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.

As we celebrate our 130th anniversary, we reaffirm our commitment to the diverse people of Queens and to providing free access to information and opportunity for all. The Library’s long legacy as a cornerstone of democracy remains as vital now as ever, and we look forward to a future rooted in connection, community, growth, and understanding. This collection spotlights individuals featured in the Queens Name Explorer who have worked for, supported, or in other ways impacted QPL and our communities. Join us in celebrating this milestone! Learn more at Queens Public Library.

Oswaldo Gómez (1953-2018), more widely known as "Ms. Colombia," was a beloved Queens cultural icon. In Jackson Heights, locals affectionately called her La Paisa (for the region where she was born in Medellín, Colombia). Gómez was renowned for her vibrant presence, flamboyant style, and commitment to living authentically, which was evident in her colorfully dyed beard, extravagant outfits, and striking headdresses. Ms. Colombia was often found attending local parades and festivals throughout New York City and was especially well known at the Queens Pride Parade. She was also a fixture at Riis Beach in Rockaway, accompanied by her parrot Rosita and small poodle Cariño, both of whom were dyed and dressed to match her colorful style. Gómez worked as a lawyer in Colombia before coming to New York in 1975, driven by a desire for freedom of expression and to escape anti-LGBTQ+ persecution. She attended York College and received a degree in law. In 1988, Gómez tested positive for HIV/AIDS and was told she only had a year to live. As a result, she gave up educational and career ambitions. Instead, she decided to focus on living exactly as she wanted, embracing a colorful and public persona that brought joy to countless New Yorkers for the next 30 years. Ms. Colombia, who used she and he pronouns interchangeably, was gay but disliked definitions and wanted to be free to express herself. She loved New York because she felt free to live the life she wanted. In 2018, at age 64, Ms. Colombia was found in the waters off Jacob Riis Park, most likely a victim of the area's riptides. Hundreds of Queens residents gathered in Jackson Heights to mark her life, and a memorial was placed at Riis Beach. Though usually associated with the LGBTQ+ community in Jackson Heights, she had long lived in Elmhurst. In 2025, a local law was approved to name the intersection near her home at Elmhurst Avenue and Broadway "Oswaldo Gómez 'Ms. Colombia' Way" in honor of the joy she brought to the community.

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.

Dr. James Darius Dillingham (1865-1939) was an educator and school administrator whose 40-year career included 34 years of service as the first principal of Newtown High School. He was a defender of co-education in secondary school, arguing that it played a crucial role in readying students for adult life. An innovator in the field of vocational training, Dillingham instituted the only course in agriculture in any New York City high school while at Newtown. In addition, he sponsored a four-year music course and established other courses in subjects like merchandising. Serving as principal until 1935, he retired from Newtown High School at the age of 70. Dillingham was born in Berkley, Massachusetts, to Ajes D. and Lucinda I. (Harris) Dillingham. He attended Bristol Academy in Taunton, Massachusetts (now the Old Colony History Museum), and graduated from Amherst College in 1887. He was admitted to the Massachusetts bar, but preferring teaching to law, he continued his studies at the School of Pedagogy at New York University, graduating in 1892. Dillingham began his teaching career in Toms River, New Jersey, and later taught in Jersey City. In 1894, he came to Queens, where he became the first principal of Corona High School. On August 7, 1901, he married Harriet Mahaffy of Salem, New York, a teacher and vice principal who also served two years as assistant principal at P.S. 16 in Corona. In 1898, Corona High School merged with what was then Newtown Union School to form Newtown High School, and Dillingham took over as principal. He obtained significant support for the school during his tenure, with funds allocated for two major construction projects, one in 1920 for $1,250,000 and another expansion effort in 1932 for $900,000. Beginning with 60 students, the school was serving more than 8,000 students by the time Dillingham retired in 1935. Dillingham and his wife lived at 41-47 Denman Street in Elmhurst, and she predeceased him in 1933. Active in civic affairs, he served as a director of Corona National Bank, a trustee of Elmhurst Presbyterian Church, and in several fraternal organizations including the Masons, Elks, and Odd Fellows. When Dillingham retired, he returned to live on the family homestead, a 200-acre farm in Berkley, where he was joined by his brother, John. On August 3, 1939, he died at the Rhode Island Hospital in Providence at the age of 73. A marker commemorating Dillingham’s 34 years of service as principal stands at Newtown High School, located at 48-01 90th Street in Elmhurst.

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.

Admiral David Dixon Porter (1813-1891), for whom both the park and the adjacent Public School 94 are named, was born in Chester, Pennsylvania. He followed in his father’s footsteps and joined the United States Navy. During the Civil War, Porter served under Admiral Farragut during the capture of New Orleans. Later, as the commander of the Mississippi River Squadron, he joined General Ulysses S. Grant in the historic Vicksburg Campaign and was promoted to rear admiral, one rank below full admiral. In January 1865, Porter directed the bombardment of Fort Fisher in Wilmington, North Carolina. Porter was promoted to full admiral after Farragut’s death in 1870, and he remained the most senior officer in the Navy for the next 21 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 Sy Seplowe, a community activist and youth advocate who founded the Little Neck-Douglaston Youth Club and was a founding member of Community Board 11. In 1985, Parks renamed the property Admiral Park; however, the playground within the park continues to be known as Sy Seplowe Playground (see separate entry). The park’s nautical theme was inspired by Admiral Porter’s career in the U.S. Navy. The nautical motif is especially evident in the spray shower, a magnificent, 15-foot-tall sea serpent.

Charles Dillon “Casey” Stengel (1890-1975) was a Baseball Hall of Famer and former New York Mets manager. During his playing career, he played outfield for both New York National League teams, the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants, with a career batting average of .284. After retiring, he managed the New York Yankees from 1949 to 1960. This team, featuring the batting power of Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris, won ten pennants and seven World Series championships. Stengel then went on to become the first manager of the expansion Mets team from 1962 to 1965. He was known for his witty remarks and aphorisms and beloved as a New York baseball icon. After a $55 million renovation, the former Flushing Depot was renamed the Casey Stengel Depot in 1992. The bus depot stands opposite the entrance to the New York Mets' Citi Field stadium.

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.

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

More info coming soon. If you have information about a named place currently missing from our map, please click on "Add/Edit" and fill out the form. This will help us fill in the blanks and complete the map!

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

Joseph William Ricevuto (1933 – 2021), a longtime Jackson Heights resident and civic leader, was a beloved member of the community. Ricevuto was born and raised in the Bronx and moved to Jackson Heights in 1960. He served in the United States Army and fought in the Korean War. He later established William Hair Stylist barbershop on the corner of 37th Avenue and 86th Street, where he worked until retiring in 2002, and cut hair on a part time basis thereafter. He was known for his years of civic leadership in the Jackson Heights community. He was the long-time president and organizer of the Men and Women's Club of Jackson Heights, a group that helped address the isolation older adults often suffer by bringing them together regularly for a warm meal and conversation. Ricevuto was also the president of the Jackson Heights Beautification Groups Garden Club. As president, he planted flowers along Jackson Heights' 37th Avenue year after year, thereby beautifying the neighborhood's commercial corridor. Ricevuto regularly participated in the March of Dimes, raising thousands of dollars to support women and infant health. He loved to entertain children, which is why he marched in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade dressed as a clown for many years. Ricevuto was a devout Roman Catholic and was active as a lay leader in the Church. He was a proud member of the Knights of Columbus, the Catholic War Veterans and the Holy Name Society. He also served as an usher at St. Joan of Arc Church, his local parish in Jackson Heights.

Robert F. Kennedy (1925-1968) was a lawyer and politician who served in the administration of his brother, President John F. Kennedy, as attorney general and a key presidential advisor from 1961 to 1963. In that time, Robert fought organized crime and was an instrumental supporter of the Civil Rights movement. He left the administration in 1964, the year following President Kennedy’s assassination. From 1965 to 1968, Robert represented New York in the U.S. Senate, where he continued to advocate for human rights and the economically disadvantaged, while opposing racial discrimination and the nation’s deepening involvement in the Vietnam War. On June 5, 1968, while campaigning in Los Angeles for the Democratic presidential nomination, Kennedy was shot several times by gunman Sirhan Sirhan. He died the following day at age 42. Born in Brookline, Massachusetts, Robert was the seventh of nine children born to businessman and financier Joseph P. Kennedy and Rose (Fitzgerald) Kennedy, the daughter of the mayor of Boston. After serving in the navy in World War II, Robert graduated from Harvard in 1948 and earned his law degree from the University of Virginia in 1951. In 1950, he married Ethel Skakel, and the couple had eleven children together. Following law school, Robert joined the U.S. Department of Justice’s Criminal Division, leaving in 1952 to manage his brother John’s successful campaign for the U.S. Senate from Massachusetts. In 1953, Robert was an assistant counsel to the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, headed by Joseph R. McCarthy, but left the position because of his opposition to unjust investigative tactics. In 1957, he began to help investigate corruption in trade unions as Chief Counsel for the Senate Rackets Committee, resigning in 1960 to help run his brother’s presidential campaign. Robert is buried in Arlington National Cemetery, adjacent to the gravesite of President Kennedy. Located on the campus of Queensborough Community College, Robert F. Kennedy Hall houses the Athletics Department and includes a fitness center, gymnasium, and near Olympic-sized aquatic center. Just months prior to his assassination, Senator Kennedy was invited to speak on campus and addressed a packed gymnasium on January 10, 1968. A dedication ceremony was held on May 18, 1969, at the building to name it in Kennedy’s honor. Other locations in Queens also named in recognition of his public service are Robert F. Kennedy Bridge (formerly the Triborough Bridge) and Robert F. Kennedy Community High School in Flushing.

Lt. Peter Chappetto (1919 – 1944), an Astoria resident, was a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army who was killed in action during World War II. Born in Astoria, he was a standout athlete in baseball and basketball at William Cullen Bryant High School in Long Island City and played for several semi-professional teams in Astoria after graduating. He enlisted with the Army in early 1941, and in 1944 was commissioned as an armored corps officer in the Pacific Theater. During the invasion of Palau at the Battle of Angaur, he was seriously wounded on September 26, 1944, but still managed to direct his platoon to safety. He died later that day and was buried at sea. He was posthumously awarded a Purple Heart, a Silver Star and a presidential citation.

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

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

The Hell Gate Lighthouse stood on the seawall of this site from 1907 to 1982.

Queens Public Library Connection Dr. Carter G. Woodson (1875–1950) was an educator, historian, philosopher, journalist, and mentor to African American scholars. Known as the “Father of Black History,” Woodson founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History in 1915, now called the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). Inspired by his belief that it is necessary for a race to have a history or it will be made insignificant, and that the study of African American history would make for a better society, he founded Negro History Week in 1926. Woodson chose February to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, and this yearly celebration of Black history and culture is now recognized as Black History Month. Woodson was born in New Canton, Virginia, to James Henry and Anne Eliza (Riddle) Woodson. His parents were formerly enslaved, and Woodson was the fourth of their seven children. In his childhood, he worked as a sharecropper, miner, and other jobs to help support his family. In 1892, he moved with his brother to West Virginia, where he worked in the coal mines. Woodson began his studies at Frederick Douglass High School in Huntington at the age of 20 and graduated in less than two years. In 1903, he earned a bachelor's degree in literature from Berea College in Kentucky. For the next four years, Woodson served as an education superintendent for the U.S. government in the Philippines. In 1908, he was awarded a second bachelor’s along with a master’s in European history from the University of Chicago. In 1912, he earned his doctorate in history from Harvard University, becoming the second African American, after W.E.B. Du Bois, and the first child of formerly enslaved people in the United States to earn a PhD. In 1916, he founded The Journal of Negro History, now named The Journal of African American History, a scholarly publication of the ASALH. He served as principal of the Armstrong Manual Training School in Washington, D.C., in 1918, and left a year later to become the dean of the School of Liberal Arts and head of the graduate faculty at Howard University. From 1920 to 1922, he filled the role of dean at West Virginia State College (now West Virginia State University). Woodson formed the Associated Publishers Press in 1921, which he ran out of his home in Washington, D.C. The business served as an outlet for works by him and his fellow Black scholars. In 1937, he created the Negro History Bulletin (now the Black History Bulletin) to help educators teach African American history. Woodson was active in civil rights as a lifelong member of both the NAACP and the National Urban League. His many published works include The Education of the Negro Prior to 1861 (1915), A Century of Negro Migration (1918), The Negro in Our History (1922), and the Mis-Education of the Negro (1933). He died on April 3, 1950, in his home in Washington, D.C., and is buried at Lincoln Memorial Cemetery in Suitland, Maryland. In 1976, his home was designated as a National Historic Landmark. Initiated by Miss Gertrude McBrown and Mrs. Ruby A. Carter, officers of the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (now the ASALH), the Carter G. Woodson Reference Collection of African American Culture and Life was dedicated at the Queens Central Library in May 1968. Located on the Library’s main floor, it has grown to be a more-than-4,000 volume reference collection covering many aspects of African American culture and life.

Police Officer Anthony F. Mosomillo (1962-1998) served the NYPD for more than 14 years, and was killed in the line of duty while attempting to serve a bench warrant on a parolee who had failed to appear in court. Born in Brooklyn on January 30, 1962, Mosomillo graduated from Lafayette High School in 1981, then joined the NYPD in 1984. He met his second wife, Margaret, on a blind date in 1988, and the couple married four years later. Their family moved to Glendale in 1996, though he continued to work for precincts in Brooklyn, and is said to have returned to Bensonhurst for haircuts and bagels. Mosomillo was a warrants officer at Brooklyn's 67th Precinct on May 26, 1998, when he and his partner, Officer Miriam Sanchez-Torres, went to arrest Jose Serrano at his East Flatbush apartment, because Serrano had missed a court date following an arrest on a minor drug charge, violating the terms of his parole. When the officers arrived and found Serrano, a gunfight ensued, Serrano having reportedly gotten a hold of Sanchez-Torres' gun, and Mosomillo and Serrano fatally shot one another. Officer Sanchez-Torres carried Officer Mosomillo out of the apartment and drove him to the hospital. More than 14,000 police officers and state troopers attended Mosomillo's funeral, which was held at Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Church in Ridgewood—the same church where he had married Margaret six years before. In addition to his wife, Mosomillo left behind two daughters, Marie and Francesca, and his brother, Salvatore. Francesca followed in her father's footsteps, joining the NYPD in 2019, gaining the rank of detective in 2024. She was issued her father’s old police officer’s shield number, 20316, on her badge. An area of basketball and handball courts in Dyker Beach Park in Brooklyn are also named for Mosomillo. Then-Mayor Rudolph Giuliani dedicated the Anthony Mosomillo Memorial Courts on Bay Eighth Street and Cropsey Avenue in 1999, not long after the Mayor and the Police Commissioner honored Mosomillo by presenting his family with the Medal of Honor, the highest honor bestowed by the Police Department. City Councilmember Joann Ariola proposed this street co-naming in 2024. It was dedicated on November 22, 2024.

Ann Juliano Jawin (1922 - 2019) a Douglaston resident, was an educator, author and activist who was part of the Second Wave of women’s liberation in the 1970’s and a very active member of her community. Jawin was the founder of The Center for the Women of New York (CWNY). Ann Juliano Jawin was born in Barnesboro, Pennsylvania on May 29, 1922. Her family moved to Brooklyn, NY when she was a child and she remained a New York resident. She attended Hunter College, and soon after met her future husband Edward H. Jawin (d. 2008). Ms. Jawin began her career as a high school teacher and became a Guidance Counselor. She was always active in political movements including opposition to the Vietnam War and support for civil rights and the rights of Italian-Americans and women. Ann and Edward Jawin were founding members of the Bay Terrace Civic Association and the Doug-Bay Civic Association. She was very active in local democratic politics. She served as a State Committeewoman and ran for the NY State Senate against Frank Padavan. She joined the National Organization for Women and became Chair of the Task Force for Education and Employment. In 1979 she published “A Woman's Guide to Career Preparation: Scholarships, Grants, and Loans”. In 1987 Ms. Jawin founded the Center for the Women of New York (CWNY), a voluntary, non-profit organization in Queens that is a one-stop, walk-in resource center for women. CWNY focuses on issues impacting women, including domestic violence, sexual harassment, healthcare, employment, crime prevention and victims’ services. Over the years, the programs have grown to include a weekly Job Readiness Workshop, career counseling, a help line, a Legal Assistance Clinic, a Money Management Clinic, Support Groups for crisis situations and life issues, instruction in computers and other job training courses. CWNY’s new location in Fort Totten, Queens will allow resumption of programs in self-defense, English as a Second Language, General Equivalency Diplomas, and a Walking Club. Ms. Jawin was honored by the New York City Police Department at its 3rd annual women's history month breakfast at the NYC Police Museum on March 14, 2012 and was featured in the Veteran Feminists of America (VFA) Pioneer Histories Project. News of Jawin’s death came less than a month after she celebrated the grand opening of a brand-new women’s center in Fort Totten. Members of the community expressed condolences for the pioneer who dedicated her life to women’s equality and empowerment. Ann was an outspoken activist who, for decades, devotedly dedicated herself to improving the lives of all women throughout the City of New York. “Ann was a tenacious and unstoppable trailblazer who devoted her life to empowering women and never took no for an answer. Just last month, she succeeded in her 16-year legal battle with the City to open CWNY’s beautiful new facility in Fort Totten, which is the only building completely dedicated to full equality for women between the New York metropolitan area and Seneca Falls. This new building will ensure that Ann’s unparalleled service and dedication to women’s rights will be remembered by our community for generations to come,” read a statement from the Jefferson Democratic Club.

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.

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.

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

Haym Salomon (1740-1785) was born in Leszno, Poland to a Jewish family. He immigrated to New York in 1772, where he worked as a businessman and financial broker. When the American Revolutionary War broke out, he strongly supported the patriots and joined the New York branch of the Sons of Liberty. He worked closely with Robert Morris, the Superintendent of Finance, and was the prime financier during the American Revolutionary War against Great Britain.

