class frigate ship the USS Miller. In December 1953, the first of three hundred families moved into the six buildings of the Dorie Miller Housing Cooperative. 34th Avenue between 112th and 114th is known as Dorie Miller Place.

Conrad Poppenhusen (1818-1883) was an early developer of College Point, Queens and a local entrepreneur and philanthropist.  Born in Hamburg, Germany on April 1, 1818, he emigrated to the United States in 1843. He started a whalebone processing plant in Brooklyn and then manufactured rubber goods, eventually moving his firm to Queens, then a farming village. Poppenhusen developed the Village of College Point, which was formed in 1870, to accommodate his factory workers. In 1868, he also opened the Flushing and North Side Railroad, connecting College Point to New York City. At the same time, he founded the Poppenhusen Institute, which was comprised of a vocational high school and the first free kindergarten in the United States. It is still in existence today.  After Poppenhusen retired in 1871, his family lost much of its fortune due to financial mismanagement by his three sons. He died in College Point on December 12, 1883. The bronze memorial was created by Henry Baerer (1837-1908). Baerer, born in Kirscheim, Germany, came to the United States in 1854. He created six sculptures in New York City Parks, including statues of Ludwig von Beethoven in Prospect and Central Parks.

English explorer and navigator Henry Hudson (1575-1611) is credited as the first European to “discover” the North River, later named for him. On September 2, 1609, Hudson, the captain of the Dutch ship Halve Maen (Half Moon), directed his ship to drop anchor in the lower bay of what is now known as New York Harbor. Henry Hudson had been hired by the Dutch East India Company to find a sea route through North America to the Far East. The ship sailed up the river that now bears his name, docking off Spuyten Duyvil and attempting travel even further upstream before abandoning the quest, realizing that the river was narrowing. Hudson’s last voyage was in 1611 when, after discovering Hudson’s Bay and claiming it for England, his crew mutinied and cast him adrift. The Dutch East India Company soon afterward establish an outpost that became New Netherland, and eventually the metropolis we know as New York.

Patrol Officer Phillip Cardillo (1941 - 1972) was an NYPD police officer assigned to the 28th Precinct in Harlem. On April 14, 1972, he and his partner, Patrol Officer Vito Narvarra, responded to what would later be determined to be a false call about an officer in distress. The officers arrived at the location, a Nation of Islam mosque in Harlem, and they entered to investigate. While inside, both officers were severely beaten. Cardillo was shot with his own gun, and he died six days later. A suspect was later arrested, but no conviction was obtained, and the case remains open to this day. Navarra went on to achieve the rank of first grade detective, completing 27 years of service in the NYPD before he retired in 1995. Born in New York City, Cardillo was the son of Frank J. and Helen E. Cardillo. His father worked as a platform man for a trucking company. In 1963, Cardillo married Claudia Reese, and the couple had three children. He joined the NYPD in 1967 and was partnered with Navarra a year later. On his death in 1972, Cardillo was survived by his wife and children. He is buried at Calvary Cemetery in Woodside. On October 19, 2015, a dedication ceremony was held to co-name the intersection of 28th Avenue and Ulmer Street, in front of the New York Police Academy in College Point, as Ptl. Phillip Cardillo Way. In 2025, the northeast corner of the same intersection was co-named for Navarra as Detective Vito Navarra Way, reuniting the fellow officers and partners at a place symbolic of their service.

Paul Raimonda (1922–1988) was a community leader and lifelong resident of Long Island City. He served as the head of the Astoria Heights Homeowners and Tenants Association, an organization he founded in 1971 to provide residents with a unified voice. A graduate of P.S. 126 and William C. Bryant High School, Raimonda served four years in the Army Air Corps during World War II. While he was an active member of the Long Island Seneca Club, he is best known for his leadership in the 1980 campaign to block a state takeover and expansion of Rikers Island. Raimonda also served on Community Board 1 and the Liberty Regular Democratic Club. In April 1987, the Italian American Regular Democratic Association of Queens named him "Man of the Year," an honor that included recognition from Governor Mario Cuomo.