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.

Alice Cardona (1930-2011) was an eminent Puerto Rican activist and community organizer. She is widely recognized for her advocacy in bilingual education, women’s rights, and political representation. Born the first of nine children to Puerto Rican parents who relocated to New York in 1923, Cardona was raised in Spanish Harlem. After graduating high school in 1950, Cardona volunteered at the Legion de Maria, offering psychological support to Black and Hispanic communities. In 1961, she joined the Sisters of St. John, a religious order in Texas, but ultimately left the order, realizing that religious life was not her calling. Returning to New York, she worked at a financial institution and later joined the United Bronx Parents (UBP), eventually getting involved with the Head Start program in 1964. Between 1970 and 1978, Cardona’s career flourished, especially during her time at ASPIRA, a nonprofit organization that seeks to empower and educate the Latino youth community, where she worked as a youth counselor and later as the director of counseling for parents and students. Her work at ASPIRA motivated her to complete her degree, which she did through an independent study program at Goddard College in 1973. Cardona was also an active member of the National Conference of Puerto Rican Women (NACOPRW) and served on its national board starting in 1975. She founded HACER (Hispanic Advocacy and Community Empowerment through Research) / Hispanic Women’s Center to support Latinas in reaching their professional aspirations through education. From 1983 to 1986, Cardona served on the executive board of the New York State Association for Bilingual Education (NYSABE) and represented New York City at the organization. She then worked as assistant director of the New York State Division for Women from 1983 to 1995, under Gov. Mario Cuomo’s administration. There, she oversaw daily operations and continued her advocacy for bilingual education, women’s rights, and prisoners’ rights. She played a key role in addressing health issues like AIDS/HIV, breast cancer, and domestic violence, founding the Hispanic AIDS Forum in 1986 and the Women and AIDS Research Network. Additionally, she co-founded Atrévete, a political participation and voter registration program. After retiring in 1995, she remained active and served as director for the Puerto Rican Association for Community Affairs and on the boards of the National Women's Political Caucus, the National Association for Bilingual Education and the Puerto Rican Educators Association. In 1997, Cordona was one of 70 U.S. women invited to “Vital Voices of Women in Democracy” in Beijing. She also is the author of the book, “Puerto Rican Women Achievers in New York City,” and she was the first Hispanic woman to receive the Susan B. Anthony prize from the National Organization for Women (NOW). Cardona passed away from cancer at the age of 81.

Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) took up multiple pursuits in his life including writing, inventing, and representing the U.S. in the government. As a child and young adult, Franklin did not have access to formal education but independently studied through books, experiences, and relationships. Franklin was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and started off working under his father as a candle maker and then his brother as an anonymous writer. In 1723, he left his family life in Boston and moved back and forth between London and Philadelphia. After 18 months he settled in Philadelphia he supported himself by owning a print house and managing a news publication ‘Pennsylvania's Gazette’. The paper gained the colonies’ favor and became one of the major newspapers competing with brands like The Essex Gazette, The Connecticut Journal, and The New York Gazette. Franklin retired from the communications and media business in 1748. Leaving him with time to explore other sectors of his life. He began to pour into shaping his country by becoming a part of the conversations in Congress. Spending 28 years as a member of the Pennsylvania Assembly, concocted the Albany Plan which fought against imposing British taxes, and collaborated to create a draft for the Declaration of Independence. Amongst his political endeavors, he continued his education in research of electricity, eventually inventing the lightning rod in 1752. Franklin’s love of education was not only harbored in personal studies but manifested in the establishment of a library and school which are now known as the University of Pennsylvania. In 2014, Benjamin Franklin High School For Finance & Information Technology was established by the NYC School board. It specializes in allowing its students to get professional certificates in computer science.

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

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.

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.

