NYC Honorary Street Names | ||
"D" Honorary Streets: QueensD’Aja Naquai Robinson Way (Queens) Present name:Sutphin Boulevard Location:Between 125th Avenue and Rockaway Boulevard Honoree: D’Aja Naquai Robinson (1998-2013) was killed by a stray bullet while riding a Q6 bus on Sutphin Boulevard in Jamaica, Queens. She was just 14 and the unintended victim of a gang dispute. Her death was the impetus for the launch of the city’s Gun Violence Crisis Management System (also known as “CMS”) the following year. CMS concentrates its resources on 17 police precincts where 51% of shootings occur, citywide. Since 2014, nearly $20 million dollars has been provided to CMS and its Cure Violence partners. They are credited with reducing the rate of shootings in neighborhoods across the five boroughs. In the South Jamaica area overseen by Cure Violence organization LIFE Camp Inc., more than 500 consecutive days have elapsed without a single shooting. The lives saved can be attributed to the public outrage at the untimely death of D’Aja Naquai Robinson. (Wills) LL:2016/92 Daniel Andrews Way (Queens) Present name:None Location:At the intersection of 54th Street and 32nd Avenue Honoree: Daniel Andrews (d. 2020) was a career civil servant, serving as a staffer for local elected officials, including 25 years as the press secretary and public information officer for Queens Borough Presidents Claire Shulman and Helen Marshall. He left a legacy of public service that few have matched. He was devoted to his family and his community. He was a member of the Silurians Press Club, the New York Press Club and the Narrowbacks. He served as the Inner Circle organization’s program director for 20 years where he raised funds for various local charities, and was an Honorary Battalion Chief of the FDNY. He was a parishioner at Corpus Christi Church where he volunteered at bingo nights, door-to-door fundraiser and many other events at the church. He was also a volunteer at the Soul of the Peruvian Andes Charity, which is devoted to providing health care for the poor in the Andean region. (Van Bramer) LL:2022/54 Daniel Carter Beard Memorial Square (Queens) Present name:None Location:At the intersection of Farrington Street and Northern Boulevard Honoree: Daniel Carter Beard (1850-1941), an artist and writer, was a pivotal figure in the history of the Boy Scouts of America. He founded the Sons of Daniel Boone in 1905. and in 1910 merged his organization into the newly founded Boy Scouts of America. He served for 30 years as a National Scout Commissioner and was the editor of the BSA official magazine, Boys' Life. He also helped organize the Camp Fire Girls and served as president of the Camp Fire Club of America. He founded Boy Scout Troop 1 in Flushing, one of the oldest Boy Scout Troops in the United States. (Koo) LL:2014/34 Darryl E. Greene Way (Queens) Present name:None Location:At the intersection of Bay 25th Street and Bayswater Avenue Honoree: Darryl Greene (1943-2016) was an activist for diversity and inclusion of minorities in the construction industry, and a sigificant figure in the history of New York City. He was an author of Article 15-A of the Executive Law, which created an Office of Minority and Women's Business Development. He served as President of the Darman Group, Executive Director for the Council for Airport Opportunities, Diversity and Inclusion consultant for Forest City Ratner, and a key figure at the Empire State Development Corporation. His legacy lives on in the accomplishments of the people he mentored, many of whom have reached great heights in the next generation of our City’s leadership. (Brooks-Powers) LL:2022/54 David F. Bluford Way (Queens) Present name:None Location:At the northwest corner of 178th Place and Murdock Avenue Honoree: David Franklin Bluford (1932-2020) a Korean War veteran, completed his undergraduate degree at Fayetteville State University in North Carolina, and then earned Masters of Arts from CUNY Hunter College, as well as certifications for Advanced Study in Education at Columbia University and St. John’s University. He later served as an Assistant Superintendent and Junior High School Principal in East Harlem’s Community School District 4, and was a middle school teacher in Brooklyn’s Community School District 23. His history as an administrator included stints as director of the Upward Bound college preparatory program at CUNY Queens College, and adjunct professor of educational administration at CUNY Brooklyn College and St. John’s University. Locally, he served on the Board of Directors of the Queens Urban League, and as Chairman of the Alpha Phi Alpha Senior Center and Community School Board 29 in Southeast Queens. His personal affiliations also include the Jamaica NAACP branch, Freemasons, and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. (Miller) LL:2021/14 Deacon David Ciorciari Way (Queens) Present name:None Location:At the southeast corner of 61st Street