The statue of Woodside Doughboy is placed in Doughboy Park at 52nd Street Woodside, NY 11377. It is also known as “Lest We Forget” or the “Returning Soldier” commemorates those from the community in Queens who served in World War I. Burt W. Johnson created the sculpture and was dedicated n 1923.

The statue of Benjamin Franklin is located at Spruce Street and Park row in City Hall, NY. Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) was Printer Patriot, Philosopher and Statesman. Albert De Groot presented this sculpture to the Press and Printers of City of New York on January 17, 1872.

This is the statue of Horace Greeley, the Founder of New York Tribune. This sculpture is located in City Hall Park. Greeley was an American newspaper editor and founder of Liberal American Party

Capt. Vincent G. Fowler

P.S 108 Q is dedicated to Capt. Vincent G. Fowler who died on June 4th, 1999. He was Capt. of the fire dept division 13. He lost is life in the line of duty. Fowler left behind a wife and 3 adoring daughters. He helped so many families in the community and and he loved all around. He was 47 when he was attempting to rescue a child and was killed in the process.

Henry Ward Beecher is being honored here in Cadman Plaza Park, Brooklyn, NY.  He was a social reformer, known for his support of the abolition of slavery.  His sister Harriet Beecher Stowe received worldwide fame for her abolitionist novel, Uncle Toms Cabin.  His statue depicts him in an upright position with children by his side, this may be because he was a firm believer in God’s love f.  Uncle Toms Cabin is a must read novel, I would recommend it to anyone!

Who: Thomas Jefferson, he was an American founding father, the principal author of the declaration of independence (1776), and the third president of the United states. Thomas Jefferson was a spokesman  of democracy, embraced the principle of republicanism and the rights of man with worldwide influence. At the beginning of the American Revolution, he served in the continental congress, representing Virginia and than served as a wartime governor of Virginia (1779-1781). I believe that Thomas Jefferson was a very brave man and a man who fought for independence and for people’s rights. Information taken from the World Wide Web:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Jefferson

who: James Weldon Johnson (June 17,1871- June 26,1938). James Weldon Johnson was an American author, educator, lawyer, diplomat, songwriter, and civil rights activist. Johnson is best remembered for his leadership with the National Association for the Advancement of colored people (NAACP), where he started working in 1917, being chosen as the first black executive secretary of the organization, effectively the operating officer. He was first known for his writing, which includes poems, novels and anthologies. I believe that James Johnson Weldon was a great man and something about his life that really impressed me was the fact that he was the first African American admitted to the Florida Bar exam, he was also the first black in Duval County to seek admission to the state Bar. Information taken from the World Wide Web: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Weldon_Johnson

Saint Francis of Assisi was the founder of the Franciscan Order, born in Assisi, Italy. Francis was an was an Italian Catholic friar and preacher although he was never ordained to Catholic priesthood, he was one of the most revered religious figures in history. Francis was proclaimed a saint by Pope Gregory IX. He was the patron saint of animals and the environment. Saint Francis Preparatory High School where I spent my 4 great years of my life undoubtedly got their name from the Patron Saint of Animals. There is a status of Francis in the front of the school with his arms open and welcoming anyone who walks by.

Virgil Grissom J.H.S

Virgil Ivan Grissom, was one the of astronauts in NASAs Project Mercury, he was also a United States Air Force pilot. Unfortunately Grissom was killed along with 2 fellow astronauts during the pre-launch of Apollo 1 mission (Cape Kennedy) This elementary school J.H.S 226 is dedicated in his honor.

Cheddi Jagan, 4th President of Guyana

Cheddi Jagan was the 4th president of Guyana who was first elected as Prime Minister of Guyana. In his earlier years, Jagan came to the States to study pre-dental at Howard University. After returning to British Guiana he began his political career. On January 1st, the People’s Progressive Party was formed, as Jagan as its leader. This medical center in my neighborhood is dedicated to Jagan because the people of Guyana loved him. My father and grandfather both said he was one of the best presidents Guyana has ever seen, he took the country out of turmoil. Jagan is widely regarded as the “Father of the Nation”

The Catholics seem to have figured out something which I can not. How to keep their memorial free of graffiti and trash. On Woodbine and Cypress, there is a memorial to the “Polish Pope”. And this corner of my neighborhood speaks volumes of an age that is slowly fading away. An age of respect. I’ve been to Eastern Europe several times. And in Poland, one of the first things I realized was just how pristine and clean the entire country was. Not a scrap of trash on the streets. Everything neatly thrown away in trash cans. Memorials to the Saints always had fresh flowers. As depicted here. To realize how vastly “better” the aesthetical beauty of Eastern Europe was when compared to America made me wonder why so many of these countries strive to be “Americanized”. Here, now, I have begun to see ‘Polish Rappers’. Young guys driving around in cars, rims, base thumping, acting tough – and yes – trash out the windows, beer bottles tossed at will. And I’ve come to a conclusion – there is a direct parallel with the respect for a nation and its appearance. As respect slips, the trash piles up. Dirty in every way, in violence, in cleanliness, in corruption and even in the way the dead are treated and memorialized. This statue of the Pope is in the shadows of a Catholic Church. Perhaps this is the only reason why the flowers aren’t stolen each night.

It is difficult to see from the subway platform of the M Line at Forest, yet if you look down it’s there. A flag pole with an American flag that looks as old as the subway platform itself, tattered and torn, stands watch over the memorial marker of Private First Class Richard Gilley who was killed in Vietnam. Perhaps I’m a bit partial, but it seems as though for the most part the people of today have little respect for the freedoms they enjoy and take for granted. The only thing which has kept this memorial somewhat clean is the 12 foot razor wire topped fence surrounding it. One could easily see that people waiting on the platform for the train have decided to use this little area as a trash depository. Hence, the close up of my photograph. I thought the least I could do was zoom in on the Private and zoom out the trash. It’s everywhere. A dumping ground of filth and disrespect. And I think I discovered something important in the process – people seem to only respect the memorials of those whom they know. Like in life, it’s easy to disrespect others. A man, barely in his twenties, died for the freedoms of those who now, disrespect him.