William Cullen Bryant (1794-1878) was a poet and editor born in Cummington, Massachusettes. He is known as one of the most celebrated figures of 19th-century America, as well as being the editor of the New York Evening Post for 50 years. Bryant's most notable work "Thanatopsis" was one of the most well known poems at the time. Bryant's childhood was a little unstable as his family fell into financial troubles not long after his birth. This forced the entire family to stay with his grandparents. His childhood was also a period of strict discipline and hard labor. Even though Bryant was bright and eager to learn, the school imposed a strict regimen and lessons were taught under threat of being hit by a long piece of wood called the "switch." However, Bryant was an inquisitive child who learned to stimulate his thoughts through nature. Bryant drew inspiration from his father, Dr. Peter Bryant, an educated man with high ambitions and a desire to be a productive member of society beyond Cummington. Another major point of influence for Bryant was the development of the United States as a nation. Elite colleges began popping up within the United States, and Bryant's dad was determined to get his son the humanistic education he himself was denied. Bryant's first work commented on the Embargo Act of 1807 and his later works discussed the mortality of the Civil War. While writing his poems, Bryant studied and practiced law. However, in 1828, he left the law and to become a New York editor. As an American poet respected in Europe and an editor at the center of New York City’s cultural renaissance, Bryant's thoughts and opinions were highly sought after. He became one of the first American writers able to make enough profit from his writing to support himself and his family. Although in later years he lost much of his power as editor, Bryant was still a beloved and highly influential figure. No one could challenge his place as First Citizen of New York. Over the decades, he had been the prime advocate for a unified and uniformed police department, for the paving of the city streets, and led the way for creation of Central Park. He also fought for the establishment of the Metropolitan Museum of Art as an attribute of a great world city, and supported the right of labor to unionize. Bryant lived a long and prosperous life, contributing to greatly to American culture. He died in his 80s after suffering from a stroke.

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. The Glendale intersection co-named for Rizzuto is located in the neighborhood where he played ball in the street as a child.

Roy Wilkins (1901-1981) was a Civil Rights activist and NAACP leader. In his early days, he became the editor of the Kansas City Call in 1923, a weekly newspaper serving the Black community of Kansas City, Missouri. He also helped organize the historic March on Washington in August 1963 and participated in the Selma-to-Montgomery marches in 1965 and the March Against Fear in Mississippi in 1966. Under Wilkins's direction, NAACP played a major role in many civil rights victories of the 1950s and 1960s, including Brown v. Board of Education, the Civil Rights Act, and the Voting Rights Act.

Edward J. Fowley (1926-1999) was a neighborhood leader in Woodside. He was born in Queens. After graduating from Bryant High School, he joined the United States Army and later worked for the Socony-Mobil Corporation. While serving in the U.S. Army in Korea, he founded an orphanage for abandoned children. In 1965, he purchased Shelly's Bar and Grill, which he turned into a Woodside institution. He served as the President of the Woodside Senior Assistance Center and was the founder and president of the Woodside Anti-Crime Committee. Fowley raised funds for St. Sebastian’s Church and the Woodside Veterans Memorial, and he was a board member of the Bulova School for the Handicapped. In 1989, Mr. Fowley was invested as a Knight of the Holy Sepulcher by John Cardinal O'Connor in recognition of his charitable work.

Police Officers Thomas M. Langone (1962-2001) and Paul Talty (1960-2001) were both assigned to the 109th Precinct in Flushing. They were killed at the World Trade Center during fire and rescue operations following the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001. Officer Langone's brother Peter, a firefighter, also perished in that disaster.

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

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.

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

The following was received from Helen Day, president of the Richmond Hill Historical Society: Ivan Mrakovcic, president of the Richmond Hill Historical Society, passed away on February 27, 2020, after a valiant battle with brain cancer. Ivan was one of the founding members of the Richmond Hill Historical Society in 1997 with the late Nancy Cataldi and other like-minded individuals who looked to preserve historic Richmond Hill. Ivan loved this community and worked tirelessly in so many ways to preserve its historic character and charm, leading the charge for the historic preservation of Richmond Hill after Nancy’s passing in 2008. Ivan’s perseverance resulted in the establishment of a Historic District in North Richmond Hill on the New York State and National Historic Registers in March 2019. Ivan was much more than our president; he was our dear friend and neighbor, like a brother and definitely a kindred spirit, who will always be with us. As one of our board members said, we were so lucky to have known him and to have had him be part of our lives. That is a great testimony for anyone. Ivan left a legacy of accomplishments that will always be remembered, and we have many memories that bring a smile to our hearts.

