On my way to work I decided to take a detour into Central Park in the Strawberry Fields part which is the most attractive one to tourists lately. Lennon’s music was a great gift not only to Americans but from an international perspective as well. At his memorial in Central Park, Strawberry Fields is named after one of his songs called ” Strawberry Fields Forever.” Strawberry Fields was officially dedicated on October 9, 1985, the 45th anniversary of Lennon’s birth. Lennon’s widow, Yoko Ono Lennon, worked with landscape architect Bruce Kelly and Central Park Conservancy to create a meditative spot. The mosaic was created by Italian craftsmen and given as a gift by the city of Naples. Based on a Greco-Roman design, it bears the word of another of Lennon’s songs: Imagine. A designated Quiet Zone in the Park, the memorial is shaded by stately American elms and lined with benches. In the warmer months, flowers bloom all around the area. Along the path near the mosaic, you’ll find a bronze plaque that lists the 121 countries that endorse Strawberry Fields as a Garden of Peace. Personally, there isn’t too much of a quiet zone with that area now as thousands of people go about this area to take pictures and the hippies are there to promote their buttons in support of John Lennon. It is a very beautiful design when I went to see it up close and in honoring the deceased I find it very wonderful to say the least.

Bibliography

John Lennon

The Jose Artigas Staute was a surprise to me as I was on my way to a restaurant in the SOHO area in Manhattan. After further research I discovered who he was and this is what i found out.  José Artigas was born on June 19, 1764 on the outskirts of Montevideo, then part of the Banda Oriental del Uruguay, in the Spanish Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata. Artigas’ parents were criollos, and his family were landowners; it was on their estates that at a young age he earned the respect and admiration of the gauchos for his courage and strong character. In 1797 he became military commander of the Cuerpo de Blandengues, a Spanish force charged with getting rid the country of outlaws and smugglers.

The larger-than-life statue of Artigas in Soho Square is a second cast of an original by José Luis Zorrilla de San Martín (1891-1975), which has stood in Montevideo, in front of the Uruguayan National Bank, since 1949. Zorrilla served as Director of the Uruguayan National Museum of Fine Arts, and was then considered his country’s outstanding sculptor. His father, Juan Zorrilla de San Martín, was both a poet and Uruguay’s Ambassador to Spain. This replica was fabricated by Vignali and Company, and placed on a Uruguayan granite base designed by architect Maria Cristina Caquías.

Soho Square, in which the statue stands was one of several wedge-shaped public plazas created when Sixth Avenue was extended south of Carmine Street in the 1920s.

References

“SoHo Square.” SoHo Square Highlights : NYC Parks. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2016

Survivors: Wife of 61 years,

This is a memorial for founder of the block association in Bedford Stuyvesant Brooklyn, New York. She was a pillar in the community she served the community by opening doors to create a sense of family amongst people. The association is used to set up meeting to improve the community, open the ties to the police department and ways to improve the area where she lived. The meetings discuss the annual block parties, how to get music for the event, the preparation of food and how to entertain children for the event. When she organized the events I’m sure it was families getting together outside to enjoy the weather, while children played hopscotch, riding bikes and jumping rope. While the adults grilled outside and music was played in the streets. The neighborhood watch organization was also set up that helped the members to become aware of the people and they’re that live in the neighborhood.

The relationship with the police department helped ensure that the neighborhood is protected and served by them. The block association is still going strong today because of the Mrs. Trotman. It also helps families in need especially around the holidays with charitable donations for children with toys drive, coat drive and hot meal for elderly. Now at the annual block parties the events are much larger a special DJ or band is called to perform and children play on hoover boards but they still ride bikes. We are thankful for Mrs. Trotman that made a way for these events to continue, she was beloved wife and devoted sister. I was able to find out if she had children but I’m sure the younger generation feels like we are all her children because we are still able to take part in her legacy.

While walking down the block in my neighborhood, I noticed a sign that read, “Rest in Power”. It struck me because normally people would say Rest in Peace. I knew it had to be someone special because it was posted at the office of film director, actor, producer and writer Spike Lee. He always makes signs that recognize people that are loved and lost. This time it was about the recent death of Bill Nunn, whose battle with leukemia ended in September. It is a disease that causes the body to be unable to fight off infection. It can affect the bone marrow and the heart. Mr. Nunn died at the age of 63 and he leaves a wife and two children. I was unable to find a will but if he died without a will his estate will be handled under the laws of intestacy we know that his wife will get the first $50,000 plus ½ of everything left behind. Bill Nun was an actor and his estate is a little over one million dollars.

