Honoring Queens' Veterans

In honor of Veterans Day, we are highlighting a few of the many public spaces in Queens named after veterans, some of whom emerged as community leaders.

1
Halvor A. James Sr. Way
2022

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.

Sources:

Gil Tauber, "NYC Honorary Street Names," accessed June 15, 2022, http://www.nycstreets.info/

2
Terri Mona Adams Way

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

Sources:

Murray, Christian, "Terri Adams, a Hunters Point civic leader, has passed away," licpost,, September 18, 2017, https://licpost.com/terri-adams-a-hunters-point-civic-leader-has-passed-away

McCaffrey, Orla, "A tireless advocate for Hunters Point," Queens Chronicle, May 23, 2019, https://www.qchron.com/editions/western/a-tireless-advocate-for-hunters-point-1/image_999e9d66-432f-5c77-aeb4-7565256c3dc9.html

3
Robert R. Tilitz Street

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.

Sources:

Gil Tauber, "NYC Honorary Street Names," accessed June 15, 2022, http://www.nycstreets.info/honorStreet1a1a.html?b=Q&letter=R

Additional information provided by James McMenamin.

4
Army Staff Sgt. Alex Jimenez Way

Staff Sgt. Alex R. Jimenez (b.1982) was captured in an ambush south of Baghdad in May 2007. In 2008, approximately one year after he went missing, the U.S. military found and identified his body. He was killed in the line of duty.

Sources:

Gil Tauber, "NYC Honorary Street Names," accessed June 15, 2022, http://www.nycstreets.info/

"Bodies of 2 missing soldiers found in Iraq," Military Times, accessed September 15, 2022, https://thefallen.militarytimes.com/army-staff-sgt-alex-r-jimenez/3705557

Jano Tantongco, "Street renamed for Staff Sergeant Alex Jimenez," QNS.com, June 24, 2009, https://qns.com/2009/06/street-renamed-for-staff-sergeant-alex-jimenez/

5
Corporal John McHugh Way

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.

Sources:

Bagcal, John, “Decorated World War II veteran honored with Whitestone street co-naming,” QNS, December 26, 2019, https://qns.com/2019/12/decorated-world-war-ii-veteran-honored-with-whitestone-street-co-naming/

Donlevy, Katherine, “Cpl. McHugh Way lands on D-Day,” Queens Chronicle, June 10, 2021, https://www.qchron.com/editions/north/cpl-mchugh-way-lands-on-d-day/article_995c3643-1e97-5c51-9569-98c6ed081c42.html

Wikidata contributors, "Q64748346”, Wikidata, accessed December 7, 2023, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q64748346

6
Mauro Playground

Albert Mauro (1911 - 1982), a Kew Gardens Hills environmentalist, civil rights and community activist, and WW II veteran. After returning from military service and while working as an insurance adjuster, Mauro became involved with the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s. He demonstrated throughout the South and attended the 1963 March on Washington. Mauro also joined the Sierra Club and Audubon Society, and took on many local environmental issues, including those involving his community and parks. He exposed the sludge problem in the Flushing Bay with organized walking tours and fought against the 1972 plan for installation of a nuclear reactor in the World’s Fair Science Building. His advocacy work included lobbying the state to preserve Willow Lake in Flushing Meadows, according to the Parks Department. The body of water would end up being classified as a protected wetland in 1976, six years before Mauro passed away in 1982.

Sources:

“Mauro Playground,” New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, accessed March 14, 2023, https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/flushing-meadows-corona-park/highlights/12619

7
Lieutenant Theodore Leoutsakos Way

Lieutenant Theodore “Teddy” Leoutsakos (ca. 1950 - 2015) was a lifelong Astoria resident and a first responder during the 9/11 terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center, where he was trapped when the towers collapsed. He survived the attacks and was credited with helping many survivors that day.

Leoutsakos was a United States Air Force Veteran who served during the Vietnam War. He was honorably discharged when he was wounded in combat. For 24 years, he served as a New York State Court Officer and worked perimeter patrol outside of the New York County Supreme Court at 111 Centre Street in Manhattan. He was a founding member of the Fraternal Organization of Court Officers, a charitable organization that began in 1990 and has held hundreds of fundraisers helping people in need. Shortly after his retirement, he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer as a result of his response to the World Trade Center and his time spent at Ground Zero.

Sources:

Gil Tauber, "NYC Honorary Street Names," accessed June 15, 2022, http://www.oldstreets.com/honor.asp?title=Leoutsakos

"Lieutenant Ted Leoutsakos 9/11 Hero Honored with Street Co-naming," The National Herald, September 10, 2016, https://www.thenationalherald.com/lieutenant-ted-leoutsakos-9-11-hero-honored-with-street-co-naming/

"Stated Minutes of July 14, 2016," New York City Council, https://a860-gpp.nyc.gov/concern/nyc_government_publications/df65v8512?locale=en

Julia Marsh, "Judges, officials pay tribute to court officer who died from 9/11-related injuries," New York Post, September 11, 2015, https://nypost.com/2015/09/11/judges-officials-pay-tribute-to-court-officer-who-died-from-911-related-injuries/

8
Ruth and John Kempisty Avenue

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.