and Maspeth Avenue Honoree: David Ciorciari (d. 2018) served 20 years as a police officer, detective and sergeant in the NYPD, where he was instrumental in the creation of the Runway Investigation Unit of the Missing Persons Squad. He retired from the NYPD in 2000 but continued to serve as an investigator with the Special Commissioner of Investigations for the New York City School District. In 2007, he was ordained a Permanent Deacon in the Diocese of Brooklyn and served at St. Stanislaus Kostka Church and the Church of Our Lady of Victory. He died of 9/11 related cancer in 2018 at the age of 61. (Holden) LL:2019/158 Deacon Fabio Flaim Way (Queens) Present name:Bleeker Street Location:Between 60th Place and 61st Street Honoree: Fabio Flaim (1929-2017) was born in Tregiovo, Italy, one of 18 children. He moved to Brooklyn in 1961 to unite with his mother, sisters and brothers and later moved to Ridgewood, Queens. He became an active member of the Club Trentino, which helps immigrants from the Trentino/Tirol region of Northern Italy. Fabio worked in retail business for over 35 years. He and his wife volunteered to help with many church and school functions. He met Monsignor George Schuster who became his mentor and invited him to pursue becoming a deacon. After five years of deaconate schooling, Fabio was ordained a Permanent Deacon in 1984. During his ministry, he worked in the parishes of St. Aloysius Roman and Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, as well as with several Italian Catholic societies in Ridgewood and Glendale. He baptized many children; taught pre-Cana classes for brides and grooms; visited and distributed communion to the sick, elderly and home bound; presided at vigils and burials; and assisted at weddings. Although he was asked to retire from his ministry at the ripe age of 75, he chose to continue proclaiming God’s work until his death. (Crowley) LL:2017/237 Deborah Hoyle Way (Queens) Present name:None Location:At the intersection of Beach 57th Street and Beach Channel Drive Honoree: Dr. Deborah Hoyle (d. 2021) was an educator, an environmentalist, a minister, a mother, a grandmother, and a staunch advocate for bettering the lives of those who live in the Rockaways. As Director of the Ocean Bay Cornerstone Community Center, she created programs that provided approximately 200 children with academic support, enrichment activities–such as the hydroponics garden that she and the children nurtured–and a food bank that ensured people in Rockaway never went hungry. She worked through the pandemic, despite her illness (cancer), distributing free food each week to a thousand people who would line up outside the center for two or three blocks. She even hired a DJ to entertain them while they waited. She was the first person to start a tenants’ association at the Ocean Village property in Arverne and was well known for obtaining grants to fund neighborhood needs. (Brooks-Powers) LL:2022/54 Delphin Greene Playground (Queens) Present name:None Location:Existing playground adjacent PS 176, at 121st Avenue and 237th Street. Honoree: Delphin H. Greene (1935-1992) was a policeman, community activist, and longtime resident of the Cambria Heights neighborhood of Queens. After serving in the US Army, he joined the New York City Police Department. He reached the rank of detective and served in a number of units including Narcotics and Homicide. He was a founding member and President of the Douglass/King Regular Democratic Club; managed the Cambria Heights Little League; and was a member of the Cambria Heights Kiwanis Club for 16 years, serving as president in 1983. LL:1992/?? Demetris Kastanas Way (Queens) Present name:None Location:At the intersection of Steinway Street and 31st Avenue Honoree: Demetris Kastanas (d. 2013) was "Mr. Greek TV." He owned National Greek Television (NGTV), the first private Greek-owned TV channel in the United States, for 37 years. His career in television began in 1975, when he inaugurated a Greek weekly show on an American station. In 1987, the Greek Channel began airing on Time-Warner Cable in Queens and Brooklyn. He also founded Eseis, a bi-weekly magazine to address the issues of the Hellenic-American community. His work provided Hellenic-Americans with a connection to their homeland through Hellenic news, folklore and music. (Constantinides) LL:L.L. 2016/23 Dennis Syntilas Way (Queens) Present name:30th Avenue Location:Between 29th Street and 30th Street Honoree: Dennis Syntilas (1929-2015) founded the Greek-American Homeowners Association and helped create Athens Square, a park and amphitheater that features sculptures of Greek philosopher Socrates and the goddess Athena. The Greek-American Homeowners Association continues today to connect and engage Greek-American property owners in community and government services. (Constantinides) LL:2015/76 Det. Joseph A. Picciano Way (Queens) Present name:62nd Street Location:Between 53rd Drive