Gerri Lamb immortalized during Castle Hill street co-naming
BY ALEX MITCHELL
The corner of Castle Hill
and Randall avenues was formally
immortalized for one of
the Bronx’s most active residents
on Sunday, August 3.
That intersection is now
Gerri Lamb Way, named for
the decades long community
activist and housing advocate
that passed away at age 73 on
Tuesday, July 31, 2018.
Lamb moved to Castle
Hill from North Carolina in
the 1960s, where she ran the
Castle Hill Tenants Association
and proceeded to work
in the Bronx community as a
volunteer on behalf of its residents,
particularly children,
Former and current elected offi cials and community members join Councilman Ruben Diaz, Sr., and Gerri
Lamb’s children, Gerri, George, and Samantha, as they display a copy of the new street sign. Silvio Pacifi co
seniors and the poor, through
such venues as Pathways for
Youth and the Kips Bay Boys
and Girls Club.
For many years, Lamb
served as president of the
North Bronx Council of NYCHA
Tenants, and since its
inception in 1991, she chaired
the Citywide Council of Presidents,
making her one of the
more powerful women in New
York’s public housing.
Lamb also served as Castle
Hill Resident Association
president for a score of years.
In 1983, she was able to
bring the fi rst ‘off-campus’
site of Touro College to the
Castle Hill Community, and
during the next four years,
more than 20 community residents
EMS ambulances collision shuts down Harlem River Drive for hours
BY ALEX MITCHELL
Two FDNY ambulances
brutally collided with one another
in the Mott Haven bringing
traffi c to a standstill and
injuring four on Saturday, August
10.
The EMS vehicles were
both responding to the same
call for a disorderly individual
prior to ramming headto
head into one another near
the intersection of Brook Avenue
and East 142nd Street just
around 4 p.m.
The reported injuries were
all sustained by the EMS workers
inside the vehicles, they
were taken to nearby Lincoln
Hospital for treatment, FDNY
reported.
Neither ambulance was
carrying a patient at the time
of the crash, according to New
York’s Bravest.
Upon the colliding, one
of the two ambulances was
pushed backwards, striking a
light pole, alternate side parking
sign, a garbage can and
then a parked gray van before
landing sliding sideways onto
the sidewalk.
FDNY memebers work to remove the two damanges vehicles. Photo by Edwin Soto
The other emergeny vehicle
remained upright, blocking
the intersection as a fl ood
of responders came to the aid
of their colleagues, working
into the night to clean up the
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, A 2 UGUST 16-22, 2019 BTR
received their Associate’s
or Bachelor’s Degree.
Lamb was also the driving
force behind the ongoing renovation
of Castle Hill’s community
center and the Annual
Castle Hill Community
Day Celebration.
She was also responsible
for the addition of a gym and
bringing in employment, education,
computer, literacy,
and guidance programs.
Her passion for helping
people later resulted in an
appointment to Community
Board 9.
While on the board, Lamb
served on housing, zoning
and land use, youth and other
committees throughout her
over 25-year tenure.
One of Lamb’s fi nal acts for
her beloved community was
working as a legislative aide
for Councilman Rev. Ruben
Diaz, Sr., for whom she had
also worked for during his
tenure in the Senate offi ce.
Diaz celebrated the renaming
with Lamb’s three children,
George, Samantha, and
Geri that Sunday.
“Gerri Lamb was a community
leader, advocate, and
outspoken leader for senior
citizens, NYCHA residents,
and the community as a
whole,” he said.
She was also the recipient
of many illustrious awards,
including the New York State
Minorities in Criminal Justice,
Inc.; 2012 I.S. 131 Parents
Association Award; 2007
New York State Housing Authority
Queens Community
Operations Women’s History
Month; 2007 Bronx Christian
Charismatic Prayer Fellowship
Award; 2010 Women of
Distinction Award; the Top
25 Bronx Most Infl uential
Assemblywoman Karen Reyes presents proclamation to Gerri Lamb’s Women.
children, George, Samantha and Geri Lamb. Silvio Pacifi co
messy scene.
The accident created congestion
throughout the area,
even backing up Manhattan’s
Harlem River Drive at East
150th Street for over two hours
that evening.
The major artery was reopened
around 7:30 p.m.
Later on that evening, as
the glass and car debris were
being swept off the Bronx
street, the overturned ambulance
was right-sided and then
hoisted onto a fl atbed truck.
The cause of the accident is
under investigation.