FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM AUGUST 10, 2017 • THE QUEENS COURIER 17
Former Flushing City Councilwoman Julia Harrison dead at 97
BY SUZANNE MONTEVERDI
smonteverdi@qns.com / @smont76
Former City Councilwoman Julia
Harrison of Flushing died on Aug. 3 following
an illness; she was 97.
Born June 10, 1920, in Rochester NY,
the public fi gure moved to New York City
with her family years later. Aft er marrying
Joseph Harrison in 1954, she moved
to Flushing and lived in a co-op in the
neighborhood until her death.
Aft er working for many years as a civic
activist, Harrison began her political life
in 1968 when she worked in Eugene
McCarthy’s presidential campaign. In
1972, she earned a Bachelor of Arts in
political science from Flushing’s Queens
College was elected Democratic District
Leader.
She served as a New York City
Councilwoman for the 19th District,
which later became what is known today
as the 20th District, from 1986 to 2001.
She left when newly enacted term-limit
regulations forced her to give up her
seat. Previously, she represented the 26th
District in the New York State Assembly
from 1984 to 1985.
Harrison’s daughter, Susan, said her
mother was a “staunch Democrat.”
“She supported a women’s right
to choose and also fought in the civil
rights era and against the Vietnam War,”
Harrison said. “She worked very hard on
senior citizen issues, healthcare in particular,
not only for poor seniors, but
for children. She was a fi ghter for good
schools and education. She started as
president of the PTA in the 1950’s. She
also fought for acupuncture as a unique
treatment for drug addiction.”
In 1996, Julia Harrison faced backlash
when a New York Times article quoted
her making a series of anti-Asian
remarks. In a 2011 article in the New
York Daily News, the then-91-year-old
said her words were “twisted and spun.”
Th e child of immigrants herself, Susan
Harrison said her mother was deeply
devoted to immigrant rights.
“She understood the immigrant experience
and wanted Flushing to be a welcoming
environment,” Harrison said.
On a personal level, Harrison said her
mother “was not one to mince words.”
“She told it like it was, whether you
wanted to hear it or not. She was outspoken,
and had a great sense of humor,”
Harrison said. “A very loving and compassionate
person.”
Harrison, who spent time with her
mother in the hospital over the last few
weeks, said she was amazed at how many
people came by and spoke about their
connection to Julia. Some even told her
that Harrison served as a mother to them,
too.
“She gave personal guidance to a variety
of people,” Harrison said. “She loved
music — music was very important to her
— and she loved dancing.”
Julia Harrison is survived by three
children, seven grandchildren and two
great-grandchildren.
Th e family will be welcoming friends
into Harrison’s Flushing apartment on
Aug. 16 and 17, beginning at 2 p.m. Th ere
will also be a memorial service on Aug.
18 at the Quinn-Forgerty Funeral Home
at 192-15 Northern Blvd. A private burial
will be held.
New traffi c features will make daily trips safer for kids at MS 74
BY ANTHONY GIUDICE
agiudice@qns.com
@A_GiudiceReport
When students return to school at M.S.
74 in Bayside this September, they will be
greeted with brand-new safety features
along Oceania Street and 210th Street that
will make their trips to and from school
safer for everyone.
For years, staff at M.S. 74 raised concerns
over traffi c safety in front of and
near the middle school where drivers
were known to speed, make illegal
U-turns, drive on the painted median,
double — and sometimes triple — park,
and get into accidents. Th ese conditions
oft en pose threats to the safety of students,
parents, pedestrians, and drivers
around that area.
In order to remedy the dangerous situation,
Councilman Barry Grodenchik
wrote a letter to the city’s Department
of Transportation (DOT), which came
out to survey the conditions. Once the
agency’s survey was completed, DOT
proposed the new safety features aimed
at calming traffi c, protecting students
during drop-off and pick-up times at
M.S. 74, and keeping cyclists safe who
bike along Oceania Street.
Th e safety features DOT proposed
include a two-way protected bicycle
lane along Oceania Street and 210th
Street; buff ered bicycle lanes on Oceania
Street over the Long Island Expressway;
increased space for drop-off and pick-up
in front of M.S. 74; a one-way conversion
of a small portion of 210th Street where it
meets Oceania Street; new crosswalks and
a painted curb extension on 210th Street;
a high visibility crosswalk on 210th Street
at 64th Avenue; and a speed bump on
210th Street south of 64th Avenue.
“Th is is a perfect example of how the
school, the park, and the community in
general have really come together for a really
tangible safety benefi t,” said Albert Silvestri,
DOT deputy Queens commissioner.
To create the two-way protected bike
lane, DOT simply shift ed the parking
out a few feet which will not only protect
cyclists from traffi c, but also slow down
cars on a roadway known for speeding
vehicles and cut back on aggressive
U-turning in front of the school, Silverstri
explained.
“Th is really helps improve the quality
of life here in the neighborhood
and will literally go to save lives,” said
Congresswoman Grace Meng. “In
Congress we’ve co-founded a bipartisan
kids safety caucus, so as someone who’s
part of the caucus, and as a parent of two
young kids, I’m really thankful to the city
for making this happen.”
Community Board 11 unanimously
approved the plan back in March. Since
then, DOT has begun work at the location
and plans to have all the safety measures
complete before the start of the new
school year.
Image via Queens Library Digital Archives
Photo by Anthony Giudice/QNS
Photo caption: Local elected offi cials, Middle School 74 staff , and biking advocates celebrated new traffi c safety measures along Oceana Street.