and 53rd Avenue Honoree: Detective Picciano, a 10-year veteran of the NYPD, was assigned to the 41st Detective Squad in the Bronx. On February 15, 1971, he was shot and killed at the 41st Precinct building while fingerprinting a suspect that he and other detectives had arrested for abducting a 13-year-old boy. As he was being fingerprinted, the suspect began to struggle with Detective Picciano and his service revolver fell to the ground. The suspect was able to gain control of the weapon and fired two shots, killing Detective Picciano. Other members of the Detective Squad were able to return fire, killing the suspect. Det. Picciano resided in Maspeth, Queens, with his wife Theresa and their three children. (Crowley) LL:2016/92 Detective 1st Grade Brian Moore Way (Queens) Present name:None Location:At the intersection of 222nd Street and 92nd Road Honoree: Officer Moore died on May 4, 2015 after being shot while on plainclothes patrol for the Anti-Crime Unit. Officer Moore had served the New York Police Department for five years. Following his untimely death he was posthumously promoted to the rank of Detective by Commissioner Bratton. He has been recognized for making 159 arrests during his time on the police force and has received medals for Excellent Police Duty and Meritorious Police Duty. (Miller) LL:2015/76 Detective Brian Simonsen Way (Queens) Present name:None Location:At the southwest corner of 118th Street and Jamaica Avenue Honoree: Detective Brian Simonsen was a 19-year veteran of the NYPD. On February 12, 2019, he was killed in the line of duty responding to an armed robbery. (Koslowitz) LL:2022/54 Detective Dennis Guerra Way (Queens) Present name:None Location:At the intersection of 1490 Grenada Place and Faber Terrace Honoree: Police Officer Dennis Guerra was killed in the line of duty. He died from injuries he sustained on April 9, 2014, after responding to a fire on the 1th floor of a NYCHA apartment building in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn. The fire was later determined to be arson. The 38-year-old father of four had served with the New York City Police Department for eight years. At his funeral, Commissioner Bratton promoted him posthumously to the rank of detective. (Richards) LL:2015/76 Detective Jeffrey A. Lee Way (Queens) Present name:None Location:At the southwest corner of Yellowstone Boulevard and Austin Street Honoree: Detective Jeffrey A. Lee served with the NYPD for 25 years. He was assigned to the 112th Precinct Detective Squad and made hundreds of arrests, earning him promotions to Detective Investigator and Detective 2nd Grade. He died in 2018 as a result of 9/11 related illness following his assignment to the search and recovery efforts at Ground Zero. (Koslowitz) LL:2021/14 Detective Keith L. Williams Way (Queens) Present name:None Location:At the northeast corner of 172nd Street and Liberty Avenue Honoree: Detective Keith L. Williams was assigned to the Queens District Attorney’s Squad for eight years. He was killed in the line of duty on November 13, 1989, while returning a prisoner to Riker’s Island. (Miller) LL:2019/158 Detective Kevin Czartoryski Place (Queens) Present name:59th Road Location:Between 60th Street and 60th Lane Honoree: Detective Kevin Czartoryski (1964-2010) died of pulmonary fibrosis. The NYPD medical board determined his condition was caused by his work at Ground Zero, searching for remains and staffing a makeshift morgue. LL:2012/14 Detective Lawrence Cecil Smith Boulevard (Queens) Present name:Baisley Boulevard Location:Between 167th Street and 168th Street Honoree: Introduced by Council Member Adams March 29, 1945 – May 22, 2019 Lawrence Cecil Smith served in United States Army as a Field Medic during the Vietnam War. Soon after he was honorably discharged and attended and graduated from John Jay College of Criminal Justice with a Bachelors of Arts Degree in Criminal Justice. He became a police officer at the 113th Precinct in Queens, New York and was the Youth Officer for his precinct and later received the distinction of Gold Shield Detective. As Youth Officer, he started the Precinct Camp and Explorers Program and the 113th Precinct Youth Council that provided the youths of the community a place to belong to. He took many students on numerous college tours throughout the United States and served as a mentor to many in the community inspiring people to become police officers and corrections officers. LL:2020/26 Detective Randolph Holder Way (Queens) Present name:At the intersection of Collier Avenue and Briar Place Location:Between Beach 25th Street and Beach 22nd Street Honoree: Randolph Holder and his partner were on patrol in East Harlem on October 20, 2015, when they responded to a call of shots fired. The officers canvassed the area for the suspect and located him approximately 18 blocks away near a footbridge over Franklin D. Roosevelt Drive at 120th Street. A gun battle ensued. Officer Holder