Mary Vavruska (1932 – 2015) was a well-known Jackson Heights community activist that served the community for over 50 years and was instrumental in the building of Louis Armstrong Middle School, I.S. 227. She worked as the chair of Community Board 3 for many years, and was especially active on issues of land use, economic development, and education. She helped initiate the building of the 115th Police Precinct on Northern Boulevard. Vavruska also helped form the Jackson Heights Community Corp. and organized and implemented volunteer services for the homeless at the Blessed Sacrament Roman Catholic Church. She was an active PTA member and championed the Department of Education to receive continual financial support for the maintenance of the Paired Schools under the Princeton Plan to integrate the schools between Jackson Heights, Corona, and East Elmhurst after the decentralization of school districts. She received the Volunteer of the Year from the Regional Alliance for Small Contractors, the Community Service Award from The Asociacion Benefica Cultural Father Billini and the Small Business Person of the Year from the Queens Chamber of Commerce.

Marjorie and Nicholas Ferrigno were founding members of The Broadway-Flushing Homeowners’ Association. Marjorie Ferrigno (1916 – 2013) was an educator who founded the Fiorello LaGuardia High School of Music and Art and Performing Arts. She was President of the American Educational Theatre Association which represented all nonprofessional theatre in the United States, Secretary and Executive Committee member of the American National Theatre and Academy, was Chair of the North Shore Branch League, taught speech courses at several universities, a founding chairman of the drama department at LaGuardia High School of Music and Performing Arts, past President of the American Educational Theatre Association, chairman of the North Shore Branch of League of Woman Voters and steering committee member of the Economic Development Committee. She was a founding member and President of the Broadway-Flushing Homeowners’ Association and won a landmark court case to enforce a restrictive covenant, which led to a rezoning of part of Northern Boulevard. Nicholas Ferrigno (d. 2010) was a senior instructor for American Airlines at JFK and LaGuardia Airport and a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers. He was a founding member of The Broadway-Flushing Homeowners’ Association.

Gertrude Ederle (1905-2003) was a world-class swimmer and the first woman to swim across the English Channel. Born to German immigrants, Ederle was raised on the Upper West Side of Manhattan at 108 Amsterdam Avenue, above her father’s butcher shop. As a girl, her father taught her how to swim at their summer cottage in New Jersey. By her late teens, she was a champion swimmer and a member of the Women’s Swimming Association. Ederle went on to win several medals, including the gold at the Paris 1924 Olympics, and held twenty-nine national and world amateur records by 1925. On August 6, 1926, Ederle became the first woman to swim across the English Channel. Departing from Cap Gris Nez, France, she landed on the shores of Kingsdown in Kent, England in 14 hours and 39 minutes. Upon her return home, Ederle was greeted with a ticker tape parade in Lower Manhattan, the first woman to have that honor. She was a nationwide phenom, with the attention of the President of the United States, Calvin Coolidge (1872-1933) praising her as “America’s Best Girl”. Ederle taught swimming at the Lexington School for the Deaf in New York City after losing a portion of her hearing several years after the Channel Swim. She performed in the 1939 World’s Fair, and resided in Flushing, Queens for over 50 years. Gertrude Ederle died in Wyckoff, New Jersey in 2003 at the age of 98.

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.

Vernon Cherry (1951-2001), aka "Cowboy", served the City of New York as a firefighter at Ladder Company No. 118. Born and raised in Woodside, Queens, Vernon Cherry enjoyed a distinguished 28-year career as a firefighter. He was also well known for his outstanding singing voice, which he often used in support of charitable causes. On September 11th Vernon Cherry answered the call of fire and rescue operations following the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center and perished, at the age of 49, in the collapse of the twin towers.

