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.

Queens Public Library Connection Paul A. Vallone (1967-2024) was an attorney and civic leader whose political career in the service of northeastern Queens and New York City was cut short when he died of a heart attack on January 28, 2024, at the age of 56. Part of a noted Queens political family, Vallone served as City Council member for District 19 from 2014 to 2021, and then as deputy commissioner of external affairs for the New York City Department of Veterans' Services from 2022 to 2024. His grandfather, Charles J. Vallone, was a judge in Queens County Civil Court. Both his father, Peter Vallone Sr., and his brother, Peter Vallone Jr., represented Astoria on the City Council, from 1974 to 2001 and 2002 to 2013 respectively, making for a 47-year run of City Council service by the Vallone family. Born on June 2, 1967, and raised in Astoria, Vallone attended high school at St. John's Preparatory School, graduated from Fordham University, and received his law degree from St. John's University. He was admitted to the New York and New Jersey Bar Associations in 1992. Prior to his political career, he was a managing partner at his family’s general practice law firm, Vallone and Vallone LLD, which was founded in 1932 by his grandfather. Vallone moved from Astoria to northeast Queens and, failing in a bid for City Council office in 2009, he followed in his family’s footsteps in 2014 when he won the District 19 seat. He was known as an advocate and champion for the Queens communities he served. During his tenure, he sponsored 800 pieces of legislation — 128 of which he was the first primary sponsor — and was credited with fundraising nearly $40 million in funding for his district. He was at the forefront of adopting participatory budgeting, which allows constituents the opportunity to vote for and prioritize the capital projects they want funded by their councilmember’s office. As Vallone shared with the Queens Daily Eagle in 2021, “It was a beautiful way to create community involvement in your own tax dollars.” Vallone was dedicated to supporting students and seniors in his district. While on the council, he helped expand school capacity by 4,500 seats and reinstated the New York City Council Merit Scholarship, known as the Peter F. Vallone Academic Scholarship, awarding high school graduates up to $350 per semester. He also helped to launch a free transit service for northeast Queens seniors. In addition, he spearheaded a project that brought $3.6 million in improvements to Flushing’s Bowne Park. The work was completed in the spring of 2023 and included upgrades to the playground, pond, plaza, and bocce court. As a strong advocate for veterans, Vallone voted as a city council member in favor of a measure that established the New York City Department of Veterans' Services in 2016, making it the first City agency in the country dedicated to serving veterans and their families. After his tenure on the city council ended due to term limits in 2021, Vallone lost a bid for a Civil Court seat in eastern Queens. But he continued his public service in 2022, when Mayor Eric Adams appointed him as deputy commissioner of external affairs for the new Department of Veterans' Services. Vallone held that role until his death in 2024. During his time in the City Council, Vallone tirelessly advocated for the renovation of Bay Terrace and Douglaston-Little Neck Libraries and was a steadfast supporter of the entire Queens Public Library system. In addition to his government work, Vallone was active in his Flushing community as a soccer coach for St. Andrew Avellino Catholic Academy, winning two championships for the school, and also coaching his two daughters, Lea and Catena, and his son Charlie (Charles J. Vallone III). Vallone was survived by his wife, Anna-Marie, and three children. Located at the intersection of 157th Street and 32nd Avenue in Flushing, Paul A. Vallone Way borders the southern edge of Bowne Park, just a few blocks from the Vallone’s family residence. In addition, the Paul A. Vallone Queens Animal Care Center in Ridgewood was also named in his honor, and the Paul Vallone Community Campus at 18-25 212th Street in Bay Terrace, an addition to P.S. 169 Bay Terrace School and Bell Academy.

Timothy Matthew Welty (1967–2001) grew up next to Bowne Park in Queens. He graduated from Archbishop Molloy High School and Pace University. While Welty lived in Yonkers with his wife and two young children, his professional life centered on Maspeth, Queens, where he served with Squad 288. Throughout his eight-year FDNY career, he was highly regarded for his athleticism, boundless energy, and fearless approach to firefighting. An adventurer at heart, Timothy spent his free time bungee jumping, ski racing, mountain climbing, and parachuting; he was also a dedicated member of the FDNY hockey and volleyball leagues. In addition to being a loving husband and father, Timothy was a skilled carpenter who had recently started his own construction business. On September 11, 2001, Timothy responded to the North Tower with Squad 288. He was last seen on the 27th floor, where he died alongside his fellow firefighters while heroically attempting to save others.

Theodore Foulk (1848-1924) was a prominent nurseryman who established a successful business in Flushing. In 1895, he acquired and, for the next 29 years, ran Bloodgood Nurseries on Broadway in Flushing, along with other properties in Mineola, New York, and New Jersey. Now located in Horsham, Pennsylvania, Bloodgood Nurseries was first established in 1798 by Joseph Bloodgood and, still in business, it is considered the oldest continuously operating nursery and landscape company in the United States. On his death, Foulk left the City of New York $10,000 in his will, designating half of his gift for the improvement of Kissena Park in Fresh Meadows and the other half for the improvement or extension of the playgrounds at Flushing. Foulk was born in Andrews Bridge, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, to Aaron Foulk and Margaretta J. (McIntyre) Foulk, the first of their four children. In 1882, he married Mabel Pyle Way, a Quaker who was originally from Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. The couple had three children: Helen, Donald, and William. In 1894, Foulk moved with his family from Red Bank, New Jersey, to Flushing, where he established his nursery business and made his career. By 1895, he had acquired Bloodgood Nurseries, which was located on the south side of Northern Boulevard between 134th and 150th Streets. His son, William, later joined him in the business. Foulk also partnered with William Flemer Sr. of F\&F Nurseries in Springfield, New Jersey, to form the American Nursery Company—an effort to expand operations and increase efficiency—and he ran his nurseries up until his death. In his will, Foulk made additional gifts to a variety of organizations and charities, including Flushing Hospital and Associated Charities of Flushing. On September 19, 1924, Foulk died at his home in Flushing, and Mabel followed in 1942. The couple are buried in Oxford Cemetery in Oxford, Pennsylvania. Foulk’s contributions to local parks and institutions left a lasting legacy in Flushing, reflecting a deep connection to the community. In 1935, an NYC Department of Parks press release announced the opening of the new Bowne Playground, adding that some of the funds used in its construction were obtained through Foulk’s bequest, as he was “particularly interested in playground development.” In 1936, the City installed a plaque in Bowne Park in Flushing to commemorate Foulk’s gift.