28 The QUEE NS Courier • AUGUST 25, 2016 for breaking news visit www.qns.com IN MEMORIAM Photo via Twitter/RonLeyson Evelyn DeCoursey (middle) was the president of the 110th Precinct Community Council. She passed away at 82 years old. Evelyn DeCoursey, president of 110th Precinct Community Council, passes away By Angela Matua [email protected] @AngelaMatua Evelyn DeCoursey, the president of the 110th Precinct Community Council for almost 10 years, passed away on Aug. 20, the NYPD said. DeCoursey, a Corona resident, presided over Community Council meetings and helped to establish a strong relationship between cops and Corona and Elmhurst residents. She was 82. “Evelyn was a pillar in the community,” said Janine Rivera, community affairs officer for the 110th Precinct. “Her significant contributions to the entire Corona/Elmhurst community and her police family at the 110th Precinct and throughout Patrol Borough Queens North will never be forgotten.” Deputy Inspector Ronald Leyson, who used to be commanding officer of the 110th Precinct, spoke highly of DeCoursey and said she helped to “bridge the gap” between communities and the NYPD. DeCoursey raised money for National Night Out, a yearly event aimed at creating stronger ties between the NYPD and residents, and held a Christmas party every December where Santa would hand out presents to children living in Elmhurst and Corona. After the assassinations of Police Officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos in December 2014, DeCoursey and the community council held a candlelight vigil at the precinct, he said. She also attended every Remembrance Ceremony held at the 110th Precinct to commemorate the victims of 9/11. Leyson also asked DeCoursey to establish a Cop of the Month award ceremony every month along with a Cop of the Year, Supervisor of the Year and Civilian of the Year for the 110th Precinct. “Any help I ever asked of her, she never hesitated,” Leyson said. “She was a blessing to the community and the NYPD. The loss of Evelyn is a void in the community that will be difficult, or impossible, to fill but the good she has done will live on through her selfless acts and volunteerism.” According to Rivera, DeCoursey fell while she was volunteering at New York Queens Hospital and broke her jaw and several ribs. While she was recovering from those injuries she had several setbacks due to pre-existing medical conditions. A viewing will be held on Aug. 23 at the Leo F. Kearns Funeral Home, located at 61-40 Woodhaven Blvd. in Rego Park. It will take place from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. SUSAN BAER Aviation director and trailblazer, dies at 65 By Michael Tabrizi [email protected]/@QNS Susan M. Baer, an aviation director who in her 37 years at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey worked to smash glass ceilings, died on Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2016 at the age of 65. She devoted nearly four decades of her life to transportation and to promoting o p p o r t u - nities for women to earn leadership positions in areas of government that were once considered to be “boys clubs.” The B a r n a r d / NYU educated trailblazer began her lifelong passion with a private agency in the Panama Canal and she worked there until President Carter began turning over control of the Canal Zone over to the Panamanians. Back in the U.S., Baer would begin what would become a fruitful and fulfilling tenure with the Port Authority in 1976. Her 37-year career with the Port Authority began with her managing the Bus Terminal and the Lincoln Tunnel. She was then assigned to the Aviation Department, which is the largest aviation system in the country. There she would begin to wear the two hats that would define her legacy, one of a leading public servant and one of a mentor to other women. Port Authority Executive Director Pat Foye said it best when he said Susan Baer’s career was “one of many firsts.” She was the first woman to head multiple major transportation hubs and she was the first female director of aviation. Though she was first she did not want to be alone, telling USA Today that “first is fine, but I don’t want to be the only.” She said in the interview that “It was hard for us to get here but we ought to be making it easier for the people who are coming behind us.” In her various positions, she was able to make many improvements to the current system. She pushed for many airport modernization efforts throughout the years. She revamped old terminals and built new ones at both Newark and Kennedy. She also pushed for NextGen, which was a overhaul of the nation’s air traffic system. It would allow planes to fly more safely and efficiently, the Port Authority writes. Her goal was to ease congestion of New York City’s skies. Her pursuit of this goal beckoned the attention from many in the aviation world and she was appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Transportation to the Future of Aviation Committee. She was also appointed by the administrator of the FAA to the NextGen Advisory Committee. Outside of the Port Authority, she also held memberships with the International Aviation Women’s Association, the Airports Council International and the American Association of Airports Executives. She also was on the board of the Newark Museum, the Wings Club and the Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology. The most precious position she ever held, however, was that of mother to her three children: Lizzie, Nick and Jack. The Port Authority quotes Baer as saying, “We all work for something.” She devoted her life to her kids, working hard every day to show them that “we can always make a difference.” She is also is survived by her husband, Joseph Martella, as well as her sister, Sally, and her two brothers, John and Kirk.
QC08252016
To see the actual publication please follow the link above