Lyndon B. Johnson was born on August 27, 1908 and grew up in rural Texas. Johnson served in the House of Representatives for six terms, from April 10, 1937 to January 3, 1949. He also served in the Senate from January 3, 1949 to January 3, 1961, becoming the youngest Minority Leader in Senate history in 1953, and then Majority Leader in the following year. As a Senator, one of Johnson’s greatest achievements was the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1957, the first civil rights law in 82 years. He also pushed the United States on space exploration. In 1961, he resigned to serve as Vice President for John F. Kennedy. After John F. Kennedy. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963, Johnson was sworn in on the same day, and became the 36th President of the United States. The next year he ran for President against Barry Goldwater and won with the widest popular margin in American history. In the wake of Kennedy’s assassination, Johnson resolved to finish what Kennedy was unable to complete. He pushed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 through the Senate, and moved on to focusing on his goal to “build a great society, a place where the meaning of man’s life matches the marvels of man’s labor”. His agenda included aid to education, a war against poverty, and the removal of obstacles to the right to vote. Although Johnson managed to achieve much of his agenda, one of his greatest obstacles was the Vietnam War. Johnson’s goal was to end Communist aggression, and while he pledged in his campaign to limit military involvement in Vietnam, he instead increased the number of U.S. troops. Along with the controversy surrounding the war, controversy around Johnson’s domestic policy also grew, as his Great Society failed to materialize and racial tensions increased significantly, especially in 1968, following the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. Tensions escalated, as did the casualties, and Johnson declared he would not run for re-election in the election of 1968, resolving to focus on achieving peace through negotiations. When he left office, peace talks had begun, but he died suddenly of a heart attack at his Texas ranch on January 22, 1973.

John Bowne (1627-1695) was an English emigrant who arrived in in New Netherland, or Vlissingen (now Flushing) in 1649. He fought against Governor Pieter Stuyvesant's edict to restrict religious freedom by allowing Quakers to meet in his home. Bowne was arrested, fined and imprisoned for months by Gov. Stuyvesant and even deported due to his religious activities, though he was later set free by the Directors of the West India Company. He returned to his home later and acquired more land, including that designated for the Flushing Quaker Meeting House and a burial ground, where he was buried upon his death in 1695. Flushing had the previous name of Flushing Creeke by the original inhabitants who lived there, the Matinecock people, part of the larger Algonquin nation. While the Matinecock people are said to have sold land to the Dutch, and possibly to Bowne as well, there was also documented violence against them prior to this, as well as a smallpox epidemic that devastated the community years later in 1652. Members of the Matinecock tribe remain in Queens today.

Murray Fox (1927-2015) served in the United States Navy and later was a long-time Sunnyside resident who was active in the Kiwanis Club of Sunnyside for over 20 years serving as president for a number of those years. He also served as the Kiwanis Club Lt. Governor of the Queens West Division. He also operated Fox’s Variety Store on the north side of Greenpoint Avenue and was very involved with charitable events throughout the community.

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

Luis Alvarez (1965-2019) was a retired NYPD bomb squad detective who died from complications of cancer linked to 9/11-related illness. He worked with other first responders during the search and rescue operation at Ground Zero. He also worked tirelessly for an extension of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund. Shortly before his death, Alvarez, alongside television host Jon Stewart, testified before a House Judiciary subcommittee in Washington to replenish the fund.

Adelaide Connaughton (1958-2018) was an intern for then Assistant Queens District Attorney, Geraldine Ferraro when she was just 15. She went on to work for several elected officials, including the first lesbian Latina member of the New York City Council, Margarita Lopez. Prior to joining the staff of Council Member Lopez, she was a Lieutenant in the Fire Department's Emergency Medical Service and retired after 20 years of service. She was a Senior Entitlement Specialist for the Fortune Society, a non-profit providing formerly incarcerated individuals with the supportive services needed to thrive as contributing members of society. She also worked at the non-profit Safe Space, helping homeless LGBT youth to obtain supportive care. She fought for progressive causes important to the LGBT community and all New Yorkers and served on the Board of Governors of the Stonewall Democratic Club of NYC and the Executive Board of AIDS Center of Queens County (ACQC). She was also a founding Vice-President of the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club. From 2012 to 2018, Adelaide and her West Highland Terrier, Elvis, participated in a therapy dog program at two hospitals in the North Bronx. Elvis and Adelaide were the first dog/human team to receive an Auxiliary Award from NYC Health and Hospitals.

The Persia Campbell Dome as it was being constructed; the building opened in 1962.

Nancy Lucia Cataldi (1953- 2008) was a life-long Richmond Hill resident, co-founder and president of the Richmond Hill Historical Society, and the historian for Maple Grove Cemetery. She was an active preservationist for the Victorian-era homes in Richmond Hill, Woodhaven, and Kew Gardens, and succeeded in securing the special designation of the Queens Historical Society’s “Queensmarks” for twelve local homes, thereby preserving their architectural and historic value. Cataldi was a graduate of Richmond Hill High School and the Fashion Institute of Technology, where she studied photography, and worked as a photographer for the New York Rangers, Rolling Stone Magazine, the New York Times, and People Magazine.

Private William Earl Gray (1947-1967), was a Corona resident who made the ultimate sacrifice for his country during the Vietnam War. Born in Stanton, Tennessee, Gray moved to New York with his family, including four sisters and five brothers, in 1956. He attended Brooklyn Automotive High School, where he enjoyed playing basketball. At 18, Gray enlisted in the U.S. Army. He served as a Private First Class with the 199th Light Infantry Brigade in Vietnam, beginning his tour of duty in December 1966. Tragically, he was severely wounded in combat in Gia Dihn, South Vietnam, in February 1967 and soon died from his injuries. The playground, located on 98th Street between Northern Boulevard and 32nd Avenue, officially came under the Parks Department's care in May 1967, when they obtained a permit from the Department of Real Estate. Its development was funded by a Federal Urban Beautification Demonstration Grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Edward Fisher (1904-1970), a neighbor, friend, and mentor to Gray, and a member of the East Elmhurst – North Corona Community Board 3, spearheaded the effort to name the park after Private Gray following his death. Mayor John V. Lindsay and Parks Commissioner August Heckscher attended the dedication ceremony in the summer of 1968. In 1990, the Parks Department installed new play equipment with safety surfacing, along with benches and plantings. However, the City did not officially transfer ownership of the property to the Parks Department until 1992.

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.

Malcolm X (1925-1965) was a civil rights activist and a prominent leader in the Black nationalist movement in the late 1950s and early 1960s. On February 21, 1965, while preparing to deliver a lecture at the Audubon Ballroom in Washington Heights, he was assassinated when several gunmen rushed the stage and shot him at close range. Three members of the Nation of Islam were tried and sentenced for his murder, though two were later exonerated. The Autobiography of Malcolm X, written by Malcolm X in collaboration with author Alex Haley and published posthumously, is considered a classic of American autobiographical literature. Born Malcolm Little in Omaha, Nebraska, he was the fourth of seven children of Reverend Earl Little, who worked as a local president and organizer for the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA), a Black nationalist group led by Marcus Garvey, and Louise (Norton) Little, a Grenadine-born American who worked as division secretary for the UNIA. His father’s work led to death threats from the Ku Klux Klan, forcing the family to relocate several times, and they eventually settled in East Lansing, Michigan. When Malcolm was six years old, his father died in what was officially ruled a streetcar accident, though he was possibly the victim of white supremacists. In 1939, his mother was committed to a mental institution. After living in foster homes for a period, Malcolm eventually moved to Boston. In 1946, he was arrested on charges of larceny and served time in prison, where he converted to the Nation of Islam and changed his name to Malcolm X. After his release in 1952, he began working with the movement’s leader, Elijah Mohammad, to expand membership nationwide. In 1958, Malcolm married Betty Sanders, and together the couple had six daughters. In 1964, Malcolm X left the Nation of Islam following disagreements with the leadership. He traveled widely in North Africa and the Middle East and underwent a second conversion to traditional Islam, changing his name to El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz. In 1965, he established the Organization of Afro-American Unity as a secular platform to unify Black Americans with the people of Africa and to build solidarity with the developing world by shifting the focus from civil rights to human rights. The Malcolm X Garden is located in North Corona at 33-02 112th Street and 111-26 Northern Boulevard. In addition to the Garden, Malcolm X Place in East Elmhurst is also named in his honor.

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

Walter Bowne (1770-1846), served as a State Senator and as New York City Mayor. As Mayor (1828-1832), Bowne is remembered for his strict policies aimed at preventing cholera epidemics. Following reports of an outbreak in a neighboring town during the summer of 1832, Bowne established a stringent quarantine policy regulating travel in and out of the metropolitan area. Bowne, like others of his time period, believed that cholera was spread through direct human contact. He required that all ships maintain a distance of at least 300 yards from municipal ports and that carriages remain at least 1.5 miles from the city limits. Bowne's well-meaning attempts to prevent a cholera outbreak failed, and hundreds of New Yorkers died of the disease. It was not until 1883 that the German physician Robert Koch discovered that cholera spreads through contaminated water or food. By that time, cholera epidemics had been largely contained by the construction of the Croton Aqueduct and the provision of clean water for consumption and bathing.

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

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.

Firefighter Michael F. Lynch (1968-2001) who grew up in Flushing and attended St. Michael's Catholic Academy there, died on September 11, 2001, during fire and rescue operations following the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. Among the guys at Ladder 4 in midtown, he was sometimes known as Prancer for the way he leapt about when a bell rang. Lieutenant Lynch of was last seen on 9/ 11 helping people trapped in an elevator in the lobby of 2 World Trade Center.

Justice Jenkin Hockert (1894-1990) was a long-time resident of Jamaica Estates. A graduate of Valparaiso University and Columbia Law School, he served in World War I as a 1st Lieutenant in the Army Air Corps. He was Queens County Clerk, City Magistrate, and Judge of the Civil Court before becoming a judge of the New York State Supreme Court. Hockert was a founding member and President of the Jamaica Estates Association.

Manuel Mojica Jr. (1964 – 2001) loved being a New York City firefighter and worked at Manhattan’s Squad 18 at the time of his death during the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center. Mojica grew up in the Ravenswood Houses and Queensview Co-op in Long Island City, he married and moved to Bellmore, L.I. and started a family. Mojica's nickname was “Manny Mo,” he loved going to the gym and riding his Harley. In addition to 11 years with the Fire Department, Mojica was a decorated Marine.

Ruth and John Kempisty met while serving in the Armed Forces during WWII and married shortly after the war in 1946. They settled in Maspeth and became members of Community Board 5. The Kempisty’s were very active in the community, some of the organizations to which they belonged include: the Maspeth Anti-Crime Task Force, the Anti-Sludge Group, the United Veterans and Fraternal Organizations of Maspeth, COP 104, COMET (Communities of Maspeth & Elmhurst Together), Kowalinski Post #4 (of which Ruth was the only woman veteran member), Graffiti Removal Special Interest Group, and the Juniper Park Civic Association. Ruth who passed away on October 29, 2013, served on a State Senate Veterans Advisory Commission; while John, who passed away on May 16, 2019, supported the annual Three Man Basket Ball Tournament in Frontera Park, by serving up hamburgers and hot dogs, and was a member of the Parks Service Committee of Community Board 5.

Harry Suna (1924-1992) was born in the Bronx. He worked for Todd Shipyard at age 17. After completing his apprenticeship, Suna joined the Central Sheet Metal Company and in 1946, at 22, became the company's secretary and treasurer. The next year, Suna established A. Suna & Company, which became a multimillion-dollar construction and sheet metal fabrication firm. He successfully developed more than 1,000 units of affordable housing throughout New York City. Suna visited the Silvercup building in December 1979 and purchased it for $2 million in 1980. His sons Stuart and Alan, who were architects, saw the potential for movie sound stages. Suna was chairman of Silvercup Studios, which he turned into New York City's leading film and TV production facility. He passed away suddenly just before his 68th birthday.

Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864) is one of the most well-known American novelists. He was born to a ship's captain and his wife in Salem, Massachusetts in 1804. His ancestors were staunch Puritans, supporting rigid religious worship, and his family's history served as inspiration for his most famous work, The Scarlet Letter. Hawthorne grew up in Salem and visited Maine for extensive periods of time during his youth, where he studied at Bowdoin College. He achieved early success writing short stories, and was later inspired by his Transcendentalist contemporaries, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry Thoreau. Other important works include The House of the Seven Gables and The Marble Faun. Hawthorne passed away in 1864.

Patricia Brackley (1940-1999) was an activist who focused her efforts on beautifying Rockaway. She was president of the Shore Garden Club of Belle Harbor and Neponsit and served as vice president of the Second District of the Garden Clubs of New York State. Born in New Kensington, Pennsylvania, Brackley graduated from Indiana’s Purdue University in 1961 and moved to New York to work as a schoolteacher. An expert florist in her own right, she became an accredited flower show judge and wrote a gardening column for her local newspaper, The Wave. Dedicated to the beautification of her Rockaway community, Brackley took it upon herself to renovate the neighborhood’s Cronston Triangle. With particular care, she designed plantings, seats and a sprinkler system for the park. Spending $10,000 from her own funds to make those designs become a reality, Brackley also helped beautify the nearby Beach Channel Drive median and worked with neighborhood storeowners along Beach 129 Street to plant trees and flowers in front of their establishments. After fighting cancer for several years, Brackley died in January 1999.

Margaret I. Carman (1890-1976) taught at Flushing High School for 44 years. she was instrumental in establishing the Flushing Freedom Trail to link the area’s rich heritage through its landmarks. Carman was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution and served as President of the Bowne House Historical Society for 10 years.

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

Samuel Coles Jackson (1827-1890) was an entrepreneur and landowner who was a member of the prominent Jackson family of Newtown in the present-day Jackson Heights and East Elmhurst areas of Queens. Jackson was the final owner of Jackson Mill, which was located at what is now the entrance to LaGuardia Airport where 94th Street crosses the Grand Central Parkway. First built in the mid-1650s by Dutch settlers, the mill was in operation until 1870. Jackson was one of three sons born to Thomas Birdsall Jackson and Martha (Coles) Jackson. Thomas was a lawyer, judge, and politician who served in the United States Congress from 1837 to 1841. In 1835, the family moved to Newtown to an area called Fish’s Point near Flushing Bay. The mill on their property, which was used to grind wheat and corn, was known by three names over the course of its more than 200 years in operation, including Kip’s Mill, Fish’s Mill, and finally, Jackson Mill. Once known as Trolley Triangle for the trolley that ran through the area, Jackson Mill Green is located at the intersection of 94th Street and Jackson Mill Road, between 23rd and 24th Avenues. Originally opened in 1950, the park was renamed as Jackson Mill Green in honor of Samuel Coles Jackson in 1997.

Samantha Smith (1972-1985) was an American peace activist during some of the most tense moments in the Cold War. Samantha Smith was born in Maine in 1972. In 1982, at 10 years old, she decided to write a letter to the then current Soviet Union Leader Yuri Andropov. Smith had listened to newscasters and watched science videos on the imposing threat of nuclear war. Feeling anxious about the global situation, Smith followed her mother's advice to reach out directly to the new leader of Soviet Russia. In the letter, Smith expressed her concern over the threat of war. She asked Andropov if he was planning to vote for there to be a war and "why he wanted to conquer the world." The letter was published in the Soviet newspaper "Pravda." Although Smith was excited that her letter was published, she had not yet received a response from Andropov himself. Therefore, Smith wrote a second letter, this time to the Soviet Ambassador to the United States, Anatoly Dobrynin, to ask why Andropov hadn't responded. In the spring of 1983, Andropov responded to her letter, assuring that he did not want to conquer the world and inviting Smith and her family to visit the Soviet Union. This letter gained national attention and although some were skeptical on Andropov's reasons for inviting Smith to the USSR, she ultimately decided to go and visited in July, 1983. Samantha was met with a warm welcome from the Russian public and media. During her two week stay in Russia, Smith visited Lenin’s grave, the Bolshoi Ballet, the Artek summer camp in Crimea, and met Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman to go to space. She met many people, including fellow children, many of whom had never met an American before. Her visit was widely covered by both Soviet and Western press. She was dubbed "America’s Youngest Ambassador." Upon her return to the United States, Smith appeared on many media outlets such as "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson," Disney Channel (where she interviewed Democratic presidential candidates), had many interviews, and began writing her own book. Smith described that Americans had been given the wrong impression of Soviet people. She reported that unlike how the Soviets were often portrayed, they wanted peace just as much as any American did. Smith also stated that the other children she met in Russia were just like some of the kids she knew in the United States. Overall, the experience was very positive for Smith and highlighted the humanity that exists no matter which country you are from. However, with this coverage, some questioned whether Samantha Smith was being used as a pawn by both governments. Yet some argue that by presenting and representing herself as a regular American girl, Smith evaded this mistrust. Additionally, although the goal of the invitation might have been to show Soviets as peace-loving and kind, the trip also brought a favorable light to Americans. Smith made it hard for both sides to continue villainizing each other. Samantha Smith's journey was inspirational and showed the power of human connection during war. However, her work had little impact on the increasing strain between the two governments. The relationship continued to deteriorate and nuclear war was still a massive threat. Through this turmoil, Smith was prepared to stay in the spotlight and stand as an example of what can be achieved through openness and curiosity. Tragically, Samantha Smith and her father were killed in a plane crash in 1985 on their way back to Maine. She was 13 years old. Both the United States and the Soviet Union mourned her passing. President Reagan sent a condolence letter to her mom and both American and Soviet officials attended her funeral in Maine. In total, about 1,000 people attended. She was also eulogized in Moscow as a champion of peace. Since her death, many places and things have been named in her honor. Such as a bronze statue in Augusta, Maine made in 1986, depicting Smith releasing a dove with a bear cub clinging to her legs. The bear cub represents both Russia and Maine, bears are considered iconic symbols of both areas, and the dove is an international symbol of peace. Additionally, in 1985, Soviet Russia released a stamp with Smith's face and name (in Russian) and named a diamond found in Yakutsk, Siberia after her. Following her death in 1985, her mother Jane Smith, founded the Samantha Smith Foundation. Over the course of a decade, The foundation organized summer visits for children, to and from the Soviet Union and its successor states. In 1986, Jane Smith accompanied 20 of Samantha Smith's classmates on a trip to Moscow to visit some of the site Samantha had also visited 3 years earlier. In 1988, Soviet children came to summer camp in Maine, and Maine children went to summer camp in Russia through the Foundation. Then in 1990 the Foundation hosted children from the Chernobyl fallout zone, many of them suffering radiation-induced health problems. The next year, in 1991, they...