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.

Christopher Racaniello (b. 1971) a Little Neck native, worked for Cantor Fitzegerald at the World Trade Center. He was killed in the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001.

Stanley, Kathleen & Robert Rygor Way, is co-named in honor of a local Astoria family who were activists for LGBTQ rights. Stanley Rygor (1926 - 2019) Kathleen Rygor (1929 - 2021) and Robert Rygor (1953 - 1994) were all deeply involved in the LGBT community. Robert was a well-known LGBT community activist, prominent AIDS activist, and ACT UP spokesperson. In 1978, he became the first openly gay man to run for New York State Legislature. He was a member of Villagers Against Crime, advocating for safer neighborhoods, and in 1992, he testified at the Democratic Platform Committee Hearings to advocate for the inclusion of AIDS awareness and funding into their platform. Stanley, Robert’s father, served in the United States Navy and along with his wife Kathleen became a civil rights activist during the 1960’s, including hosting meetings for the Queens NAACP. The Queens LGBT community referred to the Rygors as outspoken allies and advocates for AIDS Outreach after their son contracted the virus and passed away. Stanley was a member of the Irish LGBT group Lavender and Green Alliance, which honored him and his wife Kathleen, in 1996. Stanley and Kathleen Rygor have been featured in several films regarding their son on the challenges of homophobia and AIDS.

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.

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

Detective Myron Parker (1961-1987) was an NYPD police officer from North Corona, assigned to the Bronx Narcotics Unit. While off duty, he stopped to assist at the scene of an accident and was killed by a drunk driver. He was 26 years old. Parker began working as a police officer on January 25, 1982. He served with the Bronx Narcotics Unit for five years, until his death on August 20, 1987. While driving with his brother on the Major Deegan Expressway near Yankee Stadium, he observed another car as it struck a vehicle near 155th Street. Though off-duty, Parker stopped to assist. Observing that the driver was intoxicated, Parker approached the vehicle and reached in to try to remove the keys. The driver accelerated in an attempt to flee. When he accelerated, Parker was crushed against the center divider of the highway, thrown over the center, and struck by another vehicle. He was taken to the hospital, where he eventually passed. The driver of the vehicle that killed Detective Parker was convicted of reckless endangerment and sentenced to seven years in prison. Parker was survived by his parents and siblings and posthumously promoted to Detective by then-Police Commissioner Benjamin Ward. The intersection of 103rd Street and 34th Avenue in North Corona is named in his honor and is located near where he lived at the time of his death.

James Edward Heath (1926 – 2020) was a jazz legend who raised his family in the historic Dorie Miller co-ops in Corona and taught at Queens College. James “Jimmy” Heath was born in Philadelphia to Percy Heath Sr. and Arlethia Heath. He attended Walter George Smith School in South Philadelphia and graduated from Williston Industrial School in Wilmington, N.C., in 1943. His father was an auto mechanic who played the clarinet, performing on the weekends, and his mother sang in a church choir. His sister Elizabeth played piano; his older brother Percy Jr. played violin and bass; and his younger brother Albert “Tootie” Heath played the drums. As a teenager, Heath took music lessons and played alto saxophone in the high school marching band. He also played in a jazz band called the Melody Barons and toured with the Calvin Todd Band in 1945, before joining a dance band in Omaha, Nebraska led by Nat Towles. Small in stature (standing 5'3"), he was unable to serve during World War II, because he was under the weight limit. In 1946, he formed his own band, which was a fixture on the Philadelphia jazz scene until 1949. Heath's earliest big band (1947-1948) in Philadelphia included John Coltrane, Benny Golson, Ray Bryant, Specs Wright, Cal Massey, Johnny Coles, and Nelson Boyd. Charlie Parker and Max Roach sat in on occasion. In 1959, Heath briefly joined Miles Davis's group, replacing John Coltrane, and also worked with Kenny Dorham and Gil Evans. Heath recorded extensively as leader and sideman. During the 1960s, he frequently worked with Milt Jackson and Art Farmer. The biological father of R\&B songwriter/musician James “Mtume” Forman, Heath met his eventual wife, Mona Brown, whom he married in 1960; they had two children, Roslyn and Jeffrey. In the early 1960s, encouraged by friends Clark Terry and the Adderley brothers, the Heaths purchased an apartment in the Dorie Miller Cooperative Housing in Corona, where the Adderleys and Terry also lived. In 1987, Heath became a professor of music at the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College. There, he premiered his first symphonic work, "Three Ears," with Maurice Peress conducting. In 2010, his autobiography, "I Walked With Giants," was published; it was voted Best Book of The Year by the Jazz Journalist Association. He recorded three big band records -- "Little Man Big Band," produced by Bill Cosby, "Turn Up The Heath" and "Togetherness Live at the Blue Note." Heath received a Life Achievement Award from the Jazz Foundation of America and the 2003 American Jazz Master Award from the National Endowment for the Arts. He was nominated for three Grammy Awards and has received three honorary doctorate degrees. He was also the first jazz musician to receive an honorary doctorate in music from the Juilliard School.

