Three centenarians celebrate birthdays in Bayside
Photo by Suzanne Monteverdi/QNS
Bill proposed to improve pedestrian safety near parks and schools
Photo via Shutterstock
www.qns.com | august 2017 | CRYDER POINT COURIER 9
BY SUZANE MONTEVERDI
smonteverdi@qns.com / @smont76
The extraordinary lives of one 105 and two
103-year-old New York City residents were celebrated
in Bayside with dancing, food and fun.
On July 28, centenarians Jean Mastrangelo,
Pauline Kossar and Irving Black were thrown
a grand birthday affair at the Catholic Charities
Bayside Senior Center, located along the Horace
Harding Expressway.
Jean Mastrangelo, who celebrated 103 years on
July 20, was born at her family home in Brooklyn
and is the sixth of eight children. She attended
Manhattan Industrial School where she studied
millinery and has two children, three grandchildren
and three great-grandchildren. On Fridays,
she takes the bus to the center to dance.
Mastrangelo said the secret to longevity is to
always be happy and never argue.
Pauline Kossar, who turned 105 on July 21,
was born in her family home in New York City.
Owner of the famed Kossar’s Bialy Bakery,
Kossar still enjoys visiting the family business.
She has three children, eight grandchildren and
four great-grandchildren and enjoys playing
Bingo at the center.
For Kossar, the secret to a long life is hard work
and spending quality time with family.
Irving Black, who will celebrate his 103rd birthday
on Aug. 23, was born in Latvia and came to
the United States when he was seven. He attended
Manhattan’s Cooper Union College and served as
a civil engineer for the U.S. Navy during World
War II. He has been married to his wife, Dorothy,
for 76 years. The couple have three children, five
grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
According to Black, the secret to longevity is
love, compromise and dancing with Dorothy.
After lunch, birthday cake and dancing, each
centenarian was presented certificates of recognition
from local lawmakers, including Borough
President Melinda Katz, State Senator Tony
Avella and Councilman Barry Grodenchik.
The Catholic Charities Bayside Senior Center
is located at 221-15 Horace Harding Expy. and
offers a range of activities and services, including
art classes, games, workshops, lunches and
organized outings.
BY SUZANE MONTEVERDI
smonteverdi@qns.com / @smont76
A bill that aims to make the city’s streets
surrounding schools and parks safer may soon
become law, according to a Bayside-based lawmaker.
Councilman Paul Vallone announced that his
piece of legislation to improve pedestrian conditions
near local schools and parks passed unanimously
in the City Council on July 20, and may
soon receive Mayor Bill de Blasio’s signature.
The bill will require the Department of
Transportation (DOT) to examine all intersections
adjacent to schools or parks that do not currently
have pedestrian countdown displays to see if they
are needed. It also requires that the DOT install
countdown displays at the designated intersections
within two years of the completed study.
According to Vallone, children and seniors
are the most vulnerable pedestrian groups, with
senior New Yorkers making up 13 percent of the
population but accounting for approximately onethird
of all traffic fatalities.
In November 2016, Vallone and dozens of
parents, students and teachers rallied at J.H.S.
185 in Flushing for improved “School Safety for
All,” highlighting the lawmaker’s now-passed
bill as a step in the right direction. The rally
came shortly after two tragic incidents occurred
outside of J.H.S. 185 and J.H.S. 194 involving
students being hit by vehicles. One accident left
an 11-year-old boy critically injured.
“I’m proud to stand with our principals, teachers,
parents, students and seniors in our combined
fight for safety around our schools and parks,”
Vallone said. “This is an issue that must be
addressed before another child or senior is injured
just crossing a public street, in our community
and throughout the city. The well-being of our
children should be our number one priority and
this bill will provide a major boost for the safety
of all students and their families.”