Malcolm X (1925-1965) was a civil rights activist and a prominent leader in the Black nationalist movement. On February 21, 1965, he was assassinated by several gunmen while preparing to deliver a lecture at the Audubon Ballroom in Washington Heights. Three members of the Nation of Islam were convicted of his murder, though two were later exonerated. His posthumously published book, The Autobiography of Malcolm X, written with Alex Haley, is considered a classic of American autobiographical literature. Born Malcolm Little in Omaha, Nebraska, he was the fourth of seven children. His father, Earl Little, was a local president for the Black nationalist Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA), and his mother, Louise (Norton) Little, was a UNIA division secretary. His father’s activism led to death threats from the Ku Klux Klan, forcing the family to move several times before they settled in East Lansing, Michigan. When Malcolm was six, his father died in what was officially ruled a streetcar accident but was likely an act of white supremacists. In 1939, his mother was committed to a mental institution, and after a period in foster care, Malcolm moved to Boston. In 1946, he was arrested for larceny and served time in prison, where he converted to the Nation of Islam and changed his name to Malcolm X. After his 1952 release, he worked with the movement's leader, Elijah Mohammad, to expand its membership nationwide. He married Betty Sanders in 1958, and they had six daughters. In 1964, Malcolm X left the Nation of Islam due to disagreements with its leadership. He traveled extensively throughout North Africa and the Middle East, converting to traditional Islam and changing his name to El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz. In 1965, he founded the Organization of Afro-American Unity as a secular platform to unify Black Americans with Africans and build solidarity in the developing world by shifting the focus from civil rights to human rights. Malcolm X Place was named in his honor and is the block where his family lived from 1960 until his assassination in 1965. Their home on 97th Street between 23rd and 24th Avenues was firebombed a week before his death. The house, which was owned by the Nation of Islam at the time, is now privately owned. In addition to the Malcolm X Place, Malcolm X Garden on 112th Street in East Elmhurst is also named in his honor.

John Downing (1961-2001) was an 11-year veteran of the New York Fire Department, assigned to Ladder Company 163. He was one of three firefighters who died in the "Father’s Day Fire" in Astoria on June 17, 2001. Fifty others were injured. He was survived by his wife Anne and children Joanne and Michael. Downing had an extended family that ranged from Queens to Ireland. See the entry for Firefighters John Downing, Harry Ford and Brian Fahey Way.

Sal Anzalone (d. 2005) was much loved by his family, friends, neighbors and peers. He was a civic activist dedicated to the improvement of the Hunters Point area. Sal owned and operated the Cassino Restaurant in Long Island City for more than 40 years and was a fixture in the neighborhood. He served on Queens Community Board 2 from 1985 to the time of his death and founded the Hunters Point Community Development Corporation. The street co-named in his honor is adjacent to the former site of his restaurant.

Paul Ferrara (1969-2014) joined the New York City Police Department in June 1992, and began his career on patrol in the 81st Precinct located in Brooklyn. Immediately after the tragedy on September 11, 2001, he was assigned to Ground Zero for the recovery efforts and spent many weeks thereafter assisting with public safety. After serving the Bedford Stuyvesant /Stuyvesant Heights communities for 14 years, he was promoted to Sergeant in February 2006, and was subsequently assigned to the 110th Precinct. On his days off, he would often be assigned to the elite Patrol Borough Queens North Counterterrorism Unit. This unit is responsible for patrolling “sensitive locations” such as stadiums, malls and other terrorist target locations. During his career he was recognized twice for Excellent Police Duty. Ferrara died on August 28, 2014, as a result of 9/11-related illness.

Edward Irving Koch (1924-2013) was born in Crotona Park East in the Bronx, NY. He was the second of three children to Louis and Joyce Silpe Koch, Polish Jewish immigrants. His family then moved to Newark, NJ, where he was raised. Koch worked at a hat-and-coat check concession when he was just 9 years old. Later, he worked as a delicatessen clerk and attended South Side High School in Newark. He was president of his school debating society and enjoyed stamp collecting and photography. He graduated from high school in 1941. After Koch’s graduation, the family moved to Ocean Parkway in Brooklyn. Koch attended City College of New York and worked as a shoe salesman. He was drafted into the U.S. Army during World War II and earned two battle stars in Europe as a combat infantryman in the 104th Infantry Division (1943-1946). After the war, Koch went to New York University Law School and graduated in 1948. He took the New York Bar, practiced law (1949-1968) and became a founding partner of Koch, Lankenau, Schwartz, and Kovner in 1963. Then Edward Koch made a significant impact on New York City politics. He joined the Democratic Party and defeated power broker Carmine DeSapio to become the Greenwich Village district leader (1963 and 1965). He served on the City Council from 1966 to 1968 and in the U.S House of Representatives from 1969 until December 1977. In 1978, Koch became the 105th mayor of New York City, serving three terms. He was known for his intelligence, strong opinions and colorful personality. He supported gay rights, addressed the AIDS epidemic, reduced crime in the city, and helped resolve the city’s financial crisis. In honor of Koch’s 86th birthday, Mayor Michael Bloomberg proposed to rename the Queensboro Bridge after him. It was officially renamed on March 23, 2011. Ed Koch passed away on February 1, 2013, at the age of 88. The bridge itself was designed by engineer Gustav Lindenthal and architect Henry Hornbosted. Construction began in 1901 and it eventually opened to traffic on March 30, 1909. The Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge has upper- and lower-level roadways. Major renovations have been made over the years and in 1973 the bridge was designated as a national landmark.

In the course of his 25 years in politics, Joseph Addabbo (1925-1986) won much respect from his colleagues, constituents and community for his ability to be just, compassionate and effective. A lifelong resident of Ozone Park, he was educated at City College and St. John’s University, where he received his law degree in 1946. Addabbo began his career as a lawyer. First elected to represent the 6th District in Queens in 1960, Addabbo, a Democrat, was re-elected to Congress 12 times. He supported legislation to benefit the elderly, education, small businesses, veterans benefits, and appropriation of funds for economically depressed areas. As Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense (1979-1986), Addabbo played a powerful role in both shaping and challenging national defense policy. He worked to curb defense spending, sponsored legislation to halt the Vietnam War, and advocated a nuclear freeze while at the same time bolstering defense contracts for New York. Addabbo served in Congress until he died on April 10, 1986.

Queens Public Library Connection Peter Magnani (1938-2021) left an indelible mark on the built environment of Queens through his life’s work as an architect and city planner. He shepherded the creation of many of the most important public buildings in the borough over the past 35 years. Peter viewed all his projects through the lens of how they would promote the welfare and quality of life of the community. Fairness, equality and balance were his motivating principles. Queens is home to more green spaces, beautiful libraries and other architecturally noteworthy public buildings thanks to his vision and expertise. Peter started his career in the public sector in 1968 in the Bronx Office of City Planning, rising by 1977 to the position of director. In 1980, he assumed the same post at the Queens Office of City Planning, the borough where he was born and where he lived. In this role, Peter advocated for a mixed-zoning plan for Long Island City to protect the area’s factories and industrial production and the current owners of single-family homes from unchecked high-rise development. His plan permitted construction or expansion of light industry and one- and two-family houses. The plan also called for the preservation for public use of Long Island City’s waterfront, which was no longer heavily used by industry. With an eye to balance and job growth, Peter also got Planning Commission approval for the Citicorp Office Tower in Long Island City. His work set the stage for the current development of Long Island City. In 1986, Claire Shulman asked Peter to become her deputy. Over the next 16 years as deputy borough president, he planned and implemented the Queens West mixed-use waterfront development and championed the building of the new Queens Hospital Center, the Flushing Meadow Corona Park Olympic swimming pool and ice rink, the Queens Hall of Science addition and Queens Borough Public Library at Flushing. Following Peter’s advice, Shulman allocated funding in the 1990s to restore sections of the 34th Avenue median between 69th Street and Junction Boulevard that had been removed in the 1960s. In the spring of 2020, thanks in part to that green median bisecting the street, 34th Avenue became one of New York City’s most successful Open Street projects. In 2002, Peter became the director of capital program management for the Queens Borough Public Library. In that role, he oversaw the largest and most successful building program in the history of the library. The Children’s Library Discovery Center in Jamaica and notable new branch libraries in Long Island City, Glen Oaks, Elmhurst, Far Rockaway and Hunters Point were all built during his tenure. Peter was instrumental in the selection of Steven Holl and his “Beacon of Light” design concept for the new Hunters Point branch near the waterfront. In addition to the construction of new library buildings, he brought all the branches of the library system into the 21st century by installing machines that patrons could use to check out books on their own. Alongside his work as a city planner and builder, Peter played an instrumental role in the Towers Cooperative, his home of nearly 53 years in Jackson Heights. In the 1970s, he led a successful tenant-sponsored conversion of this complex of 120 rental apartments into a cooperative and became the founding president of the co-op’s board. Jackson Heights was referred to as the “Cocaine Capital” by New York Magazine at the time, and the success of the Towers conversion to co-op status helped stabilize the neighborhood. In 2010, the New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects awarded Peter its Public Architect Award for achieving architectural design excellence in the public realm.

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

Mary Sarro (1927 – 2012) was a beloved member of the Jackson Heights community, and Former District Manager of Community Board 3 for over 20 years. She served on the board of directors of the Jackson Heights Beautification Group, was a member of the board of the 115th Precinct Community Council, and helped clear the way for the boroughs first Lesbian and Gay Pride Parade in 1993.

Edgar Garzon (1966 – 2001), better known as "Eddie," was a young openly gay man and member of the Jackson Heights based organization Colombian Lesbian and Gay Association (COLEGA). Garzon was a creative talent who worked as a set designer and was known for his designs of floats for pride parades. Garzon was walking home from Friends Tavern, a local gay bar, in August 2001 when he was beaten in a hate attack. He died Sept. 4, 2001, after nearly a month in a coma.

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

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

Dr. Gregory Razran (1901-1973) was a psychology professor at Queens College from 1940 to 1972, serving as department chair for much of that time (1944-1966). Born in present-day Belarus, he was considered a leading authority on Russian psychological research, especially during the Soviet era. Razran came to the U.S. in 1920 and studied at Columbia University, receiving his Ph.D. in 1933. He continued at Columbia as a lecturer and research associate until joining the newly established Queens College. During World War II, he also served as a statistical consultant to the U.S. Office of Strategic Services. He was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1948, and in 1952, took a leave from Queens College to help establish the psychology department at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. In addition to his teaching and research at Queens, Razran was co-chair of the International Pavlovian Conference on Higher Nervous Activity in 1961, and published "Mind in Evolution: An East-West Synthesis of Learned Behavior and Cognition" in 1971. Razran retired from Queens College in 1972 to St. Petersburg, Fla., and tragically drowned there the following year. At the time of his death, he was Distinguished Professor at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg. His papers are housed at the Archives of the History of American Psychology at the University of Akron (Ohio). Razran Hall was erected in 1970 as the New Science Facility and renamed to honor Dr. Razran in 1994. Among other purposes, the building houses laboratories for the department of psychology.

In June, we celebrate African-American Music Appreciation Month by honoring the many notable Black musicians honored with place names in Queens.

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.

Queens Public Library Connection Rabbi I. Usher Kirshblum (1911-1983) served as the spiritual leader of the Jewish Center of Kew Gardens Hills in Queens, an association that began in 1946. Born in Bialystok, Poland, he immigrated to the United States as a child. He attended New Utrecht High School and graduated from Brooklyn College. Furthering his education at the Jewish Institute of Religion, he was ordained as a rabbi in 1944. Rabbi Kirshblum was active in numerous Jewish communal and Zionist organizations, including serving as membership chairman of the Zionist Organization of America and as a member of the Rabbinical Assembly of America, where he was a prominent voice against the ordination of women as rabbis. In 1971, he received an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. His community involvement extended beyond Jewish organizations; he was a board member of the Queens Legion of the National Conference of Christians and Jews and president of the Queens Interfaith Clergy Council. Additionally, he dedicated 33 years to the Board of Queens Public Library and 12 years to the NYS Advisory Committee for the Aging. Rabbi Kirshblum also served on the American Bicentennial Committee and the New York State Advisory Committee for the Aging. He passed away at the age of 71 due to heart failure while vacationing in Hollywood, Florida, in February 1983.

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

Detective Brian P. Simonsen (1976-2019) served with the NYPD for 19 years until he was tragically killed in the line of duty on February 12, 2019, while responding to an armed robbery. Simonsen was assigned to the 102nd Precinct of Richmond Hill and remained there for the entirety of his career with the NYPD. He held an active roll with the union (the Detectives’ Endowment Association), and was known to many as "Smiles." The corner of Jamaica Avenue and 118th Street, which leads to the 102nd Precinct, was named in his honor in 2022.

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.

Thurgood Marshall was born in 1908 in Baltimore, Maryland. His father was a railroad porter and steward and his mother a teacher. After graduating from Lincoln University, he was rejected from the all-white University of Maryland Law School, he attended Howard University Law School. He graduated at the top of his class in 1933, he went into private practice and worked on different civil rights suits. One successful suit was against the University of Maryland Law SchooL for denying a Black applicant solely based on race. Marshall worked for the NAACP first as a staff lawyer, then as a lead chair, and a few years later as the chief of the Legal Defense and Education Fund. He won 29 of the 32 cases the NAACP brought before the U.S. Supreme Court, which related to voting rights issues, segregation and more. His most famous case was Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka in which "separate but equal" as a justification for segregation was struck down. Marshall was later named U.S. solicitor general and nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court. Here he continued to advocate for change and justice for marginalized peoples throughout the United States. He retired with the nickname "the Great Dissenter," indicative of his continued commitment to advocacy even in the midst of a conservative court.

Felicia Hamilton (1939 -2011) worked at Fiduciary Trust International in the World Trade Center. She was killed in the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001.

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (1929-1994), born Jacqueline Lee Bouvier, was born to a wealthy family in New York. She attended boarding school and later, Vassar College where she studied abroad at the Sorbonne. She graduated from George Washington University and worked as a reporter and photographer following this. Jacqueline met Congressman John. F. Kennedy in 1951 and they married two years later. When John was elected in 1960, Jacqueline became the youngest first lady in many decades. She revolutionized the position and began inviting famous artists, actors, and intellectuals to the White House. She also played a large role in restoring the White House and cataloging its contents, as well as supporting a law to distinguish its furnishings as property of the nation. Over the course of her husband's presidency, Jacqueline Kennedy became known for her style, beauty, and ability to speak several languages. After witnessing her husband's assassination in 1963, she remarried five years later to Aristotle Onassis, a wealthy shipping magnate. Jacqueline returned to editing for some years and died in 1994 of non-Hodgkins lymphoma.

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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).

Archie Spigner (1928 - 2020) was a local politician who served for 27 years as a City Councilman for District 27 in southeast Queens, from 1974 to 2001, serving his last 15 years as deputy to the majority leader. He also served as the head of the United Democratic Club of Queens from 1970 until his death in 2020, a role in which he helped shape the borough’s Democratic Party leadership. During his tenure, he advocated for education, infrastructure, and the underserved community. Archie Hugo Spigner was born on Aug. 27, 1928, in Orangeburg, S.C., his family moved to New York when Archie was 7, and he grew up in Harlem. As a young bus driver engaged in union activism, Mr. Spigner drew the attention of the labor leader A. Philip Randolph, who charged him with forming a Queens branch of Mr. Randolph’s Negro American Labor Council. While looking for a meeting place for his group, Mr. Spigner met Mr. Kenneth N. Browne, who was running for the State Assembly, and who became the borough’s first Black member of the New York State Assembly and its first Black State Supreme Court justice. Mr. Browne took Mr. Spigner to the local Democratic club and introduced him to the district leader Guy R. Brewer, and Spigner’s career in Queens politics began. Mr. Spigner went on to attend college, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in political science from Queens College in 1972. Spigner went on to become a major power house in an area that reliably voted Democratic, a nod from Mr. Spigner all but assured election. He was known as “The Dean,” and considered “The Godfather of Politics” in southeastern Queens.  As a local-minded city councilman, Mr. Spigner helped shepherd the sale of the oft-criticized Jamaica Water Supply Company, New York City’s last privately owned waterworks, to the city government in 1997, bringing down costs for residents of southeast Queens. To spur local business, he successfully pushed for the construction of a permanent building for York College, part of the City University of New York, in the Jamaica section; a subway extension to downtown Jamaica; and a regional headquarters of the Social Security Administration.

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

Edward Charles "Whitey" Ford (1928 - 2020) was a pitcher for the New York Yankees who was raised in Astoria. Ford was called up to the majors in 1950, beginning a long and illustrious career with the team, though he missed the 1951 and 1952 seasons while serving in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. During his time with the Yankees, he won 236 games as the team won 11 pennants and six World Series. He was a ten-time All Star, and in 1961 he received the Cy Young Award and World Series MVP. He earned the nickname “Chairman of the Board” for his calm, collected demeanor and pitching style. Following his retirement in 1967, Ford served brief stints as the team’s first base and pitching coach and assisted at spring training. His jersey, number 16, was retired when he was inducted into Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974. He was the first Yankee pitcher to have his jersey retired. The site of this field was occupied by Eagle Oil Works in the late 19th century, before the City acquired the land in 1906. In 1907, the U.S. Government leased part of the site for a monthly fee of $16.66 to the Coast Guard so it could maintain a lighthouse and bell along the water at the site. The lighthouse remained on the seawall until 1982. In 1942, NYC Parks Commissioner Robert Moses petitioned the City for the site and in October 1943, it was assigned to Parks and became known as Astoria Athletic Field. In 1985, the park’s name was changed to Hellgate Field for the water passage that the park abuts. At a special Yankee Stadium ceremony in August 2000, the field was dedicated to Whitey Ford.

Alfred J. Kennedy (1877 - 1944) was an American politician from Whitestone, New York, who served in New York State Government and as Postmaster of Flushing, Queens. Kennedy was a member of the New York State Assembly for Community Board 2 in 1911, 1912 and 1913; and was Chairman of the Committee on Privileges and Elections in 1913. He resigned his seat on May 12, 1913, to accept an appointment as Postmaster of Flushing, Queens. On December 22, 1922, Alfred J. Kennedy, his half-brother Robert R. Clancy, and his son Francis Kennedy, were indicted by a federal grand jury for violating the postal laws, where they were accused of having leaked the questions (which had been sent by mail) for a civil service test. He ran unsuccessfully for the United States House of Representatives in 1920, as the Democratic candidate for New York's 1st congressional district. He was again a member of the NY State Assembly Community Board 3 from 1923 to 1926. He was a member of the New York State Senate from 1927 to 1930, and then was appointed Public Administrator of Queens in May 1930. Kennedy fought as a corporal of the 22nd New York Infantry (U.S. Army) in the Spanish American War. In August 1937, he was elected Commander-in-Chief of the United Spanish War Veterans. He died on July 28, 1944 and was buried at the Long Island National Cemetery. In 1950, an Alfred J. Kennedy Memorial was erected on the corner of Main and Northern streets in Queens. In 1952, Public School No. 193 in Queens was named for him, Alfred J. Kennedy School.