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.

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.

Manuel de Dios Unanue (1943-1992) was a Cuban-born journalist and radio host who was killed in New York City in 1992. De Dios was born in Cuba in 1943 and moved to the United States in 1973, after time spent in Spain and Puerto Rico, he settled in Elmhurst, Queens. He worked as a journalist for several Spanish-language newspapers in New York City, before becoming editor-in-chief of El Diario La Prensa, the largest Spanish-Language newspaper in NYC, in 1984. De Dios was best known for his investigative reporting on the Colombian drug trade. He wrote extensively about the drug cartels that operated in Queens, and he named names. His reporting made him a target of the drug traffickers, and he was slain on March 11, 1992, by a hitman for the Colombian drug cartel in the Meson Asturias restaurant on 83rd Street in Queens. This small park on the border of Jackson Heights and Elmhurst in Queens was named in his honor in 1993.

Officer Disdale Enton, a four-year veteran of the NYPD, was assigned to the 113th Precinct. He collapsed and died on August 28, 2002, after suffering a brain aneurysm while chasing a suspect in Jamaica, Queens.

Herbert Hoover (1874-1964) was the 31st president of the United States, serving from 1929 to 1933. He gained a reputation as a humanitarian as the head of the American Relief Administration, which distributed food and relief supplies throughout Europe following World War I. Under President Warren Harding, Hoover served as U.S. secretary of commerce, where he helped direct the construction of the St. Lawrence Seaway and the Hoover Dam. Unable to address the severe unemployment, homelessness, and hunger brought on by the Great Depression, Hoover was defeated by Franklin D. Roosevelt in the 1932 presidential election. He was born in West Branch, Iowa, the son of Jesse Hoover, a blacksmith, and Hulda Minthorn Hoover, a seamstress. When Hoover was six years old, his father died of heart disease, and he lost his mother four years later to pneumonia. Hoover then left Iowa for Oregon, where he was raised by his maternal uncle and aunt, John and Laura Minthorn. He graduated from Stanford University in 1895, and there he met his future wife, Lou Henry. Together, they raised two children. In the years following his presidency, he wrote several books critical of President Roosevelt’s New Deal. Until Pearl Harbor was attacked, Hoover opposed US involvement in World War II, and he also condemned American participation in the Korean and Vietnam Wars. He died in New York City in 1964 at the age of 90. Martin Thomas Manton (1880-1946) was a district and federal judge. In 1916, he was nominated by President Woodrow Wilson to a seat on the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. Two years later, he was again appointed by Wilson to serve as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. In 1939, he became the first U.S. federal judge charged with bribery. Though later acquitted of that charge, he was convicted of conspiring to obstruct justice and received the maximum penalty—two years in prison and a $10,000 fine, for which he served 19 months in federal prison. The son of Irish-immigrant parents, Manton was born in New York City. He received his law degree from Columbia University in 1901 and went into private law practice from 1901 to 1916. In 1907, he married Eva Morier. Manton eventually retired to Fayetteville, New York, where he died in 1946 at the age of 66. The Hoover-Manton Playgrounds are located in Briarwood on Manton Street (also named for Manton), between 134th Street, 83rd Avenue, and Main Street.