Sources:

Margaret Magnus, “John & Ruth Kempisty - Together Forever,” The Juniper Berry, October 9, 2008, https://junipercivic.com/juniper-berry/article/john-ruth-kempisty-together-forever

9
Captain Dermody Triangle

Captain William Chrysostom Dermody was a dedicated and outspoken abolitionist who was killed in the Civil War. He was born in Nova Scotia, Canada, in 1830 but came to New York with his family as a young child. He volunteered with the 67th New York Infantry and served in Company K, the first regiment of Long Island volunteers. The backbone of the regiment was formed by members of Henry Ward Beecher’s Abolitionist Plymouth Church Congregation in Brooklyn Heights. It was organized in Brooklyn on June 24, 1861, and the soldiers left for Washington, D.C., on August 21, 1861. The regiment fought in many battles throughout the war, including the Battle of Spotsylvania.

The Battle of Spotsylvania took place in Fredricksburg, Virginia, from May 8 to 21 in 1864. A numerically superior Union force met with a smaller but vigorous Confederate force anxious to avenge their previous losses at Gettysburg. During the two weeks of the battle, a total of 152,000 men fought (100,000 Union soldiers and 52,000 Confederate) and 30,000 lives were lost. During May 12 and 13 in particular, Gen. Ulysses Grant managed to capture nearly an entire division of Gen. Robert E. Lee’s army and came close to cutting the Confederate army in half. It was at this point that Dermody lost his life, being mortally wounded on May 12 and dying the following day. His remains were buried on the battlefield at the time. In 1865, the Fredericksburg National Cemetery was established to reinter and memorialize the almost 20,000 soldiers who died there. A marker for Dermody can be found in the cemetery. His parents, Patrick and Lavinia Boyd Dermody, are buried in Flushing's Mount St. Mary Cemetery.

The plot of land located on 216th Street and 48th Avenue had been the site of the local two-room schoolhouse. In 1866, the site was dedicated to the memory of Captain Dermody by a ceremonial meeting of a Union and Confederate veteran, each planting a special tree: a maple to represent the North and a sycamore to represent the South. The trees were to grow together as a symbol of the communal hope for a better union. A monument was placed in the square with the inscription, “For a Better Union 1861-1865”; it remains there today. Every Memorial Day, the Bayside Historical Society lays a wreath at the park to commemorate Captain Dermody and those who fought in the Civil War.

The Board of Aldermen (predecessor of the City Council) officially named this property for Captain William C. Dermody on March 15, 1937. The name was changed simply to Captain Dermody Triangle on July 29, 1997, by an executive decree from Commissioner Henry J. Stern. A low stone wall bounds the triangle.

Sources:

"Captain Dermody Triangle," New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, accessed March 10, 2023, https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/captain-dermody-triangle/history

"Capt. William Chrysostom Dermody memorial," FindAGrave.com, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/12945640/william-chrysostom-dermody

Patrick Young, “Captain Dermody Triangle in Queens Honoring an Immigrant Abolitionist,” The Reconstruction Era, February 1, 2023, https://thereconstructionera.com/captain-dermody-triangle-in-queens/

Fredericksburg National Cemetery, National Park Service, accessed March 12, 2023, https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/national_cemeteries/virginia/fredericksburg_national_cemetery.html

10
Dorie Miller Place

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.

Sources:

Gil Tauber, "NYC Honorary Street Names," accessed June 15, 2022, http://www.nycstreets.info/

VA History Office. (n.d.). Doris Miller - Above and beyond the call of duty. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. https://www.va.gov/HISTORY/Features/Doris_Miller_001.asp

11
General Hart Playground

Brigadier General Joseph T. Hart (1902-1962) was a distinguished resident of Elmhurst, renowned for his exceptional contributions in both the military and civilian realms. His commendable military career began in 1920 when he joined the National Guard and enlisted in the 69th Regiment, later known as the 165th Infantry. Hart's remarkable leadership skills led to his appointment as brigadier general in 1940. He notably served in crucial World War II battles, including Makin and Saipan in the South Pacific, and commanded the unit during the Battle of Okinawa in April 1945.

Recognized for his bravery and commitment, General Hart received prestigious accolades such as the Silver Star with a Cluster, the Purple Heart, the American Defense Force Medal, and the New York State Conspicuous Service Medal. Post-war, he continued his dedicated service in the Queens Borough President's Office, serving under prominent officials Maurice Fitzgerald and John T. Clancy until his passing. In 1964, the New York City Council name the park in his honor.

Sources:

"General Hart Playground," New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, accessed September 30, 2022, https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/general-hart-playground/history

12
SFC Luis M. Gonzalez Street

Luis Manuel Gonzalez (1982-2009) was a Queens native who went to Flushing High School. He had dreamed for years of joining the Army and enlisted after graduating from high school in 2002, he had a commanding presence that made him a good fit for the Army. Assigned to the 2nd Infantry Division, he was killed in combat in Afghanistan, along with six other soldiers, when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device.

