8 THE QUEENS COURIER • AUGUST 20, 2020 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Former Borough President Claire Shulman
leaves behind legacy for the ages in Queens
BY BILL PARRY
bparry@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Queens lost a towering fi gure over the
weekend when Claire Shulman, the fi rst
woman to serve as borough president,
died on Sunday, Aug. 16.
Shulman, 94, passed away aft er battling
lung cancer and pancreatic cancer.
In her 16 years as borough president,
Shulman changed the way Queens ran
its government, taking offi ce during the
dark days of scandal at Borough Hall in
the spring of 1986. She ushered the borough
into a new era of growth and economic
revitalization, leading the way
with the discipline and persistence she
learned as a registered nurse during
World War II.
During her humble leadership beginnings
as president of the Bayside
Mother’s Club in 1955, Shulman
demanded the city renovate her children’s
school.
“I told the Board of Ed I’d sue them
for being slumlords and they weren’t
familiar with the term,” Shulman said
during a recent interview with QNS.
Th e renovation was completed a mere
18 months later and her fast results
caught the attention of then-Borough
President Donald
Manes, who named
Shulman director of
community boards
in 1972 and his
deputy in 1980.
When Manes
was embroiled
in scandal
and later committed
suicide,
Shulman
was elected
to replace him
by a unanimous
City Council vote in
February 1986.
“She brought
Queens through
some of its
most turbulent
times with
gusto, determination
and love,”
said Former
Cong r e s sman
Joe Crowley, the longtime leader of
the Queens County Democratic Party.
“Claire Shulman was a giant in the
annals of Queens County. She did it
all from being a scholar, nurse, spouse,
mother and public servant.”
A lasting legacy
Shulman’s style of government depended
on her leadership and the strength of
her staff , which featured future leaders
such as former Assemblywoman
Marge Markey, current Queens District
Attorney Melinda Katz and Councilman
Barry Grodenchik.
“At a time when government and
governance were at a low ebb in her
beloved Queens, Claire stepped into
the breach in 1986 and quickly righted
the ship of state, giving the people of
Queens the best government they ever
had,” Grodenchik said Monday. “Her
legacy of service is beyond measure
but includes tens of thousands of new
school seats, a new Queens Hospital
Center, Queens Th eatre, Queens Zoo,
USTA National Tennis Center, Museum
of the Moving Image, Queens
Botanical Garden, Queens
Museum, Jamaica Center
of Arts and Learning,
new terminals at JFK
Airport, saving the
homes of 20,000
families during the
co-op and condo
crisis of the late
1980s, the New
York Times printing
plant, Arverne by
the Sea, a new civil
and criminal court
building, a restored
U n i s p h e r e ,
SAGE (the
first LGBT
senior center in
Queens), Louis
A r m s t r o n g
House, Thalia
Spanish Th eatre,
FDA regional laboratory
at York
College, Queens
West, countless local parks, playgrounds
and libraries either rebuilt
or built anew, Townsend Harris High
School, and a new 107th Precinct,
among many other projects.
Other projects overseen by Shulman
included the Citicorp Building in
Long Island City, the Langston Hughes
Library, the Flushing Bay Promenade
and Flushing Town Hall.
“We are deeply saddened by the
passing of former Queens Borough
President Claire Shulman. A strong
advocate for the arts, her unwavering
commitment put Queens on the map as
a hub of culture,” Veronica Tsang, president
of the board atFlushingTownHall,
and Ellen Kodadek, executive and artistic
director ofFlushingTownHall, said
in a statement. “FlushingTownHall, like
many of our fellow cultural institutions
in the borough, would never have existed
without Claire’s determination and
support. Last year, at our 40thanniversary
gala, we were proud to honor Claire,
refl ecting her staunch commitment to
Queens. It would be hard to imagine
the richness of our cultural life of
Queens, and of the borough itself, without
Claire Shulman’s hand. She will be
sorely missed as a friend and supporter
of our institution, and we thank her
for her dedication. On a day of sorrow,
we also celebrate her life and her legacy.”
Looking back at her track record,
Shulman has said luring the fi lm industry
back to the city was one of her
greatest accomplishments. It generates
almost $9 billion a year while creating
more than 130,000 jobs.
“We got the 5 1/2 acres from the federal
government for $1,” Shulman once
said of the former Paramount Studio
that is Kaufman Astoria Studios today.
“From zero dollars to $9 billion is not
bad at all.”
Paving the way
Aft er Shulman was term-limited, she
was succeeded by Helen Marshall, and
then Katz, whoremembers Shulman as
a trailblazer, a fi erce leader who dedicated
her life to bettering the lives of
all Queens residents who paved the way
for women leaders across the borough.
“I was honored to follow in her footsteps
as Queens borough president
and owe her a great debt of gratitude
for her amazing leadership and
profound dedication to public service,”
Katz said. “Claire was absolutely pivotal
to the vibrancy and prosperity of
Queens County that we continue to
enjoy today.”
Acting Borough President Sharon Lee
said her offi ce will host a special tribute
in the coming days to honor the life and
legacy of Shulman, who she called larger
than life.
“She did not waste time and lived
every single minute fully and with purpose.
In a borough known for trailblazers,
few have led a life of dedicated public
service as robust and as eff ective as
Claire Shulman,” Lee said. “You just
couldn’t say no to Claire Shulman. She
transformed the landscape of the city’s
largest borough, and so much of what
we see and enjoy today are the results of
her extraordinary vision and decisions
made over 18 years ago.”
Shulman’s legacy will be likely carried
on at Borough Hall by Councilman
Donovan Richards, whom she endorsed
in a wide-open race for borough president.
He won the June 23 Democratic
primary.
“I lost a good friend last night. Queens
lost a true gem last night,” Richards said
Monday. “Her strength, tenacity and
persistence is why she led the borough
of Queens with honor and such distinction
for nearly two decades. When
I made the decision to run for borough
president, I reached out to Claire for
advice, mentorship and support. Our
fi rst meeting lasted nearly fi ve hours at
her kitchen table, where she proceeded
to give me a history lesson on Queens.”
Shulman stood alongside Richards
under the Unisphere in October 2019 as
he announced his candidacy.
“But more importantly she was there
for the entire ride. Yes, in her 90s, she
texted me just about every morning to
check in on the campaign,” Richards
said. “In true motherly fashion, she
would worry a little too much. When
I won the democratic nomination, she
was my fi rst call. Last week, she called
to tell me her fi nal goodbye. She had no
fear as she prepared for her next journey.
I told her I loved her and we shall
meet again. She will forever live on
through my work and heart.”
Shulman was still working as president
of the Flushing Willets Point Corona
Local Development Corporation when
she died at her home surrounded by her
children, former astronaut Ellen Baker,
and Larry and Linda Shulman.
Th e New York Hall of Science has
established a fund in honor of Shulman
that will be used to ensure that the museum
remains a state-of-the-art destination
for decades to come.
Th e Claire Shulman Creative STEM
Exhibits Fund will support the development
of new science exhibits for the children
of Queens that Shulman loved so
much, and for all learners.
Th ese new experiences will spark visitors’
curiosity and give them the tools
they need to explore their worlds through
the lenses of science and engineering.
To donate, please visit donate.nysci.
org/claireshulman, or send a check to:
New York Hall of Science
Re: Claire Shulman Fund
47-01 111th Street
Corona, NY, 11368
File photo
Former Borough President Claire Shulman is
remembered as a trailblazer who transformed
Queens.
QNS fi le photo
Donovan Richards announces his campaign for Queens borough president, with Claire Shulman
standing at his side.
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