Queens Street Name Stories
Queens Street Name Stories is an oral history and audio documentary project based in the Corona, Jackson Heights and East Elmhurst neighborhoods of Queens, New York.
It tells the personal stories behind local place names through interviews with family, friends and colleagues of local residents who were honored with a public space named after them posthumously.
STORIES
Lorena Borjas Way
Lorena Borjas was a transgender Mexican-American activist who protected transgender victims of human trafficking.
NANCY DEBENEDITTIS MAMA’S Way
Nancy DeBenedittis was the beloved owner of the family’s deli Leo’s Latticini located in Corona, Queens.
Edgar Garzón Corner
Andrés Duque describes his friend Eddie as “electric, driven, beautiful.” He was a talented dancer and stage designer.
Marguerite Henderson Way
To her East Elmhurst community, Marguerite Henderson was larger than life.
Army Staff Sgt. Alex Jimenez Way
Maria Del Rosario Duran described her first son, Alex Ramon Jimenez Duran, as the leader of the family.
Peter Magnani Way
Peter Magnani was an architect, city planner and deputy Queens borough president from 1986 to 2001.
Sister Mary Patrick McCarthy Way
Sister Mary Patrick McCarthy was a nun and educator who led Blessed Sacrament School for 35 years.
Mary Moody Way
Mary Moody was a longtime resident of Corona and owner of Big City Realty, where she provided free housing.
Firefighter James Pappageorge Way
James Pappageorge was a dedicated EMT worker who became a firefighter just weeks before 9/11.
Rory Staunton Field
Rory Staunton was a warm and bright student who was passionate about skateboarding, flying, and human rights.
Mary Vavruska Way
Mary Vavruska was a woman of many talents and interests, but her real calling was as a community leader and organizer.
Ortner Von Murray Way
Ortner Murray, also known as Von, was a beloved member of the community in Corona, Queens.
STREET STORY LOCATIONS
If you’d like to name a street or public space after a community hero or loved one, you’ll need to get in touch with your local community board and follow their guidelines closely. Each community board has different rules but standard criteria across the city requires proof that the person made significant contributions to the community and is deceased. Once you have your community board’s support, they’ll send the proposal — along with all other proposed street names — to the City Council and Mayor for approval.
To find out which community district you live in, visit NYC’s community boards website and scroll to find your neighborhood. You can also use the NYC boundaries map. Type in your address and click through to the community district website on the left.
Queens Street Name Stories is a collaborative oral history and audio documentary project of the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY‘s NYCity News Service and the Queens Memory Project at Queens Public Library. It aims to share and preserve the stories behind local honorary place names through in-depth audio interviews with the friends, family or colleagues of local residents who had a street or other public space named after them posthumously.
All audio was recorded, produced and edited by graduate journalism students at the Newmark Graduate School of Journalism. To learn more about the stories of the individuals whose names grace public spaces across the borough of Queens, visit the Queens Memory Project’s Queens Name Explorer map.
Project Contributors: Hari Adivarekar, Sonja Anderson, Kimberly Izar, Asar John, Mariam Kiparoidze, Sarah Luft, Amanda McHugh, Mike Matteo, Divya Murthy, Áine Pennello, Maria Dolores Martinez Perez, Gabe Rodriguez-Torres, Zakiyyah Woods
Faculty Advisor and Editor: Kalli Anderson
Site Design: Chris McKenna
Graphic Design: Rosaleen Ortiz
Queens Memory Project Leads: Meral Agish and Natalie Milbrodt
Special Thanks:
Jim Burke and the 34th Ave Open Street Coalition
The Corona branch of Queens Public Library
Carolina Valencia and Daniel LaPlaza of Epicenter-NYC
Chad Bernhard
Header photograph by Joe Caffrey
For more information about ongoing oral history projects in Queens, visit the Queens Memory website or email [email protected]. To share your stories and photos of people honored with place names in Queens, visit the Queens Name Explorer map and click the Add/Edit button in the top right corner.
For more information about the audio journalism program at The Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, or to report corrections for information on this site, email [email protected].