Sargent First Class Gonzalez grew up in the Corona area of Queens, but later moved to the South Ozone Park neighborhood. Gonzalez, an avid New York Yankees fan, had a wife, Jessica, and son. He distinguished himself by earning more than twenty-three medals, including the Bronze Star. Gonzalez served twice in Iraq before being deployed to Afghanistan.

Sources:

“SFC Luis Manuel Gonzalez,” FindAGrave.com, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/43677462/luis-manuel-gonzalez

“Burying band of brothers,” NY Post, November 19, 2010, https://nypost.com/2010/11/19/burying-band-of-brothers/

13
L/CPL Thomas P. Noonan Jr. Playground

Lance Corporal Thomas P. Noonan Jr. (1943-1969) was a Vietnam War Veteran born in Brooklyn, New York. In 1961 he attended Hunter College in the Bronx, graduating with a B.A. degree in Physical Education in 1966.

Noonan enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve in Brooklyn at the end of 1967 and was discharged to enlist in the regular Marine Corps early 1968. Noonan completed recruit training with the 3rd Recruit Training Battalion, Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, South Carolina, and was promoted to private first class in spring 1968. Summer of 1968 Noonan was ordered to the Republic of Vietnam. He was first assigned duty as a mortar man with H&S Company, 2nd Battalion, 27th Marines, 1st Marine Division (Rein), FMF. Later Noonan was reassigned to the 3rd Marine Division as a rifleman, where he saw combat with Company G, 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines.

Noonan was promoted to Lance Corporal January 1st, 1969. Lance Corporal Noonan was killed in action February 5th, 1969 while participating in action against the enemy during Operation Dewey Canyon south of Vandegrift Combat Base in Quang Tri Province. Noonan was awarded the Purple Heart, the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal with two bronze stars, and the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal. He was also awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously by President Richard Nixon. As described in the citation, Noonan was awarded this medal for his indomitable courage, inspiring initiative, and selfless devotion to duty.

Noonan died attempting to bring wounded men away from enemy fire and back to safety. Noonan dashed across the hazardous terrain of the area and commenced dragging the most seriously wounded man. Although wounded and knocked to the ground by an enemy round, Lance Corporal Noonan recovered rapidly and resumed dragging the man toward the marginal security of a rock. He was however, mortally wounded before he could reach his destination. His actions inspired his fellow Marines to such passion that they initiated a spirited assault which forced the enemy soldiers to withdraw.

In December 2004, Jack Lincks wrote: "You are gone from our presence, but never forgotten. You would be amazed that so many remember you, and that our childhood playground is now named for you. Till we meet again - Semper Fi !" The L/CPL Thomas P. Noonan Jr. Playground holds Noonan's memory, as well as those who knew him.

Sources:

"L/CPL Thomas P. Noonan Jr. Playground," New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, accessed June 5, 2023, https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/l-cpl-thomas-p-noonan-jr-playground

"THOMAS PATRICK NOONAN JR.," Congressional Medal of Honor Society, accessed June 5, 2023, https://www.cmohs.org/recipients/thomas-p-noonan-jr

"Thomas P. Noonan," The Virtual Wall, accessed June 6, 2023, https://www.virtualwall.org/dn/NoonanTP01a.htm

14
Lieutenant Colonel George U. Harvey Memorial Plaque

George Upton Harvey (1881-1946) was Queens Borough President from 1928 to 1941. Born in County Galway, Ireland, the Harveys moved to Chicago when George was five years old. His father founded The International Confectioner, a trade paper, and after working there Harvey served as a correspondent and photographer for the Army and Navy journal. A captain during World War I, he commanded Company A of the 308th Infantry Regiment, 77th Division. In 1920, Harvey was appointed Assistant Director of the State Income Tax Bureau in Jamaica, New York. 

Harvey began his career in electoral politics when he successfully ran for election to the Board of Aldermen in 1921 as a Republican from Queens and was re-elected in 1923. Though Harvey lost the 1925 election for President of the Board of Aldermen, a sewer scandal resulting in the ouster of Borough President Maurice Connolly vaulted Harvey into the Borough Presidency in a special election to complete Connolly’s term. Harvey was Queens’ first Republican Borough President since the 1898 consolidation of New York City. He was re-elected to this office in 1929, 1933, and 1937, serving until 1941. 

Harvey was a bitter foe of the Tammany political machine at home and Communism abroad. In 1928, he initiated a major expansion of arterial highway and parkway improvements in Queens. He also played an active role in the World’s Fair at Flushing Meadow in 1939-40. In 1932 and again in 1938, he considered running for Governor but ultimately declined to do so. On April 6, 1946, Harvey died of a heart attack while helping to battle a brush fire near his home in New Milford, Connecticut.

Sources:

"Lieutenant Colonel George U. Harvey Memorial Plaque," New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, accessed January 26, 2023, https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/lost-battalion-hall-recreation-center/monuments/1793

"Harvey Park," New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, accessed January 26, 2023, https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/harvey-park/history