was struck in the exchange of gunfire and was killed in the line of duty. The suspect, who had been wounded, was found several blocks away by responding officers and taken into custody. (Richards and Mark-Viverito) LL:L.L. 2016/23 Dianne T. Signer Drive (Queens) Present name:None Location:Intersection of 65th Drive and 75th Place Honoree: Dianne T. Signer (b. 1969) worked at Fred Alger Management in the World Trade Center. She was killed in the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001. LL:2003/34 Diversity Plaza (Queens) Present name:37th Road Location:Between 73rd Street and 74th Street Honoree: Jackson Heights is one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the world. Friends of Diversity Plaza is a community partnership committed to making the Plaza a vibrant cultural space. Events held there include the Queens World Film Festival; Summer Movie Thursdays; Make Music New York in Diversity Plaza; Solidarity for Nepal, ?Peace for All? Day Rally; Holiday Tree Lighting & Festival (Lights in the Heights); Uni Pop-up reading room with the Queens Library; Eid celebration ? Muhammedi Center; the Flushing Town Hall LGBT Performance; Bengladeshi Mela; Indian Diwali; Mother Language Celebration; Family Day; and the Queens LGBT Pride Multicultural Festival. (Dromm) LL:L.L. 2016/23 Dolores Rizzotto Way (Queens) Present name:None Location:At the intersection of 50th Street and 43rd Avenue Honoree: Dolores Rizzotto, who died in 2014 at the age of 70, was the the district manager of Queens Community Board 2 for 15 years. In that position she created a syringe exchange program to combat the hazard of loose needles in the streets of Sunnyside, Woodside and Long Island City; and was instrumental in bringing a veteran’s shelter to Borden Avenue. She also started many toy drives at Christmas and many clothing drives as well. She helped create innovative programs such as V Cops, veterans who volunteered for community patrols and other community activities. (Van Bramer) LL:2017/45 Dominick Berardi Way (Queens) Present name:149th Street Location:Between 32nd Avenue and 33rd Avenue Honoree: Dominick Berardi was killed in the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. He was twenty-five years old and worked for Cantor and Fitzgerald on the 101st floor. LL:2011/47 Don McCallian Way (Queens) Present name:None Location:At the southwest corner of 40th Street and Greenpoint Avenue Honoree: 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. (Van Bramer) LL:2021/14 Dora Young Way (Queens) Present name:None Location:At the southeast corner of 197th Street and Linden Boulevard Honoree: Honorable Dora Young was Deputy City Clerk in Queens. As an active member and official of the Queens Democratic Party organization, she had a leading role in electing the first persons of color to become Assembly Member, Council Member, State Senator, Congress Member and Borough President in Queens and encouraged more women to join the judiciary. (Comrie) LL:2013/131 Doreen J. Angrisani Street (Queens) Present name:Madison Street Location:From 64th Street east to the end of the street Honoree: Doreen J. Angrisani (b. 1956) worked for Marsh & McLennan at the World Trade Center. She was killed in the terrorist attack of September, 11 2001. LL:2003/ 06 Dorie Miller Place (Queens) Present name:34th Avenue Location:Between 112th Street and 114th Street Honoree: On December 7, 1941, Doris "Dorie" Miller (1919-1943) a was a Messman aboard a Navy supply ship anchored at Pearl Harbor. During the Japanese attack he ran to the aid of his mortally wounded captain and helped move him to a safer place. Miller then took the place of a slain machine-gunner, downing at least two Japanese planes and possibly as many as six. Miller became the first hero of World War II and the first African-American to be awarded the Navy Cross. Two years later, he was among the 700 crewmen who died when the USS Lipscombe Bay was sunk by an enemy torpedo. The Dorie Miller Housing Cooperative on 34th Avenue is named for him. LL:1993/23 Doris L. & Rev Walter A. Jones Sr. Way (Queens) Present name:None Location:At the north side of 115th Road and Farmers Boulevard Honoree: When Reverend Jones (1924-2017) moved his family to Hollis, there were no churches in the neighborhood. He filled this void by organizing Bible study in his home where, on October 6, 1960, the Majority Baptist Church was born with six women and thirteen children. The new church was named after the one in Spartanburg, South Carolina where Walter Jones had accepted the Lord as a young boy. Rev. Jones completed his ministerial studies at the New York Theological Seminary and the Bethel Bible Institute. He also completed Bible Study Classes at the Bryant Memorial Baptist Church under the late Reverend Dr. Katherine Brazley, and was ordained in 1958. He was the former President of the Baptist Minister’s Conference of Queens and Vicinity, and served in leadership