22 THE QUEENS COURIER • SEPTEMBER 21, 2017 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Volunteers build a brand-new playground in Little Neck
BY SUZANNE MONTEVERDI
smonteverdi@qns.com / @smont76
Volunteers from near and far assembled
Stringer and Vallone visit
shops on Bell Boulevard
New York City Comptroller Scott
Stringer and Councilman Paul
Vallone went on a walking tour of
Bell Boulevard — visiting many of
Photo by Anthony Giudice/QNS
the strip’s restaurants and businesses
— during their visit to the Bayside
Business Improvement District on
Tuesday, Sept. 19.
Photo: Suzanne Monteverdi/THE COURIER
Former Newsday reporter
Dennis Hevesi dies at 73
Dennis Hevesi, a retired journalist who
worked for Newsday and the New York
Times, passed away on Tuesday, Sept. 5 of
cardiovascular problems at his Flushing
home at the age of 73 years-old.
Hevesi was born at Lenox Hospital in
Manhattan. Aft er graduating from Forest
Hills High School, he attended Hofstra
University and edited for the college’s
newspaper. During the summer of 1965,
Hevesi took a job at Newsday as a news
desk assistant (also known as a copy boy),
which eventually led to a full-time position
as a reporter.
At his core, Hevesi was a storyteller. He
always aimed to tell stories while informing
readers of the truth. During his time
at Newsday, Hevesi released a series of
profi les on homeless individuals.
“He would ask them questions about
who they were and how they got there,”
said his wife, Carol Mooney-Hevesi. “He
was giving a face and identity to people
who didn’t necessarily have one.”
Hevesi later became a key player in a
team of reporters who covered “Baby Jane
Doe,” a Long Island court battle of a couple’s
right to withhold corrective surgery
for their child with congenital defects.
Th eir coverage earned them the Pulitzer
Prize in 1984.
In 1986, Hevesi joined the New York
Times, starting as a rewrite journalist and
later covering Brooklyn, real estate and
writing obituaries. He offi cially retired
in 2013.
Described as a great friend with a dry
sense of humor and a loving father and
husband, Hevesi loved to ride his bike,
listen to classical music and cared a lot
about other people, both as a journalist
and as a man.
Hevesi is survived by his wife Carol,
his two children and his brother, Alan
G. Hevesi, a former state assemblyman
and city and state comptroller. A funeral
service was held on Friday, Sept. 8
at Schwartz Brothers-Jeff er Memorial
Chapel.
in Little Neck for a hard day’s work
for a good cause.
Th anks to the dedication of over 200
giving-minded individuals, the Samuel
Field Y at 58th Avenue and Little Neck
Parkway now features a colorful play
space for the neighborhood’s children.
Th e design was based on drawings created
by kids at the community center over
the summer.
Participants in the Sept. 14 community
event included Samuel Field Y employees,
Disney VoluntEARS, ESPN Corporate
Citizenship, KaBOOM! organizers and
residents.
“I know the kids are gonna really love
the playground,” said Julie Williams, a
Samuel Field Y employee and Whitestone
resident. “It’s gonna be really cool for
them to come out and see it when it’s all
completed.”
Aft er the six-hour build process, volunteers,
sponsors, elected offi cials and
Samuel Field Y kids assembled in front
of the playground to celebrate with a ribbon
cutting.
“You’ve all been working hard all day
long,” said Samuel Field Y President
Lawrence Gottlieb. “Congratulations to
all of you, and I can’t wait to see the kids
on this apparatus.”
A brand new playground was constructed
at the Bay Terrace Samuel Field
Y in Bayside last September by the same
group of sponsors.
Th e Samuel Field Y is a not-for-profi t
group that provides an array of community
programs and services to over 35,000
residents of Queens and Nassau County.
Th e Little Neck location is its fl agship site.
Learn more about the organization by
visiting www.sfy.org.
Volunteers install a slide at a new Little Neck playground.