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Arthur O’Meally Place

Arthur & Millicent O'Meally (at right) chat with a friend during a Queens Historical Society event circa 2010. (Photo courtesy of Jason Antos at the Queens Historical Society.)

"A Celebration of Life - Arthur O'Meally," Funeral Program, October 31, 2022, (Courtesy of Jason Antos at the Queens Historical Society.)

Arthur & Millicent O'Meally from "A Celebration of Life - Arthur O'Meally," Funeral Program, October 31, 2022, (Courtesy of Jason Antos at the Queens Historical Society.)

Arthur O’Meally (1935-2022) dedicated over 40 years to volunteering and service in his community. He was an active member of the North Flushing Civic Association and the Flushing chapter of the NAACP. He was deeply committed to preserving historical sites and green spaces in New York. As a trustee of the Queens Historical Society, he served as vice president of operations. He was a certified Citizen Pruner for the NYC Parks Department and helped care for the Wyckoff-Snediker and Moore-Jackson cemeteries, two of the oldest burial sites in Queens. For his preservation work, he was honored with a Declaration of Honor from then-Queens Borough President Claire Shulman in 1999 and a Civic Achievement Award in 2005 during Black History Month.

O’Meally was born at Mary Immaculate Hospital in Jamaica, New York, to Gladys L. and Vernon Edward O'Meally. Edward, was born in the British West Indies and worked as a porter after coming to the city. Arthur was drafted in 1958 to serve in the U.S. Army, where he served in the 1st Missile Battalion, 39th Artillery, attaining the rank of Specialist 4. He was stationed in Mainz, Germany, during the Cold War. When he returned to the states, he dated Millicent Chisolm, whom he married in 1961. They remained married for over 55 years. Arthur worked at York Industries, where he was eventually promoted to plant manager. The family moved from Jamaica, Queens and purchased a home in Flushing in 1976.

Millicent O’Meally also has a long history of devoted community service, having served as a member of Queens Community Board 7 for 36 years before retiring in 2024, and as a member of the Flushing NAACP.

Sources:

“Arthur O’Meally,” Ancestry Library, accessed September 10, 2025

"Committee Report of the Infrastructure Division," The Council of the City of New York, December 19, 2024

Czarinna Andres, “Flushing intersection co-named for longtime community advocate Arthur O’Meally,” QNS, June 10, 2025

Joe Anuta, “Vets share experiences at Flushing’s Latimer House,” QNS, December 4, 2011

Sophie Krichevsky, “O’Meally retires after 36 years on Board 7,” Queens Chronicle, February 15, 2024

"A Celebration of Life - Arthur O'Meally," Funeral Program, October 31, 2022, from the collection at the Queens Historical Society.