positions in numerous Baptist organizations. After 47 years of ministry, Reverend Jones retired as Senior Pastor of the Majority Baptist Church in 2008. Doris Jones was a member of Majority Baptist Church for 55 years. She was a member of the Missionary Circle, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia Ministry, Willing Workers, Nurses Unit, Sunday School Dept. and Women’s Fellowship. She was a “Block Watcher” and also served as Den Mother for Troop #279. (Miller) LL:2017/237 Dorothy Neary Way (Queens) Present name:48th Street Location:Between Laurel Hill Boulevard and the Queens Midtown Expressway Honoree: Dorothy Neary (1920-2014) was a director of the United Forties Civic Association and the editor of its newsletter for about 15 years. Her newsletters sought to educate UFCA members about issues that affected them, and encouraged them to write to their representatives, attend meetings, or take other action to maintain a high quality of life in the area through some difficult times. She was also active in St. Teresa's Rosary Society, the Girl Scouts, and other community organizatons, as well working as Vice President and Treasurer of Datamovers, lnc., an air mail expediting and messenger company started by her husband in 1954. A few years ago Dorothy and her daughter Patricia participated in the Queens Memory Project. The resulting audio recordings are preserved in the Library of Congress. (Crowley) LL:2016/92 Douglas Road (Queens) Present name:Douglas Road and Marinette Street Location:Between West Drive and Hillside Avenue (also known as 38th Road) Honoree: Sometime in the 1920s, streets in Douglaston and Little Neck were numbered to bring them in line with the New York City street grid. In the 1970s, some the named streets were reinstated. These were official map changes at the time, but some names were mistakenly left uncorrected or corrected with new errors. This designation rectifies such an error. LL:2003/62 Dr. Dolores Beckham Way (Queens) Present name:80th Street Location:Between 34th Avenue and Northern Boulevard Honoree: Dr. Dolores Beckham (1954-2016) was an educator for 40 years and was the principal of the Joseph Pulitzer Middle School since 1999. Under her leadership, the school introduced a dual language program to the school. It was one of 15 recognized as the Chancellor’s Citywide Model Dual Language programs. She was a Fulbright Award-winning principal in 2008, and traveled around the world for conferences on education and leadership. (Dromm) LL:2017/110 Dr. Rabbi H. Joel Laks Way (Queens) Present name:78th Road Location:Between Parsons Boulevard and 160th Street Honoree: Dr. Rabbi H. Joel Laks served as Rabbi of the first Orthodox Congregation, the Jewish Center Torath Emeth for over 50 years and was also the Jewish Chaplain at Booth Memorial Hospital for 30 years. LL:2013/50 Dre’s Way (Queens) Present name:None Location:At the intersection of 255th Street and Hook Creek Boulevard Honoree: Robert Deandre Williams (2000-2021) was born in Queens. He was a multi-talented well-rounded athlete. At age 4, he played tee-ball with the Rochdale baseball league. Then he received his formal football training while playing with the Rosedale Jets from Age 6-13, where he was MVP for three consecutive years. He also played baseball with the Rosedale Baseball League.. He attended PS 195 in Rosedale where he was a member of the National Honor Society. His grades were outstanding, and he received a perfect score on the ELA. He then attended PS/IS 295 where he played basketball. He attended Bayside HS where he played football and won various athletic awards, such as All City Receptions and All City Touchdown Receptions during the 2016-2017 school year. He played in the All-star Game and Boomer Game, both prestigious honors. After graduating, he attended ASA College on scholarship and also received a scholarship from the Queens Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. He then attended Nassau Community College. Because of his basketball skills in Middle School, he had the opportunity to play with the NYC Vipers. He was looking forward to one day playing for the NBA or NFL. He worked for Foot Locker in Green Acres Mall and was employed by Home Depot. When he had time off, he would assist his father with the family business. He was shot on New Year’s Day 2021. (Brooks-Powers) LL:2022/54 Dylan Smith Way (Queens) Present name:None Location:At the intersection of Beach 130th Street and Newport Avenue Honoree: Dylan Smith was a Queens lifeguard who, during Hurricane Sandy in October 2012, used his surfboard to save six people. He rescued the six people by using a homemade rope bridge and his surfboard to get the people away from fires spreading across the Rockaway Peninsula. He was selected as People Magazine’s Heroes of 2012. He drowned in a surfing accident in Puerto Rico on December 23, 2012. (Ulrich) LL:2014/34 |
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