WW II air force vet, educator honored at street co-naming
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
City offi cials and community
members honored the life
of a late Bronx World War II
air force veteran and prominent
educator with a street
and park co-naming ceremony
on Thursday, November
21, nearby Bronx Community
College.
The late Dr. Roscoe C.
Brown Jr., Ph.D, passed away
in July 2016 at the age of 94. He
was a former member of the
legendary famed Tuskegee
Airmen, who received a Congressional
Gold Medal in 2007
for his service, and the fi rst
African-American president
of Bronx Community College
for 16 years.
A section of the Aqueduct
Walk, formerly known as MLK
Plaza, was renamed ‘Captain
Roscoe Brown, PH.D, Plaza,’
located between 181st St. and
West Burnside Ave.
Those in attendance for
the celebration included NYC
Parks Commissioner Mitchell
Silver, FAICP, former NYC
Mayor David Dinkins, Borough
President Ruben Diaz,
Jr., Councilman Fernando Cabrera,
president of Bronx Community
College Dr. Thomas
Isekenegbe and family members
of Brown.
“Dr. Roscoe Brown was
a remarkable person, and it
gives me great pleasure to not
only unveil this beautifully
renovated plaza, but to name
it in his honor as well,” Silver
said.
The project reconfi gured
the original plaza with new
paths and seating to better
utilize the space for community
gatherings and to maximize
pedestrian circulation
throughout the site. New fencing,
(From l. to r.) President of Bronx Community College Dr. Thomas Isekenegbe,
former NYC Mayor David Dinkins, Bronx Borough President Ruben
Diaz Jr., Doctor Brown’s son, Dennis Brown, NYC Parks Commissioner
Mitchell Silver and City Councilman Fernando Cabrera unveil “Captain
Roscoe Brown, Ph.D. Plaza” at W. 181st and University Ave. on Thursday,
Nov. 21. Photo by Carlotta Mohamed
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lighting, and landscape
improvements have also been
incorporated for both beautifi -
cation and safety.
The $2.9 million project
was jointly funded by a $2 million
allocation from Mayor de
Blasio, $600,000 from Cabrera,
and $333,000 from Diaz.
“Roscoe Brown was an internationally
recognized trailblazer
in the fi elds of military
service, community service
and education,” Diaz said.
“This new plaza will help us
remember his impact on our
borough, our city and our nation.”
Following his military service
in World War II, Brown
completed his master’s degree
in 1949 and a Ph.D. in 1951, both
from New York University.
He continued his life of
service and civil rights advocacy
with organizations such
as the Boys and Girls Club of
America, the Jackie Robinson
Foundation, Libraries for the
Future, and the National Park
Service.
When Brown became president
of BCC in 1977, he led outreach
to the city’s economic
and educational institutions
and developed new programs
in health, technology and human
services.
During his tenure at BCC,
more than 10,000 students
graduated, continuing their
education and careers.
“He came back and didn’t
forget the Bronx,” Cabrera
said.
Following the ceremony,
across the street, “Dr. Roscoe
C. Brown Jr. Way” was unveiled
at University Ave. and
W. 181st St.
Brown’s son, Dennis, said
his father’s legacy will continue
to inspire and encourage
the next generation of
academic scholars and community
members who visit
the park.
“Roscoe lived the last 30
years of his life here in the
Bronx. He took his last breath
in the Bronx; he was the
Bronx, and today, everyone
here is Roscoe Brown’s Bronx
family,” Dennis said.
Roscoe Brown was
an internationally
recognized
trailblazer in
the fi elds of
military service,
community service
and education.
Ruben Diaz, Jr.
Borough President
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