Lieutenant Mario Bastidas (1961-2017) served as a paramedic for 26 years, eventually rising to the rank of Lieutenant in the FDNY Emergency Medical Service Command. He responded to the terrorist attacks on 9/11 and spent countless hours at the World Trade Center in rescue and recovery efforts. During these operations, he was exposed to toxins that led to an aggressive form of cancer, to which he succumbed in April 2017.

Dr. Margaret V. Kiely (1894-1978 ) was the first Dean of Faculty at Queens College, serving from the school’s inception in 1937 until 1959. She also held the position of Acting President for two years, stepping in when President Paul Klapper was on leave during the 1947-48 school year and staying on after his retirement until the search for the school’s second president was concluded in 1949. Before joining the administration of the new college, Kiely was principal and director of the City Normal School of Bridgeport, Conn., and president of the Connecticut State Teachers Association. In 1929, she was a delegate to the White House Conference on Child Health and Protection. Over the course of her career, she was a member of the State Commission on Higher Education in Connecticut and president of the National Association of Municipal Normal Schools and Teachers Colleges. Kiely was also on the board of trustees of Columbia University Teachers College and the advisory board of Albertus Magnus College. She received her Ph.D. from Teachers College. In 1983, Queens College renamed the Academic II building in Kiely’s honor. The 13-story Kiely Hall, built in 1968, houses classrooms, large lecture halls and many administrative departments.

Nathaniel Woodhull (1722-1776) was born on Long Island in 1722 and became a distinguished soldier after fighting in the French and Indian War. He served as a representative for Suffolk County in the Province of New Yok Assembly before becoming the president of the New York Provincial Congress in 1775. Woodhull was an American General during the Revolutionary War, and was captured along with 1,000 others during the Battle of Brooklyn which the British won summarily. He was injured sometime during this fraught time and succumbed to his wounds on September 20, 1776.

Saint Rose Of Lima Catholic Academy was opened on September 1, 2013, though St. Rose of Lima School was founded in 1965. It is associated with Saint Rose of Lima parish, which tracks its history back to the first Rockaway Catholics. The first mass in the original St. Rose of Lima Church was celebrated on August 30, 1886. Known for piety and chastity, Saint Rose of Lima (1586-1617) was born as Isabel Flores de Olivia to Spanish colonists in Lima, Peru in 1586. Her great beauty gained her the nickname "Rose," which she took as her name officially at her confirmation in 1597. As a girl, Rose hoped to become a nun, praying, fasting, and performing penances in secret. She attracted suitors as she grew, and her parents hoped she would marry. Rose tried to mask her beauty, and told her parents of her plan to take a vow of chastity. Eventually they gave her a room of her own, where she spent her time praying. At the age of 20, Rose joined the Third Order of St. Dominic, where she continued to follow strict religious piety. Her acts of penance included burning her hands and wearing a heavy silver crown with piercing spikes, like Jesus' crown of thorns, which once became lodged in her skull. Rose died on August 25, 1617, and legend says she had predicted that as the date of her death. She was beatified in 1667, and canonized as a saint 1671. The feast day of St. Rose is August 23, though Peru and some other countries honor her on August 30. St. Rose is the patron saint of embroiderers, gardeners, florists, and others.

Robert F. Kennedy (1925-1968) was a lawyer and politician who served in the administration of his brother, President John F. Kennedy, as attorney general and a key presidential advisor from 1961 to 1963. In that time, Robert fought organized crime and was an instrumental supporter of the Civil Rights movement. He left the administration in 1964, the year following President Kennedy’s assassination. From 1965 to 1968, Robert represented New York in the U.S. Senate, where he continued to advocate for human rights and the economically disadvantaged, while opposing racial discrimination and the nation’s deepening involvement in the Vietnam War. On June 5, 1968, while campaigning in Los Angeles for the Democratic presidential nomination, Kennedy was shot several times by gunman Sirhan Sirhan. He died the following day at age 42. Born in Brookline, Massachusetts, Robert was the seventh of nine children born to businessman and financier Joseph P. Kennedy and Rose (Fitzgerald) Kennedy, the daughter of the mayor of Boston. After serving in the navy in World War II, Robert graduated from Harvard in 1948 and earned his law degree from the University of Virginia in 1951. In 1950, he married Ethel Skakel, and the couple had eleven children together. Following law school, Robert joined the U.S. Department of Justice’s Criminal Division, leaving in 1952 to manage his brother John’s successful campaign for the U.S. Senate from Massachusetts. In 1953, Robert was an assistant counsel to the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, headed by Joseph R. McCarthy, but left the position because of his opposition to unjust investigative tactics. In 1957, he began to help investigate corruption in trade unions as Chief Counsel for the Senate Rackets Committee, resigning in 1960 to help run his brother’s presidential campaign. Robert is buried in Arlington National Cemetery, adjacent to the gravesite of President Kennedy. Robert F. Kennedy Community High School is located at 75-40 Parsons Boulevard in Flushing. Other locations in Queens also named in recognition of his public service are Robert F. Kennedy Hall on the campus of Queensborough Community College and Robert F. Kennedy Bridge (formerly the Triborough Bridge).

Andrew Christopher Brunn (1973 – 2011) died in the line of duty in the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center on September 11‚ 2001 as a member of Ladder 5 in Greenwich Village. He served in the New York Air National Guard as a member of the 213 Engineering Installation Squadron for 10 years, reaching the rank of Staff Sergeant. He began his service in New York City as an NYPD officer in August 1993, attaining the rank of Sergeant in January 2001. Wanting to do more for New York and its people‚ he joined the FDNY in May 2001. Wanting to do more for New York and its people‚ he joined the FDNY in May 2001. Even though he was still a ‘probie’ when he died‚ the officers and firefighters of his firehouse knew he would have been one of the ‘great ones.’ He was a natural leader and dedicated family man.

Lewis Howard Latimer 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.

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

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.

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

Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) was born in Concord, Massachusetts. Thoreau attended Harvard University where he met Ralph Waldo Emerson, with whom he would have a complicated but impactful friendship. After graduating, he became a teacher but resigned after just two weeks. Following a brief stint helping at the family business, pencil-making, Thoreau started a small school with his brother that survived for three years before closing. Thoreau then began dedicating his life to writing, and submitted poetry to a magazine. This magazine was made by Emerson and others in the Transcendentalist movement, which celebrated individualism, emotionality over rationality, and intuition. In 1845, after little success and a return to his family's business, Thoreau moved to a piece of land on Walden Pond, on Emerson's land and built his own home. He largely lived off the land, spent his time in nature, and writing about his observations and thoughts. The latter made up the famous book "Walden" which is composed of a series of essays. Partway through his time at Walden, Thoreau refused to pay his poll taxes and spent the night in jail. Though his aunt paid it and got him out the next day, these events were impactful and led to his essay "Civil Disobedience" in which he wrote about resisting an unjust government that promoted imperialism and slavery. He continued writing about abolition until his death in 1862.

Douglaston was colonized in the 17th century by the British and Dutch. The original inhabitants who lived there, the Matinecock people, are part of the larger Algonquin nation. While the Matinecock people are said to have sold land to the Dutch, there was also documented violence against them prior to this, as well as a smallpox epidemic that devastated the community years later in 1652. Others were forcibly removed from the land by Thomas Hicks. Members of the Matinecock tribe remain in Queens today. Douglaston is located on the North Shore of Long Island, bordered to the east by Little Neck, and to the west by Bayside. It represents one of the least traditionally urban communities in New York City, with many areas having a distinctly upscale suburban feel, similar to that of Nassau County towns located nearby. George Douglas purchased land in the area in 1835, and his son William Douglas later donated a Long Island Rail Road Stop.

Joseph Imparato (1944-2005), a longtime resident of Long Island City, was a community leader dedicated to assisting the elderly, keeping his neighborhood clean and serving St. Mary’s Church. He owned and operated Joe Imp’s Restaurant in Long Island City for many years and was a fixture in the neighborhood. Prior to the opening of his restaurant, Imparato also served as a City sanitation worker and as a soldier in the U.S. Army. He passed unexpectedly following knee surgery at the age of 60.

James Alan Bland (1854-1911) was an African American musician and composer of popular songs, including "Carry Me Back to Old Virginny," formerly the official state song of Virginia. Bland was born in Flushing to educated, free African American parents. While attending Howard University he became enthralled with the banjo and learned to play it. In the late 1870s, Bland began his professional career as a member of the first successful all-Black minstrel company, the Georgia Minstrels. Later he worked in minstrel shows throughout Europe and the United States, becoming the highest-paid minstrel singer in the country. He performed for Queen Victoria and the Prince of Wales at Buckingham Palace and President Grover Cleveland and Gen. Robert E. Lee in Washington. After living for 20 years in Europe, Bland returned to the U.S. in 1901. His fortunes declined as minstrel shows were replaced by vaudeville, and he died alone of tuberculosis in Philadelphia in 1911. Though Bland was buried there in an unmarked grave, a memorial was later erected by the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP). He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970. This playground is located adjacent to the James A. Bland public housing complex.

Detective Keith L. Williams (1954-1989) was a resident of Jamaica, Queens and a member of the New York City Police Department. Detective Williams was killed on November 13, 1989, when he and his partner were transporting a prisoner to Riker’s Island. The prisoner was able to steal a gun and open fire on the officers while in transport. Before his tragic death, Williams was a man who loved to give back to his community. As a student at Jamaica High School, Williams was a four-year varsity basketball athlete and a participant in an after-school program in P.S 116. He even started the “Keith Roundball Classics Basketball Tournament,” which began in Liberty Park.

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.”

Queens Public Library Connection Helen Marshall (1929-2017) was the first African American Queens Borough President from 2002 – 2013. Marshall was born in Manhattan to immigrant parents of African descent from Guyana. The family moved to Queens in 1949, settling first in Corona and then in East Elmhurst. Marshall graduated with a B.A. in education from Queens College. After teaching for eight years, she left to help found the Langston Hughes Library in 1969, where she was the first Director. She served as Director for five years, leading the library to become a vital resource on African American History in Queens. She later served in the State Assembly for 8 years and then served on the City Council for 10 years, before becoming the first African American and the second woman to serve as the Queens Borough President. She supported job training programs and economic development and was a devoted supporter of the Queens Public Library. In 2004-2005 she dedicated $27 million of discretionary funds toward library expansions and improvements, including new branches and the (now named) Helen Marshall Children's Library Discovery Center at the Central Library in Jamaica. The corner at Northern Boulevard and 103rd Street that is co-named for Marshall is next to the original location of the Langston Hughes Library at 102-09 Northern Boulevard. Other places in Queens named for Helen Marshall are: The Helen Marshall Playground, Helen M. Marshall Children’s Library Discover Center, and The Helen M. Marshall School.

Queens Public Library Connection William H. Pease, Jr. (1921-2004) was a professor, a former engineer, and an advocate of the study of African American history. He served in the United States Army Air Corps as a weather observer during WWII and was stationed for a period in Tuskegee, Alabama as part of the Tuskegee Airmen. He won accolades as the Tuskegee Airmen welterweight champion in 1945. Born in Harlem, Pease graduated from Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn and Fordham University, and he and his wife, Louise, raised their daughter, Denise, in Corona. He went on to work as a senior instructor at RCA Institute, a microwave engineer at Tung-Sol Electronics, and for more than two decades, as an educator at Suffolk County Community College, where he was a professor of electrical engineering and assistant dean of instruction. He was the first full-time African American administrator at the college, and the first African American president of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers. Pease gave back to his community in many ways, including sponsoring a scholarship awarded through the Central Brooklyn Martin Luther King Commission to student winners of essay and art contests. In the 1970s, Pease also served on the board of the Langston Hughes Branch of the Queens Public Library. Through his career, he received awards from the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, the New York University Weekend Tutorial Project, the Professional Achievement Award of the Brownsville Association for the Study of African American Life and History, the Teacher of the Year Award from the New York University Outreach Program for Mathematics and Science, the Mary McLeod Bethune Award for the motivation of black youth, and a proclamation from the Suffolk County Executive for outstanding service and leadership. His daughter, Denise Pease, a longtime government leader, went on to serve under President Obama as Regional Administrator for the U.S. General Services Administration Northeast and Caribbean Region, as well as on President Biden’s Advisory Commission on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Black Americans. In honor of his dedicated community service, the intersection of 104th Street and 35th Avenue in North Corona is co-named Professor William H. Pease, Jr. Way.

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.

Horace Greeley (1811–1872), the founder and editor of the New York Tribune, was born in New Hampshire and apprenticed to a printer. When his master closed his business in 1831, Greeley set off, with $25 and his possessions in a handkerchief, for New York City. He worked a succession of jobs there, edited several publications, and in 1841, founded the New York Tribune, which he edited for the rest of his life. Widely known for his ideals and moral fervor, Greeley advocated many causes, including workers’ rights, women’s rights (though not woman suffrage), scientific farming, free distribution of government lands, and the abolition of slavery and capital punishment. By the late 1850’s, the Tribune had a national influence as great as any other newspaper in the country, particularly in the rural North. Greeley always wanted very much to be a statesman. He served in Congress as a Whig for three months from 1848 to 1849, but ran unsuccessfully for the House of Representatives in 1850, 1868, and 1870, and for the U.S. Senate in 1861 and 1863. \[His] political career ended tragically with his campaign for President as the Democratic and Liberal Republican candidate in 1872. In that campaign, Greeley urged leniency for the South, equal rights for white and blacks, and thrift and honesty in government. For these positions, he was attacked as a traitor, fool, and crank, and was derisively referred to by noted cartoonist Thomas Nast as “Horrors Greeley.” Greeley’s wife of thirty-six years died two weeks before the election, he was soundly defeated by Grant at the polls, and he returned to his beloved Tribune only to discover that its control had passed to Whitelaw Reid. Greeley’s funeral, held on December 4, 1872, was attended by President Grant, cabinet members, governors of three States, and an outpouring of mourners who remembered him as a beloved public figure.

On Sunday, June 17, 2001, the FDNY lost three firefighters: John Downing, 40, an 11-year veteran (Ladder 163); Brian Fahey, 46, a 14-year veteran (Rescue 4); and Henry Ford, 50, a 20-year veteran (Rescue 4). They had responded to an explosion and fire on Astoria Boulevard. Ford and Downing were killed when the building’s façade collapsed, while Fahey was killed when the building imploded. Now remembered as the “Father’s Day Fire,” the tragedy occurred after a building exploded due to hazardous materials stored for sale. The fire began when gasoline, poured by two youths, rolled under the rear delivery dock door and was ignited by a gas water heater. The fire spread throughout the store until the explosive materials reached a critical temperature, triggering a massive blast.

Adrian Onderdonk (1795-1831) and Ann Wyckoff (1798-1863) Onderdonk were the heads of the last family line to own this house, which is the oldest Dutch Colonial stone house in New York City, and which served as a benchmark in litigation to determine the border between Queens and Kings counties. Adrian was born on June 20, 1795 in Cow Neck, now Manhasset on Long Island, as the sixth generation of Onderdonks, with his family originally from Brabant, Holland. Adrian purchased a farm on April 27, 1821 from the estate of George Ryerson for $600, and in the first years of his ownership, Adrian added a small frame addition to the stone house, whose features are like Dutch homes of the time. The 50-acre farm would have been bounded roughly from Flushing Avenue to Catalpa Avenue, and from Woodward Avenue to Seneca Avenue. Settler ownership of the land dates back to 1662, and includes a who's who of early New York families. It was first granted to Hendrick Barentz Smidt in the Town of Bushwick, which had been founded in 1661 by Peter Stuyvesant. Paulus Vander Ende bought the farm in 1709 and built the vernacular stone house with a wooden Dutch gambrel roof, a combination of Dutch and English styles. Vander Ende's daughter Jane and her husband Moses Beadel inherited the farm in 1796. Their son, Moses Jr., inherited the farm next. When he married Jane Remsen, whose family owned a large farm in what would later be Glendale, he sold the Ridgewood farm to the Van Nuys family. Around 1810, they sold it to John Cozine, who resold it on November 7, 1812, to George Ryerson. From 1661 to 1796, the site was part of land known as "The Disputed Territory," claimed by both Bushwick in Kings County and Newtown in Queens County. An arbitration committee finally decided the exact boundary in 1769. Arbitration Rock, a literal boulder, served to mark the boundary between the two towns. It was found buried on the property in the 1990s and excavated from the ground in 2001, and now sits on the property as a reminder of the long dispute between the boroughs. Adrian and his wife Ann, who was from the Wykoff family, had daughters Dorothy Ann in 1820 and Gertrude in 1825. Adrian died at the age of 36 on July 2, 1831. Ann and the children continued to live on the farm, with Dorothy Ann leaving for marriage in 1838, and Gertrude doing the same seven years later. Ann lived there until around 1849. She passed away at age 70 on November 16, 1863. Adrian and Ann Onderdonk are interred at Cypress Hills Cemetery. By the time Gertrude sold the property in 1912, she and her sister had sold off much of the land in lots, so it was only the house and a large yard around it. With changes to the area, what had once been farmland soon became industrial. The farm became home to a stable and a glassworks, and eventually even a manufacturer that created components for the Apollo Space Program. However, by the 1970s, the house was abandoned. When it nearly burned down in 1975, locals came together to form the Greater Ridgewood Historical Society to restore and preserve the home. The house and the property were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977, and then to the ew York State Register in 1978. The house became a New York City landmark in 1995. It is now a museum with a permanent exhibit on the archaeology of the Onderdonk site, plus more about the history and culture of the area. The Historical Society is housed on the site, and provides a historical and genealogical research library, and events throughout the year.

Firefighter John Heffernan (1964-2001) was killed on September 11, 2001 during firefighting and rescue operations following the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. Heffernan grew up on Beach 114 Street in Rockaway.