Sergeant Carl R. Sohncke (1894 – 1918) was born and raised in Woodside Queens and worked as a printer before he enlisted in the United States Army in 1915 to fight in WWI. He served for three years, the last 8 months in France as Sergeant of Company M in the 28th Infantry. He was killed in action in France while reconnoitering with his platoon across "no man's land" under heavy German shell fire on May 28, 1918. He became Woodside's first fallen hero of WWI. His body was returned to New York in December 1921, and after a funeral at his parent's home, Sgt. Sohncke was buried at Maple Grove Cemetery, with full military honors provided by members of the Edward J. Lange Post, American Legion of Winfield conducting the burial service. A firing squad from Governor’s Island paid the soldier’s tribute to their comrade-in-arms. Carl wrote a song while stationed in Panama before being transferred to France. It is called "Dear Old New York" - words by Carl R. Sohncke, music by ESS Huntington, copyright 7 Jul 1916 by Carl R Sohncke, Las Casadas, Panama.

Julio Rivera (1961 – 1990) was a Bronx born Puerto Rican, who lived in Jackson Heights and worked as a bartender. On July 2, 1990, Rivera was brutally murdered in the nearby schoolyard of PS 69, by three individuals who targeted him because he was gay. He was just 29 years old. Julio's death mobilized LGBTQ+ activism in Jackson Heights and all of Queens, candlelight vigils and protests were held by the community. As a result of grassroots organizing and media attention, the city eventually re-classified his death as a hate crime and put a reward out for the arrest of the killers. To commemorate Julio Rivera’s death and raise the visibility of the LGBTQ+ community in Jackson Heights, the Queens Lesbian and Gay Pride Committee established the Queens Pride Parade in 1993, with a route that includes what is now known as Julio Rivera Corner. Julio Rivera’s death was a turning point for LGBTQ+ activism in Queens, and led to the formation of several important organizations, some of which include Queens Gays and Lesbians United (Q-GLU), the Lesbian and Gay Democratic Club of Queens, and Queens Pride House.

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).

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.

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

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.

Lieutenant Clinton L. Whiting (1894 – 1918) was a First Lieutenant in the 308th Infantry during World War I. He was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Medal for Heroism in Action on August 4, 1919, for his performance on the battlefields of France. While on an advance through the Argonne Forest, on September 28, 1918, Whiting led his men into a key position in a marsh covered by wire, grass, and stunted brush despite heavy enemy fire. During the battle, he was seriously wounded by a machine gun bullet and died of his wounds on October 23, 1918.

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.

Richard Feynman (1918-1988) is considered by most scientists to be the greatest American physicist of the 20th century and the most brilliant physicist overall in the post WW II era. Feynman grew up in Far Rockaway on Cornaga Avenue, and graduated from Far Rockaway High School, he went on to study at MIT, and then Princeton, where he was recruited to produce enriched uranium for use in an atomic bomb, as part of what would become the Manhattan Project. After the war he went on to Cornell and eventually to Cal-Tech where he continued his work in theoretical physics, going on to win a joint Nobel Prize for Physics in 1965 for his contributions to the development of quantum electrodynamics.

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

Ridgewood’s past comes alive in the stories of immigrants, entrepreneurs, and local leaders who built businesses, challenged norms, and held the neighborhood together in tough times. From a British inventor who jump-started the factory age to a grocer-turned-mogul and a priest who brought a faith tradition halfway around the world, our streets are named for people who made Ridgewood their own—and left a mark that still matters today. Explore their stories and uncover the hidden history behind Ridgewood’s street names with this new Name Explorer neighborhood collection!

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

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

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

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