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

Jacob August Riis (1849-1914), best known as a groundbreaking journalist and photographer, spent many of his working years in Richmond Hill, moving into his home nearby this triangle at 84-41 120th Street in 1886. Riis was born on May 3, 1849, in Ribe, Denmark, and immigrated to New York in 1870. After working various jobs, he was hired by the New York Tribune as a police reporter in 1877. He soon began documenting poverty, especially in the Lower East Side and Five Points areas of Manhattan. Starting around 1887, Riis brought along a camera, and in 1890, his book How the Other Half Lives was released. It contained dramatic photos and essays illustrating the challenging lives of immigrants on the Lower East Side. The book profoundly impacted the country, particularly New York, where the Police Commissioner at the time was Theodore Roosevelt. Riis's work inspired Roosevelt to support legislation aimed at improving living conditions in the slums. While Governor, Roosevelt attended Riis's daughter's wedding on June 1, 1900, at the Church of the Resurrection, the oldest church in Richmond Hill, located just a few blocks from this triangle. A plaque outside the church commemorates Roosevelt's appearance, while a memorial to the Riis family is located inside. Through his reporting on the struggles of New Yorkers, Riis developed a belief that play had a therapeutic effect on people. As a result, he championed small parks and playgrounds, especially in areas with little green space, and served as secretary of the Small Parks Committee. While on a speaking tour in 1914, Riis fell ill at a stop in New Orleans. His family brought him to their summer home in Barre, Massachusetts, to recuperate, but he passed away on May 26, 1914. Originally acquired by the City of New York in 1945, this park was officially named for Riis on May 8, 1990. The renaming was proposed by Council Member Arthur Katzman at the request of Felix Cuervo and Robert P. Mangieri of the Native New Yorker’s Historical Association. A dedication ceremony was held on September 15, 1990. Two other locations in Queens are also named for Riis: a park in Rockaway and a community center (settlement house) in Queensbridge.

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

Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778) was a Swedish botanist known as the father of modern taxonomy. "Linnaeus Park," New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, accessed February 3, 2023, https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/linnaeus-park Tom Garlinghouse, "Who was Carl Linnaeus?" LiveScience.com, updated February 02, 2022, https://www.livescience.com/carl-linnaeus.html

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. In 1942, Daniel Carter Beard Mall was named in his honor by local law. Located on an esplanade at Northern Boulevard between Main Street and Linden Place in Beard’s former neighborhood of Flushing, it is the western portion of what was formerly Flushing Park, now known as Flushing Greens. Other sites in Flushing named for Beard include Daniel Carter Beard Memorial Square and J.H.S. 189 Daniel Carter Beard.

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Mary Gallagher (1932 - 2018) was an early advocate for the LGBTQ community and an educator in Queens. She was a founding member of PFLAG/Queens, a support, education and advocacy group for parents, families and friends of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people, and served as its Queens Hospitality Chairperson. Gallagher was also a public school teacher for many years and later opened a nursery school and served as administrator of several daycare centers in New York City.

Saint Andrew Avellino (1521-1608) was an Italian lawyer, writer, theologian, Catholic priest, and religious leader of the Theatine order. Recognized for his eloquent preaching, care for the sick, and extensive correspondence and other writings, he was canonized as a saint in 1712 by Pope Clement XI. Born in Castronuovo, Sicily, and named Lancelotto, he went to elementary school in his hometown before going on to Venice to study philosophy and humanities. He continued his education in Naples, focusing on ecclesiastical and civil law and receiving a doctorate degree in law. He was ordained as a priest at the age of 26. Avellino worked for a time as a lawyer at an ecclesiastical court in Naples. While arguing a case one day, he lied and felt such remorse that he quit his work to focus on spirituality. After being commissioned in 1556 to reform a local convent, he was attacked by those who opposed the reforms, and he went to recuperate at a monastery of Theatines, an order of clerics founded in 1524 that focused on reforming Catholic morality. While there, he entered the order at the age of 35 and took the name of Andrew, becoming a leader of the movement and helping to form additional Theatine monasteries in Milan, Piacenza, and elsewhere. Avellino’s religious zeal and eloquent preaching attracted many disciples and new adherents to the Catholic Church, and his many letters and other theological works were published over several volumes beginning in 1731. On November 10, 1608, he died of a stroke while celebrating a mass, and his remains are located at the Church of St. Paul in Naples. He is a patron saint of Naples and Sicily and is often invoked against sudden death. Saint Andrew Avellino Catholic Academy is located at 35-50 158th Street in Flushing. The school first opened on September 25, 1925, however, the parish church was founded in 1914. When selecting a patron saint for the parish, the bishop at the time was concerned about the number of priests who had suffered heart attacks and thus chose Saint Andrew Avellino.

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

James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael (Mickey) Schwerner were three civil rights workers who were murdered in Mississippi in June 1964, where they were volunteering for the Freedom Summer Project. At the time of their deaths, Goodman was a student at Queens College and Schwerner’s brother, Steve Schwerner, was the director of the college’s counseling program. The three men were primarily involved in registering Black voters, but on the day of their disappearance were investigating the burning of a Black church that had been used for voter registration. They were abducted near the town of Philadelphia, Mississippi, and the case was initially treated as a missing persons investigation. After two months, their bodies were discovered; members of the KKK as well as local law enforcement were charged with the killings, but only seven of 18 defendants were convicted, on lesser charges of conspiracy. However, the case was reopened in 2004 after new evidence came to light and one defendant, Edgar Ray Killen, was convicted of three counts of manslaughter. He died in prison in 2018 at the age of 92. The Chaney-Goodman-Schwerner Clock Tower sits atop the Benjamin S. Rosenthal Library on the campus of Queens College. It was dedicated to the three men in 1989, shortly after the library's construction. A campaign to furnish the tower with a real bell carillon, rather than electronic chimes, was spearheaded by Queens College music professor David S. Walker, and a five-bell peal was commissioned and cast at the Royal Eijsbouts Bell Foundry in the Netherlands. The carillon was dedicated in November 1990.

Rabbi Ben Zion Bokser (1907 - 1984) was a leading figure in Conservative Judaism, a scholar, and the spiritual leader of the Forest Hills Jewish Center in Queens for 50 years. Rabbi Bokser was born in Liuboml, which was then a part of Poland, and emigrated to the United States at the age of 13 in 1920. He attended City College of New York, the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, and received his PhD in 1935 from Columbia University. He taught for many years as an adjunct professor of political science at Queens College, City University of New York. Bokser served as the rabbi of Forest Hills Jewish Center starting in 1933 and remained in that position for more than fifty years. He served for a two-year period as a United States Army chaplain during World War II and organized aid for Jewish soldiers. Bokser was an advocate for social justice and took a position in favor of the construction of a housing project for the poor during the Forest Hills housing controversy of 1966-1972. He fought against the death penalty in New York state. He served as a program editor for the Eternal Light, the Jewish Theological Seminary's radio program, was a professor of homiletics at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, and  participated in the Conference on Science, Philosophy and Religion and the Institute for Religious and Social Studies, both seminary-run programs. He was chair of the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards of the Rabbinical Assembly from 1959–1960, 1963–1965, and 1980-1984. Among the books he wrote were ''Judaism and the Christian Predicament,'' a study of Jewish-Christian relations; ''Judaism: Profile of a Faith'' and ''Jews, Judaism and the State of Israel.''

Kurt Richard Schmeller (1937-2022) was a historian, professor, and executive-level college administrator. He served as president of Queensborough Community College in Bayside from 1966 to 1999 and is among the longest-serving college presidents in the United States. Schmeller presided over a period of historic growth and change at Queensborough. Over his 32-year tenure, he established a strong business and technical curriculum, created programs in electrical and computer engineering, attracted new funders, and doubled enrollment to more than 10,000 students. Schmeller was born in Johnson City, New York, to parents Rudolph F. Schmeller, a civilian employee of the U.S. Army who later worked for a shoe manufacturer, and his German-born mother, Liska L. Schmeller, who worked for a department store. The second of three siblings, he moved with his family to Munich in 1947, where the Schmellers made their home before returning to upstate New York in 1953. He graduated from Binghamton Central High School in Binghamton, New York, going on to receive an undergraduate degree in European history from Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, in 1959, and a Ph.D. in modern European history from Princeton University in 1962. While working as an assistant to the president and as a history professor at Wisconsin State University, he met his future wife, Beata (Sowka) Schmeller, a native of Stevens Point, Wisconsin. In 1967, at the age of 29, Schmeller was named as Queensborough Community College’s third president. He and Beata moved to Glen Cove, New York, where they made their home. During his presidency, Schmeller upheld academic standards while advocating for giving students who did not meet typical admission standards a chance to attend college. In response, Queensborough’s College Discovery Program launched strong support efforts, including counseling, remedial courses, tutoring, and other academic assistance. In 1969, Schmeller blocked the reappointment of English professor Dr. Ronald Silberman, an openly Marxist scholar, citing budget cuts. Some critics argued Schmeller’s decision was politically motivated, and the act resulted in a period of student protests around this issue and other pressing societal and cultural tensions. Despite these early challenges, Schmeller oversaw many changes at the College, including the construction of nine new buildings, and the founding of the Queensborough Community College Art Gallery, the Holocaust Center (now the Kupferberg Holocaust Center), and the Port of Entry program. The first of its kind in the U.S., this program was designed to enhance cultural orientation for international students at Queensborough, particularly those from China. In addition to his work for the College, Schmeller was active in local community affairs, serving as chairman of the board of The Flushing Cemetery Association, as well as chairman of the City of Glen Cove School Board, and as president of Queens Council of the Boy Scouts of America. At the time of his death in 2022, he was survived by his wife, Beata, their three children, Rudolph, Sylvie, and Jesse, and four grandchildren. The main campus library at Queensborough Community College, located at 22-05 56th Avenue, was named in his honor as the Kurt R. Schmeller Library.

Patrolman Joseph W. Norden (1916-1954), a Marine veteran who served in combat in the Pacific during World War II, was a five-year veteran of the New York Police Department when he was killed at the age of 38 in the line of duty on December 3, 1954. That night, Norden and his partner, who worked for the 104th Precinct, reported to a home where an ambulance required assistance removing a man in emotional distress. The man appeared calm, so the officers held him by the arms to descend the stairs, rather than restraining him any further. At the ground level, however, the man lunged at Norden, grabbing his revolver and firing three shots that killed Norden and the ambulance worker. Norden's partner then fired at the shooter, killing him. Norden was survived by his two daughters, then 7-year-old daughter Susan, 4-year-old daughter Mary, and his wife, Theresa, whom he had married in 1946. She was three months pregnant at the time of his death, and that daughter, Jody Norden Castro, grew up in a home that worked to ensure she always remembered her father. At the time of his death, Norden and his family lived at 62-15 Catalpa Avenue. The nearby intersection was co-named in his honor on Saturday, September 28, 2024 following a bill for the name change that was sponsored by Councilmember Robert F. Holden.

Reverend Edward Eugene Jarvis (1904-1996) was the pastor of the Mt. Horeb Baptist Church in Flushing. After one year under his leadership, the congregation had grown so much that it had to seek larger quarters, moving to its present site at 109-20 34th Avenue in Corona.

Greg Stein (1948-2021) was an LGBTQIA+ rights and AIDs advocate in Queens. He served as a treasurer for the Queens Lesbian and Gay Pride Committee for more than two decades and was treasurer of the AIDS Center of Queens County nearly from its inception. Stein served on the board and volunteered for the Lesbian and Gay Democratic Club of Queens. In a 2018 Queens Memory Project oral history interview, Stein described how the experience of having friends with HIV inspired him to become an AIDS and LGBTQIA+ advocate. Stein taught math at Russell Sage Junior High School in Forest Hills, was a member of the Phi Kappa Theta fraternity, and served as a lector at Queen of Angels Church in Sunnyside.

Poet, novelist and playwright Langston Hughes (1901-1967) grew up in the Midwest and moved to New York City to attend Columbia University. Hughes is known as a leading figure in the Harlem Renaissance, a cultural mecca for Black intellectuals and artists in the early 20th century. He wrote about African American life between the 1920s and 1960s, including "The Negro Speaks of Rivers," "Montage of A Dream Deferred," and "Not Without Laughter," which won the Harmon Gold Medal for Literature. His ashes are interred beneath a mosaic in the NYPL's Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, in Harlem.

Lawrence "Larry" Joseph Virgilio (1962–2001) was a New York City firefighter who grew up in a middle-class Italian American family in Woodside, Queens. A gifted athlete, he played for several local football associations and later completed two New York City Marathons and various triathlons. After graduating from Power Memorial Academy in 1980, Larry earned two bachelor’s degrees: one in American Studies from Queens College and another in Physical Therapy from New York University. Though he had an academic background, Larry chose to join FDNY in 1989. Following ten years of service with Manhattan’s Ladder Company 35, he joined the elite Squad 18 in Greenwich Village. As an advanced rescue specialist, Larry earned two-unit citations for bravery and had recently been selected to train for the FDNY’s specialized out-of-city disaster response team. On the morning of September 11, 2001, Larry voted in the NYC primary elections before bicycling from Queens to his firehouse. His squad was among the first to respond to the World Trade Center, where they were tasked with rescuing people from the North Tower. While ascending the stairs as others evacuated, Larry called his beloved Abigail at 9:50 a.m., leaving a final message urging her to leave Manhattan and telling her he loved her. Larry died when the North Tower collapsed. Today, this playground in his native Woodside - where he played as a child - is named in his memory.

David Norman Dinkins (1927-2020), the first Black mayor of New York City, was inaugurated on January 1, 1990 and served until January 31, 1993. Dinkins was born in Trenton, New Jersey, and grew up in Trenton and Harlem. After graduating from high school, he served in the U.S. Marine Corps, earning the Congressional Gold Medal. He earned an undergraduate degree at Howard University, then attended Brooklyn Law School, graduating in 1956. He practiced law privately from 1956 to 1975. He represented the 78th District in the New York State Assembly in 1966, and served as president of the New York City Board of Elections from 1972 to 1973. He served as a city clerk for ten years. On his third run, he was elected Manhattan borough president in 1985, serving until 1989. Elected the 106th mayor of New York City on November 7, 1989, Dinkins defeated three-term incumbent mayor Ed Koch and two other challengers in the Democratic primary and Republican nominee Rudy Giuliani in the general election. Economic decline and racial tensions, including the Crown Heights riot of 1991, led to Dinkins's defeat by Republican Rudy Giuliani in the 1993 election. Dinkins was a professor of professional practice at the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs from 1994 until his death, served on numerous boards, and remained active in Democratic politics. Highlights of his administration included the cleanup of Times Square, the Beacon Schools program, the Civilian Complaint Review Board, and the "Safe Streets, Safe City" plan. Dinkins was responsible for several initiatives that continue to bring significant revenue to New York City: the 99-year lease signed with the USTA National Tennis Center for the U.S. Open Tennis Championships, Fashion Week, Restaurant Week, and Broadway on Broadway.

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

In the course of his 25 years in politics, Joseph Addabbo (1925-1986) won respect from his colleagues, constituents and community for his ability to be just, compassionate and effective. A lifelong resident of Ozone Park, he was educated at City College and St. John’s University, where he received his law degree in 1946. Addabbo began his career as a lawyer. First elected to represent the 6th District in Queens in 1960, Addabbo, a Democrat, was re-elected to Congress 12 times. He supported legislation to benefit the elderly, education, small businesses, veterans benefits, and appropriation of funds for economically depressed areas. As Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense (1979-1986), Addabbo played a powerful role in both shaping and challenging national defense policy. He worked to curb defense spending, sponsored legislation to halt the Vietnam War, and advocated a nuclear freeze while at the same time bolstering defense contracts for New York. Addabbo served in Congress until he died on April 10, 1986. The 12-story Joseph P. Addabbo Federal Building was constructed in 1989 and currently houses offices of the Social Security Administration, among other tenants.

Joseph Pulitzer (1847-1911) was a newspaper editor and publisher who helped to establish the model for modern journalism. One of the most influential journalists in the United States, he campaigned against corruption and abuse of power in government and business while championing the interests of working people. In the 1890s, fierce rivalry between William Randolph Hearst’s New York Journal and Pulitzer’s New York World led both newspapers to rely on sensationalized reporting to capture public attention, a practice that became known as yellow journalism. Later in his career and through his will, Pulitzer provided funds for the establishment of Columbia University’s School of Journalism, which opened in 1912, and created the Pulitzer Prizes, awarded annually since 1917 to honor excellence in journalism, literature, and the arts. He was born in Makó, Hungary, to Philip Pulitzer, a grain merchant, and Elize (Berger) Pulitzer. Educated by tutors and in private schools, Pulitzer grew up in Budapest. Philip’s death in 1858 brought financial hardship to the family, and, in 1864, Joseph came to the United States to fight for the Union Army during the Civil War. He moved to St. Louis in 1868, where he began working as a reporter on the Westliche Post, a German-language newspaper. By 1878, he had gained control of two newspapers, the Post and the Dispatch, merging them to form the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. That same year, he married Kate Davis; the couple had seven children, five of whom survived to adulthood. In 1883, ill health brought Pulitzer to New York City, where he purchased The World newspaper (aka The New York World) from financier Jay Gould. Under Pulitzer’s leadership, the paper achieved the largest circulation in the country. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for New York State in 1884, where he served one year of his term. In 1890, due to failing health, he stepped down from the paper’s editorship but continued to oversee its editorial direction. Pulitzer died on October 29, 1911, while aboard his yacht in Charleston Harbor, SC. Built in 1954 and named in Pulitzer’s honor, I.S. 145 Joseph Pulitzer Magnet School of Innovation and Applied Learning is located in Jackson Heights at 33-34 80th Street.

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

Martin M. Trainor (1924 – 2009) was a resident of Woodside, Queens best known as the Chairman and co-founder of the neighborhood’s community services organization "Woodside on the Move", and former president of Community Board 2. He was also a member of the Anoroc Democratic Club, St. Sebastian’s Church, and the local Knights of Columbus. He was an attorney and senior partner at the law firm of Menagh, Trainor, Mundo and Falcone, where he represented many local New York City unions and their members, in particular, Local #3 I.B.E.W.

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

William D. Modell (1921-2008) was born in Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn, and attended New York University. He succeeded his father in running Modell’s, the nation’s oldest family-owned sporting goods company, for 60 years. Under his leadership, Modell’s became a popular chain of sporting good stores selling athletic equipment and accessories. He was appointed by President Jimmy Carter to the Panama Canal Treaty negotiating committee and was also co-founder of the Jeffrey Modell Foundation for Immunological Research (his son Michael died of Crohn’s disease) and founder of Gilda’s Club in New York. He was inducted into the National Sporting Goods Hall of Fame by former President George H.W. Bush in 1994 and also became a member of the Discount Retail Hall of Fame.

The legendary punk rock group The Ramones formed in 1974. The original lineup consisted of John Cummings (Johnny Ramone), Jeffrey Hyman (Joey Ramone), Douglas Colvin (Dee Dee Ramone) and Thomas Erdelyi (Tommy Ramone) all attended and met at Forest Hills High School. The Ramones are often cited as one of the original pioneers of the punk rock sound and was a major influence on the 1970’s punk movement in the United States and United Kingdom. The band was recognized in Rolling Stone’s, 100 Greatest Artists of All Time and was ranked the second-greatest band of all time by Spin magazine. In 2002, the original members were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and were awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011.

Francis de Sales (1567-1622) is a saint in the Catholic Church well known for two books, Introduction to the Devout Life and A Treatise on the Love of God, and he wrote countless letters. Because of this voluminous writing, he's the patron of journalists. And because of his writings, teachings, and gentle approach to spirituality, there are many schools and parishes named in his honor, including this one, which was founded in 1913. De Sales was born on August 21, 1567 at Thorens, in the Duchy of Savoy. While studying to be a lawyer at the college of Clermont in Paris, he took a theology course that led to him making a vow of chastity. To avoid his father's plans for his marriage, he accepted a position working for the pope, the highest office in the diocese, and received Holy Orders in 1593. As provost of the Diocese of Geneva, where Calvinists had a stronghold, he began conversions through preaching and sharing his Catholic writings. He continued this work after being named Bishop of Geneva in 1602, including developing Catholic instruction for young and old believers. With Jane Frances de Chantal, another saint, de Sales helped establish a new religious order known as the Sisters of the Visitation. He died on December 28, 1622 at 56 years old. He was beatified in 1661 and canonized by Alexander VII in 1665. In 1877 Pope Pius IX proclaimed him Doctor of the Universal Church.

Neir's Tavern is one of the oldest and most famous bars in Woodhaven, Queens. The tavern was originally named the Old Blue Pump House and opened near the now defunct Union Course racetrack in 1892. Loycent Gordon bought the property in 2009 and renamed it Neir's Tavern in honor of the family that had owned the property from the 1890s until 1967. The tavern had many owners and a colorful history. When the Union Course race track closed down in 1898, it was purchased by Louis Neir. Neir added a ballroom, built the first bowling alley in Queens, and added rooms upstairs for a hotel, calling it “Neir’s Social Hall”. Neir’s Hall was very successful, and was at its height of popularity between 1900-1910. Louis Neir’s nephew Joseph Neir, worked as a cleaning boy, cleaning the racing stables that were across the street and originally part of the Union Course Race Track. When Louis died in 1929, Julia, his wife, became owner, and Joseph the manager of the business. In 1945, Julia turned over the title and ownership to Joseph, who continued to work at the bar until his own death in 1963. Lulu Neir (until 1967), and Carol (Neir) Foley ran the tavern until an arson fire, and declining revenue led to the Neir family selling the property in 1980.

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.

Firefighter Michael Thomas Weinberg (b. 1967) was a native of Maspeth, Queens. A gifted athlete, he excelled in baseball, golf, basketball, swimming, skiing, and running. He attended St. John's University on a baseball scholarship; in 1988, he was named MVP of the Big East Championship after his home runs helped secure the team’s place in the NCAA Tournament. He went on to play minor league baseball, signing with Detroit Tigers farm teams in Niagara Falls and Fayetteville, N.C. He reached the Tigers' Triple-A affiliate before shoulder and leg injuries forced him to give up his Major League aspirations. Beyond the diamond, he was a lifeguard, a personal trainer, and a talented golfer who considered one day joining the senior pro tour. Weinberg lived to help others, whether he was working as a lifeguard, training clients, volunteering to feed the homeless, or visiting children in hospitals. He also worked as a model and was featured in the first FDNY calendar, which has grown significantly in popularity since its inception. Despite his various talents, he loved the action and camaraderie of the FDNY—a path he shared with many of the young men he grew up with in his neighborhood. On September 11, 2001, Michael was relaxing on a golf vacation, just a few minutes from his tee time, when he received news that the World Trade Center - where his sister worked - had been hit by an airliner. Worried for his sister on the 72nd floor and called by a sense of duty, Weinberg raced from the clubhouse to the firehouse of Ladder 24/Engine 1. From there, he drove Chaplain Mychal Judge and Captain Dan Brethel to the site. They arrived shortly before the collapse of the South Tower (Two World Trade Center), and all three men were killed in the line of duty. His sister, Patricia Gambino, successfully escaped the building before its collapse.

Delany Hall on the campus of Queens College, 2022.

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.

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

Patrolman Arthur J. Kenny (d. 1926) served the NYPD for three years with the 60th Precinct (the present-day 110th Precinct) before he was killed in the line of duty by a notorious burglar. In the spring of 1926, residents of Woodhaven were fearful of the "Radio Burglar." Targeting the relatively new and expensive home technology, the Radio Burglar was suspected in between 50 and 100 home break-ins where the radio had been stolen. In early March, the Radio Burglar shot and injured an officer who had stopped to question him about the large item he was carrying down the street after midnight. On March 25th, when police responded to a woman's call about suspicious activity at her neighbor's home, the suspect shot another officer. Kenney and another policeman took off in chase after the suspect. With officers all over the area, when Kenney ran into the suspect, he thought he was another cop. The suspect told him, "I think the man you’re looking for jumped over that fence." In this brief pause, the suspect shot Kenney in the neck before disappearing into the night. After two weeks, Kenney succumbed to his injuries on April 6, 1926 at the age of 28. He left behind a wife and daughter. The hunt for the suspect intensified. Police questioned a man whose name was on a pawn shop receipt for one of the stolen radios, and that man suggested it had been forged by his acquaintance Paul Emmanuel Hilton, a known criminal. Cops around the city were alerted and had Hilton's mugshot. Two detectives on their day off decided to look for Hilton at one place he might be—Hilton was a baseball fan, so they staked out the entrance to the Polo Grounds on the Giants’ opening day, April 13, 1926. When they spotted him, they asked for identification and grabbed Hilton before he could reach the gun in his pocket. Hilton was charged with Kenney's murder and later found guilty. He died by electric chair on February 18, 1927. The Newtown Historical Society, Council Member Joann Ariola, and the Woodhaven Cultural and Historical Society worked to honor Kenney with a street co-naming, and the community held a ceremony to commemorate its installation on April 6, 2024, 98 years after his death.

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

Queens Public Library Connection Robert Tilitz (1909-1996) moved to Elmhurst in 1917. He served in World War II, and rose to the rank of Captain. After the war he attended the New School and went on to a career at the Veterans Administration - he taught social services at Columbia University after he retired. Tilitz was often referred to as the "Mayor of Elmhurst," where he was very active in the community. He volunteered at a mental health clinic, was president of the Newtown Civic Association and was the associate editor of The Newtown Crier. He also served on Community Board 4 and was a trustee of Queens Borough Public Library for 13 years. In addition, Olga Conway, Bob's sister, was a tireless advocate for gardens and green spaces. She and her crew could be found at the oasis which was the Elmhurst Library Garden, taking care of the wide, spacious, and diverse groups of flowers.

Walentyna Janta-Połczyńska (1913-2020) and Aleksander Janta-Połczyński (1908-1974) were heroes in the fight against Nazism. Walentyna was one of the last surviving members of the Polish government in exile, formed after Nazi Germany invaded Poland in 1939. She became a personal secretary to General Władysław Sikorski, the prime minister of the Polish government in exile and commander of the Free Polish Armed Forces. She translated and prepared reports by Jan Karski, the underground courier who delivered eyewitness accounts of atrocities against Jews in the Warsaw ghetto, and helped organize Dawn, a clandestine radio station that broadcast to Poland from an intelligence complex in England. Aleksander Janta-Połczyński was a second lieutenant of the Polish Army cavalry.   They later moved to New York and opened an antiquarian bookstore. They also opened their home to Polish artists and writers who escaped the postwar Communist dictatorship. Walentyna was known as the first lady of American Polonia, active in Polish-American cultural institutions such as the Józef Piłsudski Institute of America and the Kościuszko Foundation. Jan was president of the American Council of Polish Cultural Clubs and a board member of the Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences of America. The street co-naming is actually for the couple's accomplishments, and the sign is in error, as it should read Polczyński, which denotes the couple, rather than just for Walentyna. After Walentyna passed away at the age of 107, the community rallied to save their 1911 home, which was on a plot of land owned by Cord Meyer's brother and partner, Christian Meyer. In the process, they documented the home, filming top to bottom as well as the garages—the very place where their manuscript business was conducted. They also held rallies, a heart bombing, a vigil, and submitted a landmarking application with support letters from Polish groups, organizations, elected officials, etc., making a strong case on many levels. Despite these efforts, the Landmarks Preservation Commission did not calendar the home. Subsequently, Councilman Shekar Krishnan wrote a scathing letter to the Commission, stating the agency must reevaluate its decision-making process and be more transparent in the future.

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

Fire Captain Patrick J. Waters (1956-2001) was killed during fire and rescue operations at the World Trade Center following the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001. A captain with the hazardous materials unit of the Special Operations Command in Manhattan; on Sept. 11, Waters was at the FDNY's medical offices for a routine physical. When news of the attacks reached him, Waters and others at the office ran out the door and over the Brooklyn Bridge to the Trade Center. Waters started his career with the Fire Department at an engine company in Bedford-Stuyvesant, one of the most active stations in the city. From there he moved to Ladder 108, and then served as a lieutenant with Ladder 106 in Queens, where he learned life-saving techniques. He also worked with a tower ladder unit to learn how to battle bigger fires, and joined the Special Operations Command to learn hazmat operations. Off-duty, Waters volunteered as a community and church member, and was a coach for Ridgewood-Glendale-Middle Village-Maspeth Little League, Sacred Heart Church basketball, and the 104th Precinct hockey team, Gallagher said. Waters also organized fund-raisers for the church and the school, including a weekly parish dance for the church's teens.

Staff Sgt. Alex R. Jimenez (1982-2007) dedicated his life to public service in the U.S. Army. On May 12, 2007, his unit was attacked and captured by enemy forces in Jurf al-Sakhar, Iraq. His body was recovered 14 months later, on July 8, 2008, confirming his death. Jimenez was assigned to the 10th Mountain Division's Company D, 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, based out of Fort Drum, New York. On June 20, 2009, the corner of 104th Street and 37th Drive in Corona, Queens, was named in his honor. The street sign is just a few feet from the home where Jimenez grew up.

Enoch Hawthorne Gregory (1936-2000), aka “The Dixie Drifter,” was born in Hertford, North Carolina. He served in the United States Army 10 the 1950s and received an honorable discharge. Gregory was a legendary soul DJ at WWRL in Woodside, Queens in the 1960s and 70s. He was also and one of WWRL's first African-American program directors and organized the scheduled the station’s music, commercials, and news. WWRL was one of the first successful Soul R\&B stations in the City and a premier radio station serving the City’s black community. A musician in his own right, he released an album, topped by the single Soul Heaven, which charted at number eight on Billboard’s R\&B Singles in 1965.

Herman Alvin Schleicher (1828-1866) and his wife, Malvina Schleicher (born c. 1830), were the owners of a 14-acre estate in College Point that included a two-and-a-half-story, red brick home. Among the oldest houses in the area and designated as a historic landmark in 2009, the Herman A. and Malvina Schleicher House is one of the earliest surviving buildings in New York City that combines elements of the Italianate and French Second Empire styles and was among the first in the City to feature a mansard roof, a design that maximizes attic space. Herman Schleicher was born in New York City on April 20, 1828, the son of Prussian immigrants. He married Malvina, a Prussian-born immigrant, in the 1840s, and the couple had four children, Herman, Julia, Frederick, and Walter. Herman worked as a merchant and wholesaler, trading in coal, stationary, and hardware. In the 1860s, he was active in local business and civic affairs, including serving on Flushing’s first board of education starting in 1858. In 1857, the couple built a home in College Point located on a tract of land purchased by Malvina. They worked with Morris A. Gescheidt, a German-born painter and architect, for the design of their house. Three years prior, the area around College Point had quickly developed into a thriving community after Gescheidt had designed and built a factory for hard rubber products for the industrialist Conrad Poppenhusen. The home Gescheidt built for the Schleichers was originally part of a walled compound with landscaped carriage paths, and it was located on the western end of the estate. The neoclassical design is one of the earliest surviving structures of its kind in New York City. Herman died on July 17, 1866, at the age of 38. In 1892, the Schleicher House became the Grand View Hotel and Park. When the original estate was subdivided into building lots in 1902, the house ended up at the center of a traffic circle as the surrounding neighborhood developed around it. The house was divided into apartments in 1923 and has continued as a rental property after its landmark status was established in 2009. The Herman A. and Malvina Schleicher House stands in its original location at 11-41 123rd Street in College Point.

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

Leonard P. Stavisky (1925-1999) was a history and political science professor, a politician in New York City and State, and a civic leader in his neighborhood in Flushing. Stavisky was born in the Bronx and attended New York City public schools. He earned three university degrees: a Bachelor of Science from City College of New York in 1945, and both master’s and PhD degrees from the Graduate Faculty of Political Science of Columbia University, in 1946 and 1958, respectively. A university professor by background, Leonard Stavisky had more than 25 years of experience teaching and in administration at Columbia University, the State University of New York, the City University of New York, Colgate University, Long Island University, and Virginia Polytechnic Institute. He began his career in politics in 1954 by serving as a member of the New York City Council. Between 1972 and 1977, he served as a member of the State Charter Revision Commission for the City of New York, and in 1965, Stavisky was elected to the New York State Assembly, where he represented Flushing and served as the Chairman of the Education Committee for eight years. He was elected to the New York State Senate in 1983 in a special election. He was reelected several times and remained in the State Senate until his death in 1999 due to complications from a cerebral hemorrhage. He was survived at the time by his wife, New York State Senator Toby Ann (Goldhaar) Stavisky, and a son, Evan. Senator Stavisky served as National Vice-Chairman of the Commission on Organization of the American Jewish Congress, Trustee of the Municipal Lodge of B’nai B’rith, the New York League of Histradrut, and the Settlement Housing Fund, Honorary Trustee of the National Amputation Foundation, and as a member of the Board of Directors of Interfaith Movement, Inc. On a more local level, Stavisky served as the Chairman of the Whitestone Library Committee and on the Board of Directors of the Bay Community Volunteer Ambulance Corps, the Latimer Gardens Community Center, the Bland Houses Community Center, the Flushing Boys Club, and the North Flushing Senior Center. He also served on the Advisory Boards of the Queens Council On The Arts, the Iris Hill Nursery School, and Save The Theatres, Inc. On a citywide level, he served on the Board of Trustees of the New York Public Library, the Board of the New York City Employees Retirement System, the New York City Health Insurance Board, the Mayor’s Committee on Scholastic Achievement, and the Mayor’s Committee on Coordination of Services to Families and Children. Originally opened in September 2001, P.S. 242 was named for Senator Leonard P. Stavisky in a dedication ceremony held at the school on May 14, 2004. The facility is located at 29-66 137th Street in the Mitchell-Linden section of Flushing. Leonard Stavisky Place is also named in his honor. It is located near the Whitestone Expressway at the corner of 29th Road at 137th Street in Flushing. Both locations are a short walk from where he and his family lived.

Karina Lariño (1984-2022) lived on 21st Street near 25th Road and since 2005, worked for the MTA as a cleaner and helper at the LaGuardia Bus Depot in East Elmhurst. On her street naming petition, her daughter Olivia Vasquez mentioned how her mother was very well known within the Astoria community and had lived there all her life. Karina studied at Immaculate Conception throughout elementary and middle school and continued her education at Long Island City High School and LaGuardia Community College. When she turned 21, she began to work for the MTA LaGuardia Bus Depot, and the staff quickly became a second family to her. The 38-year-old mother of one was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver just a block from her home in May 2022. A month after the crash near Astoria Park, police arrested the driver for failing to yield.

Alfio “Alfie” Muto (1941-2017) was an Italian immigrant and restaurateur who opened Alfie’s Pizzeria in Richmond Hill in 1974. His establishment has gone on to serve the community for more than 50 years. Recognized as an outstanding eatery, Alfie’s Pizzeria has won the hearts, accolades, and loyalty of Queens residents for more than four generations. Muto was born in Catania, Sicily, on an orange farm owned by the Muto family. He immigrated to the United States in 1969 at the age of 28, arriving in New York City with his wife, Nicole, and their two children, Rossella and Luigi. Before opening his pizzeria, Muto worked for a period at a factory job. The recipe for the pizza dough came from his hometown in Sicily, and it is still largely the same one used by the restaurant today. When Muto retired in 2004, his children took over the family business. On September 15, 2024, Alfie’s celebrated its 50th anniversary, and the enduring local institution was inducted into the New York State Historic Business Registry. In honor of Muto’s longtime service to the community, a co-naming ceremony was held on June 8, 2025, to name the intersection of 117th Street and Myrtle Avenue, about 60 feet from the pizzeria’s entrance, as Alfie’s Way.

Phil “Scooter” Rizzuto (1917-2007) was born in Brooklyn to Italian parents but moved with his family to Glendale, Queens, in his youth. He played baseball at P.S. 68 in Glendale and Richmond Hill High School, which he left before graduating to play in the major leagues. Although disregarded by some local teams because of his height (5’ 6”), he convinced the New York Yankees to sign him in 1937. After proving himself in the minor leagues, Rizzuto played shortstop for the Yankees starting in 1941 and, after serving in the Navy from 1943 to 1945, played the remainder of his career with the team from 1946 to 1956. His superb defense and offensive contributions helped the team win 10 American League pennants and eight World Series during his 13 years with the club. After finishing second in MVP voting in 1949, he followed with a career year in 1950 in which he achieved career highs in multiple categories, including hits (200), batting average (.324), on-base percentage (.418) and runs (125), while winning the AL MVP Award. As a shortstop, he led all AL shortstops in double plays three times, putouts twice and assists once. By the time he retired in 1956, he left the game with a batting average of .273, 1,588 hits, 149 stolen bases, 38 home runs, 563 RBI and five All-Star Game selections. Rizzuto was hired quickly afterward by the Yankees as a broadcaster in 1957 and would announce for the team for 40 years, retiring in 1996. He was beloved by new generations of fans who adored his style – his “Holy Cow!” signature line is recognizable to this day. The Yankees retired Rizzuto's uniform number 10 in 1985 and placed a plaque in his honor in their stadium's Monument Park. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1994, recognizing his career of more than 50 years in the game. Phil "Scooter" Rizzuto Park opened in 1938 as Smokey Oval Park, a reference to the Long Island Railroad terminus, which was a landing area of soot and ash from the railway smoke. The park was renamed in 2008 to honor Rizzuto.

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.

José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda, also known as Dr. José Rizal (1861-1896), is revered as a national hero of the Philippines. Born into a prosperous landowning family on June 19, 1861, in Calamba, Laguna, Rizal was a physician, writer, and fervent Filipino patriot. A highly educated and multi-talented individual, Rizal studied in Manila and at the University of Madrid. Trained as an ophthalmologist, he also excelled as a prolific writer, novelist, and polyglot fluent in numerous languages. His influential novels, "Noli Me Tangere" and "El Filibusterismo," ignited the Filipino people's demand for reforms against Spanish colonial rule. Much of his writing occurred during his European residence from 1882 to 1892. Deeply committed to his nation's welfare and independence, Rizal was a passionate patriot and nationalist. He aimed to highlight the rich history of the Philippines' indigenous people before Spanish colonization, notably by publishing an annotated edition of Antonio Morga’s “Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas.” Rizal mastered twenty-two languages and traveled extensively, building friendships across diverse races, creeds, social strata, and professions. As a leader in the reform movement of Filipino students in Spain, Rizal contributed essays and numerous reform-oriented articles to La Solidaridad, a newspaper published in Barcelona. He also gained membership in both the Anthropological Society and the Geographical Society of Berlin. In 1888, José Rizal visited New York City, staying at the Fifth Avenue Hotel overlooking Madison Square Park. During this brief period, he continued to advocate for his country's independence and worked on his writings. Rizal's short stay in New York marks a significant historical point, underscoring the interconnectedness of the Filipino struggle for independence with broader global movements for freedom and self-determination. Upon his return to the Philippines in 1892, Rizal established the Liga Filipina in Manila, a nonviolent reform society advocating for moderate social reforms through legal means. However, the governor disbanded it. By this time, Spanish authorities had already declared him an enemy of the state due to the publication of his novels. This led to his exile to Dapitan for four years. By 1896, the rebellion against Spanish rule in the Philippines, fomented by the militant secret society Katipunan, had become a full-blown nationwide revolution. Around this time, Rizal volunteered his services as a doctor in Cuba and was granted leave by Governor-General Ramón Blanco to minister to victims of yellow fever. However, Rizal was arrested en route to Cuba via Spain and imprisoned in Barcelona on October 6, 1896. He was sent back to Manila the same day to stand trial, implicated in the revolution through his association with members of the Katipunan. His unwavering pursuit of reform culminated in his martyrdom on December 30, 1896, when he was executed by firing squad in Manila. His enduring legacy resonates throughout the Philippines, within the Filipino diaspora, and among global advocates for social justice. He is honored with a street in Woodside, a neighborhood long known as “Little Manila” due to its numerous Filipino restaurants and stores and the presence of one of New York City's largest Filipino communities.

Henry Tustin (1924–1970) was born in Elmhurst, Queens. After serving in the U.S. Marine Corps during the final years of World War II, he joined the NYPD in 1951, eventually rising to the rank of Sergeant. Sergeant Tustin was killed in the line of duty on November 9, 1970, after being shot while attempting to arrest a robbery suspect. A veteran of the force, he served with the New York City Police Department for 19 years and was assigned to the 32nd Precinct at the time of his passing.

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

Rufus King (1755-1827) was a distinguished lawyer, statesman and gentleman farmer. The son of a wealthy lumber merchant from Maine, King graduated from Harvard in 1777, served in the Revolutionary War in 1778, and was admitted to the bar in Massachusetts in 1780. He was a member of the Confederation Congress from 1784 to 1787, where he introduced a plan that prevented the spread of slavery into the Northwest Territories. King was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention in 1787, and made his most famous contribution to American history as a framer and signer of the U.S. Constitution. After his marriage to Mary Alsop in 1786, King relocated to New York and was appointed to the first U.S. Senate, serving from 1789 to 1796 and again from 1813 to 1825. An outspoken opponent of slavery, he led the Senate debates in 1819 and 1820 against the admission of Missouri as a slave state. King served as Minister Plenipotentiary to Great Britain from 1796 to 1803 and again from 1825 to 1826. In 1816 he was the last Federalist to run for the presidency, losing the election to James Monroe. The earliest part of the King Manor building dates to the mid-1700s. In 1805 Rufus King purchased the farmhouse and a 90-acre farm for $12,000. He planted orchards, fields and some of the stately oak trees that still survive near the house. King added the eastern section of the house and a summer kitchen, and introduced Georgian and Federal design elements, such as the dining room with its curved end wall and the neoclassical marble fireplace in the parlor. By the time of Rufus King’s death in 1827, the estate had grown to 122 acres. King’s eldest son John Alsop King lived here and updated the house with Greek Revival details, such as the entrance portico. Cornelia King, granddaughter of Rufus, was the last family member to occupy the house. After her death in 1896, the house and the remaining 11 acres were bought by the Village of Jamaica, and the property came under the jurisdiction of the Parks Department in 1898. King Manor has operated as a museum since 1900 under the care of the King Manor Association of Long Island, Inc. The house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and the house and park are designated New York City landmarks. King Manor Museum is open on a regular basis for tours, educational programs and community events.

Barry Lewis was best known as the quintessential New York City historical and architectural walking tour guide. He co-hosted with David Hartman the TV special, “A Walk Down 42nd Street,” which aired on the New York PBS station WNET in 1998. The special bloomed into a series that was shown on PBS stations throughout the country. He had a deep expertise in European and American architectural history from the 18th to 20th centuries. Information, stories, and passion for his subject matter flowed out of him as he walked the streets of New York. In addition to lecturing at institutions like the New York Historical Society, he taught Modern Architecture & Design I & II at the New York School of Interior Design for 25 years. His courses were wildly popular, and he won NYSID’s William Breger Faculty Achievement Award for extraordinary teaching in 2001. He was also recognized by the Landmarks Preservation Society and the American Institute of Architects.

Milton “Milt” Hinton (1910 - 2000), a long-time resident of Addisleigh Park, was a legendary bass player who played with many of the greats of jazz and pop. He was also a skilled photographer who took nearly 60,000 negatives of performers on the road or in the studio, which have been exhibited around the world. Milton John Hinton was born in Vicksburg, Mississippi, and grew up in Chicago. With his mother’s encouragement, he began studying the violin, but pivoted to string bass because opportunities for Black violinists were limited. After working for several years with a jazz band in the Chicago area, Hinton was hired by the Cab Calloway Band in 1936. With the Calloway band, he became one of the first jazz bassists to be featured on records as a soloist. During his 60-year career, Hinton, nicknamed the “The Judge,” performed and recorded with many legendary musicians including Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, Erskine Tate, Art Tatum, Jabbo Smith, Eddie South, Zutty Singleton, Cab Calloway, Eubie Blake, John Coltrane, Quincy Jones, Wynton Marsalis, Branford Marsalis, Paul McCartney, Andre Kostelanetz, Guy Lombardo, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Billy Holiday and Barbara Streisand. He was one of the most recorded artists in history, as estimates of the records and albums he recorded range from 600 to well over 1,000. At the height of his popularity, Hinton entertained presidents and dignitaries at the White House; served as chairman of the International Society of Bassists, The National Association of Jazz Educators and the Jazz Panel of the National Endowment for the Arts; and held charter memberships in the Duke Ellington Fellowship at Yale University and the Newport Jazz Festival Hall of Fame. As a photographer, he published two lavishly illustrated volumes of memoirs ("OverTime: the jazz photographs of Milt Hinton," 1991, and "Bass line: the stories and photographs of Milt Hinton," 1988), and his still photography and home movies were featured prominently in Jean Bach's 1995 jazz documentary, "A Great Day in Harlem." Hinton's approximately 60,000 photographs now comprise the Milton J. Hinton Photographic Collection. Hinton died on December 19, 2000, in Queens, where he had been a pillar of the St. Albans community for many years.

Lorraine Hansberry (1930 – 1965) was a playwright, writer, and activist. Her play, “A Raisin in the Sun” (1959), was the first drama by an African American woman produced on Broadway. Hansberry was born in Chicago in 1930, the youngest of four children to a real estate entrepreneur and a schoolteacher. Her parents were members of the NAACP and the Urban League. She was the niece of Pan-Africanist scholar and college professor Leo Hansberry. In 1938 her family moved to a white neighborhood where they were attacked by neighbors. The Hansberry’s refused to move until a court ordered them to do so, and the case made it to the Supreme Court as Hansberry v. Lee, ruling restrictive covenants illegal. The case was the inspiration for her Broadway play, A Raisin in the Sun, which also became a movie starring Sidney Poitier. Hansberry attended the University of Wisconsin but left after two years and moved to New York to work as a writer and editor of Paul Robeson’s newspaper Freedom. She was a Communist and committed civil rights activist. She met her husband and closest friend, Robert Nemiroff, at a civil rights demonstration. Despite her marriage to a man, Hansberry identified as a lesbian, but she was not “out,” though it seems like she was on the path to a more open life before her death, having built a circle of gay and lesbian friends. In 1964, Hansberry and Nemiroff divorced but continued to work together, and he was the executor of her estate when she died of cancer in 1965. Nemiroff donated all of Hansberry's personal and professional effects to the New York Public Library but blocked access to all materials related to Hansberry's lesbianism for 50 years. Nemiroff passed away in 1991, and in 2013, Nemiroff's daughter released the restricted materials for research.

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

Police Officer Dennis Guerra (d. 213) was killed in the line of duty, he was 38. Guerra died from injuries he sustained on April 6, 2013, after responding to a fire on the 13th floor of a NYCHA apartment building in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn. The fire was later determined to be arson. The 38-year-old father of four had served with the New York City Police Department for eight years. At his funeral, Commissioner Bratton promoted him posthumously to the rank of detective.

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."

Barbara Jackson (1942 – 2020) was a veteran Queens’s Democratic district leader and union official who dedicated her life to the LeFrak City community. Jackson served as a district leader for East Elmhurst and Corona in Assembly District 35 Part B from 1992 until her death. She represented LeFrak City, the complex she called home for decades. She began working with the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts, known as the IATSE, in 1988, where she served as the Executive Assistant to the General Secretary-Treasurer for almost three decades. In 2008, she was one of four delegates elected to represent New York’s 5th Congressional District at the Democratic National Convention. She was also a member of the Elmhurst Hospital Community Advisory Board and regularly attended Queens Community Board 4 meetings for years, and was awarded the Marjorie Matthews Community Advocate Award from the New York City Health and Hospital Corporation for outstanding leadership and work on behalf of Elmhurst Hospital Center and the Community. Barbara was also awarded the Harry T. Stewart Award (the highest Branch Award) from the Corona-East Elmhurst Branch NAACP, of which she was a lifetime member. Barbara was a member of Key Women of America Inc., Concourse Village Branch, (second vice president), a member of the Corona-East Elmhurst Kiwanis Club, and attended monthly meetings of the 110th Pct. Community Council and served as the Community Liaison to Community Boards 3Q and 4Q for former U. S. Representative Joseph Crowley.

Duke Kahanamoku (1890-1968), also known as "The Duke" was one of Hawaii's best-known athletes, but he may not be well known outside the surfing community. Born in 1890, Kahanamoku is known as the father of modern surfing - but he is legendary in the Rockaways, where he visited briefly in 1912. Ask almost any Rockaways surfer and you will get the same account: the Duke demonstrated surfing here in 1912, putting the Rockaways on the world surfing map for good. At age 21, he entered his first organized swimming competition using a new stroke now called the American crawl to win easily. In 1912, he arrived in California and introduced surfing. Kahanamoku was a member of the U.S. Olympic Team in 1912, winning gold and silver medals in Stockholm. He was also on the Olympic teams of 1920, 1924 and 1928, and holds the distinction of winning gold medals in 100-yard freestyle in two different Olympics, 1912 and 1920. In his native Hawaii, Kahanamoku was elected sheriff for nine consecutive terms by the people of Honolulu. He also acted in a number of Hollywood movies. His street in the Rockaways is a major access road to a part of the beach that has been set aside for surfing.

The roots of the Berrian family can be traced back to the early Dutch settlers. (Originally spelled “Berrien,” it was changed to “Berrian” sometime in the 1800s.) Among their ancestors was Cornelius Jansen Berrien (1640-1688), who immigrated to the New Amsterdam colony from the Netherlands in 1660. In 1727, his grandson Cornelius Berrien (1697-1767) bought an island located in the East River off the shores of present-day Astoria, where he established the Berrien family homestead. Both the lesser-known Berrien's Island and Berrian Boulevard were named after the family. Cornelius Jansen Berrien first settled in the Flatbush area of present-day Brooklyn. He married Jannetje Strycker (1642-1714), the daughter of Jan Strycker (1614-1697), a prominent political figure in the early colony. Jansen Berrien’s grandson, Cornelius Berrien, bought what was then an island in the East River, as well as surrounding land in Newtown, then a collection of villages stretching from the East River to Flushing Creek. There he built a farmhouse for his family in 1727. When he died in 1767, his son and grandson continued to live on the farm. Among Cornelius Jansen Berrien grandsons was John Barrien (1711–1772), a justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court in 1764. In the early 1850s, the Berrien family sold their homestead. In the twentieth century, the island became part of the mainland of Queens when the area between Long Island and Berrien Island was filled in with land. Today, it is the site of a Con Edison power substation plant. Berrian Boulevard is located in northern Astoria. It begins at Steinway Place and dead ends before reaching Hazen Street (Rikers Island Bridge).

Patrolman John J. Madden, Sr. (1923-1968) was a 19-year veteran of the NYPD. He was assigned to the 104th Precinct when, on September 11, 1968, he was pursuing several suspects on foot on Stockholm Street in Brooklyn. When he complained of chest pains, Madden was taken to Wycoff Heights Hospital in Queens, where he died from a heart attack. Prior to the NYPD, Madden had served in World War II in the United States Navy Reserve. He was survived by his wife and three children. In 2023 City Councilmember Robert F. Holden proposed co-naming 70th Street, where Madden had lived, in his honor. A dedication ceremony was held on June 1, 2024. \*also known as Patrolman John Madden, Sr.

Jabez E. Dunningham (1868-1945), was an Elmhurst resident, and celebrated civic leader in New York City, particularly in Queens. Born in England, Dunningham became the London representative for the publisher Joseph Pulitzer (1847-1911) in the early 1890s. He moved to New York in 1896 and worked for Pulitzer until the publisher’s death in 1911.  After his publishing career ended, Dunningham devoted himself to fighting for public improvements, first as executive secretary of the Community Councils of New York, where he was instrumental in bringing rapid transit to Staten Island where he lived in 1921. Dunningham moved to Elmhurst, Queens, in the early 1920s and founded the Queens Council of Civic Associations, and helped the cause of homeowners in Corona who were being squeezed by a real estate firm. He lobbied against pollution, excessive garbage, and other problems affecting Queens. Dunningham lived at 40-71 Denman Street, within walking distance of this triangle named for him, and died on April 28, 1945, at the age of 77.

The entrance to Hortense Powdermaker Hall on the campus of Queens College.

Dr. Thomas Anthony Dooley III (1927–1961) was an American physician and public figure renowned for his humanitarian work in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. Born into a prominent Irish Catholic family in St. Louis, Missouri, Dooley served as a medical officer in the U.S. Navy from 1954 to 1955. His experiences during this time led him to write the best-selling books "Deliver Us from Evil" (1956), "The Edge of Tomorrow" (1958), and "The Night They Burned the Mountain" (1960). After leaving the Navy, Dooley established several hospitals in Southeast Asia and co-founded the Medical International Corporation (MEDICO), funded by his extensive public appearances and media work. Unfortunately, he succumbed to cancer in 1961 and was posthumously honored with a Congressional Gold Medal by President John F. Kennedy. Decades later, it was revealed that Dooley had ties to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and had embellished or fabricated certain aspects of his experiences in Southeast Asia.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy (1917-1963) was the 35th President of the United States (1961-1963), and the youngest man and first Roman Catholic elected to the office. On November 22, 1963, when he was hardly past his first thousand days in office, he was assassinated in Dallas, Texas, becoming also the youngest president to die.

Kenneth C. Ledee (1963-2001) worked for Marsh & McLennan at the World Trade Center. He was killed in the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001.

Theodor Herzl (1860-1904) was an Austrian Jewish journalist and playwright best known for role as founder of the political form of Zionism, a movement to establish an independent Jewish State. He was born in 1860 in Budapest, Hungary to Jakob and Jeanette Herzl, who were both wealthy German-speaking Jews. Though Herzl received his degree in law at the University of Vienna, he later focused on literature and was a successful journalist and playwright. He published a Zionist manifesto called “Der Judenstaat” in 1896. Subsequently, he put together the first Zionist Congress to take the steps to establish the Jewish State. He was the leader of the organization until his death at the age of forty-four in 1904. He was the only person mentioned by name in Israel’s Declaration of Independence and was known as the founder of the vision for the Jewish State. The Herzl’s monument was built a hundred years after his birth. It was designed by Joseph DiLorenzi and funded by the Kew Garden Zionist District. The Herzl monument is across the street from a Jewish high school and is regarded as a symbol of Jewish community strength.

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

Albert Johnson (1974-2017), known by the stage name Prodigy, gained fame as a member of hip-hop duo Mobb Deep. Meeting Havoc while at the High School of Arts & Design, the two started recording together in Queensbridge. The duo's work reflected the climate of New York City in the late1980s and early 1990s, and they were among those responsible for the revival of the East Coast hip-hop scene.

Muhammad Iqbal (1877-1938) was a writer, philosopher, and politician who is widely revered in the Asian subcontinent. He was also a scholar, lawyer, and well-known poet whose Urdu poetry is world-renowned. Muhammad Iqbal is commonly referred to as the honorific Allama, meaning “very knowing and most learned.” He was born in Punjab on November 9, 1877, which was under the jurisdiction of the British Raj (1858-1947) at the time. Before Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Pakistan's founding father, established the new state in 1947, Allama Iqbal envisioned its creation. He had a vision of a culturally and politically independent Muslim state that promoted Islamic ideals and combatted the oppression and discrimination Muslims experienced living in India. Influenced by the democratic principles held in the United States Constitution, Allama Iqbal advocated for a Muslim state that promoted the ideals of “life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness.” As such, Allama Iqbal revived the two-nation theory, which inspired Muhammad Ali Jinnah to create an exclusively Muslim state. The American Pakistani Advocacy Group (APAG), the organization responsible for initiating this street co-naming in honor of Allama Iqbal, chose this location in the South Richmond Hill area to mark it as the epicenter of APAG’s community service work for the Pakistani diasporic communities residing in Queens and beyond.

The Voelker Orth Museum, Bird Sanctuary and Victorian Garden commemorates three generations of the Voelker Orth families, promotes Flushing cultural heritage and history, and serves as a backyard horticultural sanctuary and education center. The museum originated as the family home of German immigrants Conrad (1861-1930) and Elizabeth Voelcker (neé Maibach, 1875-1919), and their daughter Theresa Voelcker (1898-1992). Conrad Voelcker immigrated to the United States from Edenkoben, Germany and eventually settled in Flushing's newly established middle-class neighborhood, Murray Hill, in 1899. He was a printer by trade and published the German language newspaper "Der Pfalzer in Amerika" from 1884 until 1917, at which point anti-German sentiment was at its peak in the wake of the First World War. Theresa Voelker (who changed the spelling of Voelcker to Voelker), her husband Rudolph Orth (1887-1948) and their daughter Elisabetha (1926-1995) moved into the house upon Conrad Voelcker's death. Soon after, the family adopted a second child, Barbara (c. 1926). Orth was a surgeon who practiced in the army during WWI and later as a police surgeon for the city. Theresa and Elisabetha Orth were active in the Flushing community, both served on local philanthropic boards and organized events in the area. Elisabetha Orth, who worked as a teacher, was the last of the family to live at the site, where she passionately maintained the grounds as a Victorian garden. Orth died as a result of a car accident in 1996, and bequeathed the home in her will for the purpose of it becoming a nonprofit educational resource, thus establishing the Voelker Orth Museum, Bird Sanctuary and Victorian Garden. The building was designated as a landmark of New York on October 30, 2007, and was placed on the National Register of Historic sites in 2020 (under the name Conrad Voelcker House).

Anthony Mazzarella (ca. 1937-2015) was a boxing enthusiast as well as a dedicated fundraiser for people with cancer. He owned the Crab House restaurant, known for its seafood and for its sports and boxing memorabilia. He donated to the precinct council, which used such donations to feed and clothe the homeless and also donated food for various events. He was a member of the New York State Boxing Commission, the NY State Wine and Grape Foundation, and the American Cancer Society Queens Division. He founded the Patty Fund for Childhood Cancer to help families with the financial burdens of medical bills. He started an annual Fourth of July block party that raised thousands of dollars for cancer patients, and also hosted a Christmas party for kids with cancer. He was honored with the American Cancer Society’s St. George Medal, its highest award for service and leadership in the fight against cancer.

Morton Povman (1931-2024) was a New York City Council Member, representing District 24 in central Queens. He is the longest-serving council member in City Council history, representing his district from 1971 to 2001. He was born in Brooklyn in 1931 to Russian Jewish parents. He attended City College and Brooklyn Law School, where he graduated first in his class and served as editor-in-chief of the Brooklyn Law Review. After graduating, he opened a law office in Forest Hills, where he practiced for over sixty years. His first entry into politics was in 1960, when he joined a Democratic club in Richmond Hill, initially with the sole intention of finding more legal clients. However, he began to get more involved in local politics, serving as legal counsel to Moses Weinstein, the majority leader of the New York State Assembly. In 1971, he was selected to replace Donald Manes on the City Council after Manes became Queens Borough President. As a City Council Member, Povman was remembered as a principled, independent thinker. He successfully opposed measures to build high-rise apartments and a racetrack in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, in spite of the support the plans had from the mayor and borough president. He was instrumental in bringing Arthur Ashe Stadium, now the site of the US Open, to the park, though the measure was unpopular among his constituents. He also served as chair of the City Council Committee on Health, and fought to keep the Metropolitan Hospital in East Harlem open in opposition to Mayor Ed Koch. Though he had the opportunity to pursue higher political positions, Povman chose to continue running for City Council, as it gave him enough time to continue his law practice and spend time with his family. He married Sandra Arkow in 1958 and they had two sons, both lawyers.

Horace Mann (1796-1859) was an educator and politician, who notably advocated for free and universal education in the United States. He was born in Massachusetts, where he initiated much of his social reform work as a politician. After self-educating for much of his young life through use of the library, Mann was valedictorian of his graduating class at Brown University. He went on to study and practice law, which provided the foundation for his political career in the Massachusetts House of Representatives and Senate, as the inaugural secretary of the Massachusetts Board of Education, and in the U.S. House of Representatives. In these positions and throughout his career, Mann was an advocate for public education, abolition of slavery, and other aspects of social reform. Mann developed a pedagogical approach known as the common school movement, which prioritized orality and morality, and aimed to democratize the U.S. school system by making it consistently accessible. Dozens of schools across the country use Horace Mann as their namesake regardless of whether he had a physical affiliation with the location, a testament to the impact he made on public education in the United States. P.S. 090 Horace Mann elementary school of Richmond Hill, Queens opened in 1909. P.S. 090 resonates with this nineteenth century reformer's mission of equitable education and continues to foster critical thinking and empowerment in their students today.

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

Rachel Louise Carson (1907-1964) was a marine biologist who worked for the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries (later the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) while developing a career as a nature writer. She published her first book, Under the Sea-Wind, in 1941. After the success of her second book, The Sea Around Us, which won the National Book Award and the John Burroughs Medal in 1951, she resigned from government service to focus on her writing. Her third book, The Edge of the Sea, was published in 1957. Carson is best remembered for her groundbreaking 1962 book Silent Spring, which examined the detrimental effects of the insecticide DDT on wildlife. Despite opposition from the chemical industry, an investigation was ordered by President John F. Kennedy (1917-1962), and in 1963 Carson testified before Congress. She died of breast cancer the following year. DDT was banned with the passage of the federal Clean Water Act in 1972. A 1978 renovation to make this playground accessible led to the alternate name of Playground for All Children. A 1999 renovation included the addition of a flagpole with a yardarm and depictions of sea creatures and the titles of Carson's three books preceding Silent Spring. The adjacent Silent Springs playground is a tribute to her most influential work.

William Booth (1829-1912) was the founder and general of the Salvation Army (1865). Booth was born in Nottingham, England on April 10, 1829. Booth’s father was born into poverty but was determined to build his wealth which he did but soon lost it during Booth’s teenage years. In 1842, at the age of thirteen, Booth was sent to work at a pawnbroker’s shop by his father in order to assist with the family’s financial circumstances. Booth did not like his job but it was here where he experienced and observed firsthand the plight of the poor. In 1844, at the age of fifteen, Booth began attending Broad Street Wesley Chapel where he had his first religious conversion experience. In 1849 Booth moved to London in order to find work. During this time, Booth joined a chapel in Clapham where he met his future wife Catherine Mumford. In 1855, Booth and Catherine got married.  William Booth found the structure and function of the church to be too restrictive. He wanted to spread the teachings of God directly to the people. He wanted to connect with those who could not or were not allowed to attend church. These people tended to be the poor and less fortunate. In 1861, Booth decided to part ways with the church and become an independent revivalist, since the church did not agree with his beliefs. In 1864, Booth began offering services in the streets of London. Booth preached to people from all walks of life. Booth preached to the poor, homeless, hungry, and destitute. His practices would eventually form an organization that would function under the name “The Christian Mission.” Within 10 years, the organization would amass 1,000 volunteers with the goal of spreading faith everywhere and to everyone. Today “The Christian Mission” is known as the “Salvation Army.” The “Salvation Army” currently has millions of volunteers helping those in need all around the world. This organization has a presence in over a hundred countries due to Booth’s efforts in creating a solid foundation.

The Allen-Beville House on Center Drive in Douglaston, built circa 1848-1850. Benjamin P. Allen (1819-1893), a wealthy farmer residing in Flushing Township, constructed the house. Son of Philip Allen (1780-1829) and Eliza Treadwell Platt Allen (1788-1862), Benjamin inherited land amassed by the Allen family before 1820. After acquiring the final piece of the family farmstead in 1847, he began building his home. This house, one of the few surviving 19th-century farmhouses in Queens, is a unique blend of architectural styles. Designed in the Greek Revival style, the cornices on the main house and porches display Italianate brackets. Between 1855 and 1874, Benjamin Allen and his wife Catherine raised seven children here. Notably, in 1865, Allen established a school within the house for the community's children. He was also quite active in his church, serving as a vestryman and warden at the local Zion Episcopal Church. Following Benjamin Allen's death in 1893, William P. Douglas, a wealthy banker, financier, and Vice-Admiral in the New York Yacht Club, acquired the property. Son of George Douglas, the namesake of Douglaston whose manor bordered the Allen farm, William added the property to his estate and used the Allen house as a guest house. In 1906, William Douglas sold the estate to the Rickart-Finlay Realty Company. The area surrounding the Allen house became Douglas Manor, a planned upscale suburban community. Anne R. Faddis purchased the Allen house around 1910. It subsequently changed hands through Walter Scott Faddis (1945), Alan Warner (1946), before finally being acquired by Hugh and Elinor Beville in 1946. When designated an individual landmark in 1977, the house remained in the Beville family's possession, thus earning its official name, the Allen-Beville House. The house was further recognized by being added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

Thomas X. Winberry (d. 2011) was born and raised in Forest Hills, where he was an active member of the community. Winberry enlisted in the U.S. Navy at age 19 and served in the Korean War. After coming home, he joined the American Legion, eventually becoming commander of the Forest Hills American Legion Continental Post 1424. He served as commander for seven years until becoming Queens County Commander. Under his leadership, the American Legion Continental Post No. 1424 became a focal spot for our community provided a location for “Kidz Care Home Alone Thanksgiving” dinners, a place to distribute new school supplies, or for civic associations to hold meetings. Winberry was also a mounted officer for the NYPD and was awarded the NYPD Medal of Honor for rescuing a drowning swimmer in the East River. This was only one of fifteen times that he was cited for acts of courage in his 20 years on the force. He was an advocate of veterans’ rights and worked to preserve the St. Albans Veterans complex, a healthcare facility for veterans and their families. He was 78 when he passed away on June 29, 2011.

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.

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.

Benjamin Wheeler (2006 -2012) was born in New York City and lived in Sunnyside, Queens for the first year of his life before moving to Connecticut. He was just six years old when he was killed in the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.

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Ralph Johnson Bunche (August 7, 1903 - December 9, 1971) was an African-American political scientist, diplomat, scholar, civil rights activist, and Nobel Prize winner. Bunche is most celebrated for his accomplishments while working at the United Nations, which he helped found. While at the U.N., Bunche was a leading figure in the decolonization movement and the Arab-Israeli conflict in Palestine. His mediation efforts during the conflict in Palestine earned him a Nobel Peace Prize in 1950, making Bunche the first African-American to earn the award. Upon his return following the armistice, he received a hero’s welcome in New York, where a ticker-tape parade was held in his honor.  Bunche was born in Detroit, Michigan, to parents Fred Bunche and Olive (Johnson) Bunche, as the oldest of two siblings. His father was a barber in a whites-only shop, while his mother was an amateur musician. He also had a younger sister, Grace, born in 1915. Little is known about Bunche’s childhood in Detroit; he had a modest upbringing, although his family struggled with finances. When Bunche was about ten years old, his family moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, after his mother developed rheumatic fever upon the birth of his younger sister, Grace. Despite hopes that the arid New Mexico climate would help his mother’s ailing health, she died shortly after the move. Shortly after, Bunche’s father died for unknown reasons, leaving Bunche and his sister orphans.  After the death of his parents, he moved in with his maternal grandmother, Lucy Taylor Johnson, in Los Angeles, California. Bunche’s grandmother lived in a bungalow in a primarily white neighborhood, where Bunche would be subjected to racism. Recognizing Bunche’s potential and sage-like wisdom, his grandmother enrolled him and his sister at a local public school and encouraged him to aspire to a college education. Despite some school officials wanting to enroll Bunche in a vocational program, his grandmother insisted that her grandson receive a college preparatory education. Bunche maintained strong ties to education throughout his life. In high school, Bunche excelled intellectually and graduated as valedictorian of Jefferson High School. With the encouragement and support of his grandmother, Bunche accepted a scholarship from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), where he studied international relations. At UCLA, Bunche was an active student; he played on the school’s basketball and football teams, participated in debate and journalism clubs, served as a Phi Beta Kappa honor society member, and worked multiple jobs to support his education. In 1927, Bunche graduated with his Bachelor of Arts at the top of his class. Later, Bunche continued his studies, earning his master's and doctorate from Harvard University in 1934, becoming the first African American to earn a doctorate in political science. While earning his doctorate, Bunche worked as a political science professor at Howard University. Following his time at the United Nations, Bunche served as a New York City Board of Education member from 1958 to 1964 and was a trustee for the New Lincoln School in New York City. Bunche fiercely advocated for the desegregation of New York City Schools.  Outside of his diplomatic career, Bunche was heavily involved with the Civil Rights Movement throughout the 1950s and 1960s. He frequently criticized America’s social systems, specifically segregation and racial oppression, arguing they were incompatible with democracy. Bunche participated in several marches led by Martin Luther King Jr., most notably the 1963 March on Washington and the 1965 Selma March. Moreover, he actively served on the board of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) from 1949 until his death. Bunche’s support of the Civil Rights Movement demonstrated his commitment to racial justice and equality.  Ralph Bunche died in New York at the age of sixty-seven due to complications with kidney and heart-related diseases. Many regarded him as one of the most accomplished and brilliant figures of his time, including President John F. Kennedy, who bestowed him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1963. Over the course of his career, he earned several doctorates, honors, and accolades, overcoming racial and systemic barriers. Bunche’s accomplishments and support for human rights, education, racial justice, and decolonization cemented him as an influential figure in Black History for decades to come.

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.

Police Officer Gadell (1963-1986) had only served on the police force for 11 months before he was killed by gunfire in the alleyway on Seagirt Boulevard in Queens. We was just 22-years old. His death led to reforms to better equip NYPD officers.

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.

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

Dr. Marie Maynard Daly (1921 - 2003) was a groundbreaking American biochemist who shattered barriers in science. Born in Corona, Queens, Daly's father immigrated from the West Indies and began studying chemistry at Cornell. However, he faced financial hardship and had to leave his studies to become a postal clerk. Daly's mother, a Washington D.C. native, fostered her daughter's love of learning by reading to her extensively. This instilled a strong value in education and inspired Daly to pursue her own passion for chemistry. Daly earned her B.S. from Queens College and her M.S. from New York University, both in chemistry. She then went on to complete her Ph.D. at Columbia University, becoming the first African-American woman in the United States to receive a Ph.D. in chemistry. Daly went on to a distinguished career as a professor and researcher, primarily at Yeshiva University. Her research delved into crucial topics like protein synthesis, heart disease, and the circulatory system. Beyond her impactful research, Daly was a champion for diversity and representation in science. Recognizing the challenges faced by minority students, she established a scholarship fund at Queens College to support aspiring chemists and physicists from underrepresented communities. Daly's dedication to science and advocacy was widely recognized. She was named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and honored by the National Technical Association as one of the Top 50 Women in Science, Engineering, and Technology in 1999.

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.

Jacob August Riis (1849-1914), best known as a groundbreaking journalist and photographer, was also an advocate for parks and playgrounds and a resident of nearby Richmond Hill. Riis was born on May 3, 1849, in Ribe, Denmark, and immigrated to New York in 1870. After working various jobs, he was hired by the New York Tribune as a police reporter in 1877. He began documenting poverty, especially in Manhattan's Lower East Side and Five Points areas. Starting around 1887, Riis brought along a camera, and in 1890, his book How the Other Half Lives was released. It contained dramatic photos illustrating the challenging lives of immigrants in the Lower East Side, alongside his written essays. The book had a significant impact across the country, especially in New York, where Theodore Roosevelt was the Police Commissioner at the time. Riis's work inspired Roosevelt to support legislation aimed at improving living conditions in the slums before he became president. While reporting on the struggles of New Yorkers, Riis came to believe that play had a therapeutic effect on people. As a result, he became a champion for small parks and playgrounds, particularly where little greenspace existed, and he served as secretary of the Small Parks Committee. Riis was also a leader in the fight against tuberculosis. In 1904, he helped create Christmas seal stamps, using the funds raised to develop a children’s tuberculosis hospital in Coney Island, Brooklyn. As a leader of the New York Association for Improving the Condition of the Poor, this hospital provided a model he hoped to replicate in Queens. After some campaigning, the city approved the acquisition of the Rockaway property in 1911. While on a speaking tour in 1914, Riis fell ill at a stop in New Orleans and returned to his summer home in Massachusetts to attempt recovery. Not long before his death on May 26, 1914, Riis published an article that described the area—which would be named for him after his passing—as "a country of tumbled sand-hills overgrown with beach grass and fragrant bayweed that may easily be transformed into attractive parkland." Two other locations in Queens are also named for Riis: Jacob Riis Triangle in Richmond Hill and a community center (settlement house) in Queensbridge.

Rufus King (1755-1827) was a distinguished lawyer, statesman and gentleman farmer. The son of a wealthy lumber merchant from Maine, King graduated from Harvard in 1777, served in the Revolutionary War in 1778, and was admitted to the bar in Massachusetts in 1780. He was a member of the Confederation Congress from 1784 to 1787, where he introduced a plan that prevented the spread of slavery into the Northwest Territories. King was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention in 1787, and made his most famous contribution to American history as a framer and signer of the U.S. Constitution. After his marriage to Mary Alsop in 1786, King relocated to New York and was appointed to the first U.S. Senate, serving from 1789 to 1796 and again from 1813 to 1825. An outspoken opponent of slavery, he led the Senate debates in 1819 and 1820 against the admission of Missouri as a slave state. King served as Minister Plenipotentiary to Great Britain from 1796 to 1803 and again from 1825 to 1826. In 1816 he was the last Federalist to run for the presidency, losing the election to James Monroe. In 1805, King purchased land and a farmhouse in Jamaica; this house is now the King Manor Museum, a New York City landmark. It is located approximately 4.5 miles from P.S. 26, a public elementary school serving grades pre-K through 5.

Queens Public Library Connection Halvor A. James (1936-2018) served in the United States Army as a First Lieutenant and later worked 32 years for the City of New York Department of Social Services. He was also very active in the National Association of Social Workers; the Retirees of District 37 AFSCME; served as president of the St. Albans Civic Improvement Association; and was a member of the Friends of St. Albans Library, the United 199th Street Block Association, the Southeast Queens Crime Task Force, Jamaica NAACP, the Douglas/King, Elmer Blackurne and Guy R. Brewer Democratic Clubs, and president of the PTA at P.S. 95 in Queens. He was also first vice chair of the Board of Directors of the Alpha Phi Alpha Senior Citizen Center and an active member of the Hampton Alumni Association.