The spike lee movie that Bill Nunn acted in is “ Do the right thing” he played the character by the name of Radio Raheem. This movie was set in Bed-Stuy Brooklyn in the 90’s, in the summer heat and it followed the lives of the black community. Mr. Nun roll in the film was symbolic to me because his gold rings that read Love and Hate. Which is what we are facing in the world today. The difference between real life and movie is that the director cannot say cut if someone says or does something hateful. The film taught everyone to always do the right thing and as Mr. Nunn/ Radio Raheem carried around the radio in the movie. He played truth lyrics by conscious rappers who made sure that the community looked beyond there everyday lives to the future.

Sadden by the death of this actor; we know that he was also a man that had to live in this world and deal with life after the cameras stopped rolling. So he received an education by graduating from Morehouse College in Atlanta, all male Historical Black College, while there he worked with students at Spelman College in the arts of acting. Then he later formed a project, called Bill Nunn Theatre Outreach Project to help public school students learn the arts profession. Students were able to win scholarship money for college and help build self- esteem to those who don’t always have a father figure. I’m sure his presence will be missed on stage, in movies and mostly in the live of his wife, children and close friends.

Rest in Power, praying that love will cover up hate as we live the rest of this life without you.

This beautiful little display that looks like a garden is located at the Doughboy Park in Woodside, Queens.  There is an arrangement that looks like a garden with little flags and pictures for each fallen Benghazi heroes along with a plaque holding the pictures of two on-duty NYPD Officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu who were killed as a revenge for the death of Eric Garner and the shooting of Michael Brown.

The first Benghazi attack was on September 11, 2012 by members of Ansar al-Sharia resulting in the attack  of “…American diplomatic compound in Benghazi resulting in the deaths of U.S. Ambassador to Libya J. Christopher Stevens and U.S. Foreign Service Information Management Officer Sean Smith.  On September 12, 2012, the group launched a mortar attack against a CIA annex approximately one mile away, killing CIA contractors Tyrone S. Woods and Glen Doherty and wounding ten others.”

When I first saw this it caught my heart, I felt saddened to know that these heroes and officers died in such an unjust way.  Officer Ramos and Liu were just doing their job and had no connection with the incidents that happened with Eric Garner and Michael Brown.  The attack towards the American diplomatic compound and CIA annex was wrong.  By having this little place as commemoration to remember them by gives a sense of peace and honor for these wonderful individuals.  May they rest in peace!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_killings_of_NYPD_officers

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Slain-NYPD-Officer-Rafael-Ramos-Funeral-Mayor-Bill-de-Blasio-Vice-President-Joe-Biden-286920041.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Benghazi_attack

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_fatalities_and_injuries_of_the_2012_Benghazi_attack

Mr. Curtis L. Felton “ The Mayor”

I found this small memory of Mr. Felton in Brooklyn, New York in the area of Bedford Stuyvesant from the 300 Block Association, he was someone that was held in high regard while living on this block since 1963. He was a member of the block association for 15 years and he was linked with the 79^th police precinct. He believed in working with the police department to help control crime in the Bed-Stuy. In this area of Brooklyn working with the police department has become a way of life. While walking around these blocks I noticed a lot of friendly exchanged between the police officers that walk the streets and the homeowners outside early weekend morning sweeping there front yards. I can’t help but to think that this relationship started way before I ever walked these streets. I feel grateful for Mr. Felton from creating a better sense of community between two forces of homeowners and the police department. Now at these meeting his sense of community is still apart of the monthly meeting, the police officers attend the meeting and give us guidelines and insure that they are here to help in anyway that they can.

This beautiful Theodore Roosevelt Rough Rider Statue is located in Oyster Bay, New York. Theodore Roosevelt is on a horse which stands on a plate.   It was dedicated on October 29, 2005 for the Centennial Project of the Rotary Club.  The sculptor was named Alexander Phimister Proctor.

I loved the way the president was placed on top of one of the things he loved the most his “horses”.  He was a rancher and his family loved horseback riding.  When President Roosevelt was in the White House, he gave invitations to have guests ride along with him.   Such a great President!

https://www.presidentusa.net/trstatueoyster.bay.html

https://www.whitehousehistory.org/theodore-roosevelt-familys-horses

On the corner of 56^th Street and Woodside Avenue is a park which displays a beautiful statue representing the Veterans whom fought in World War I? The names of the first responders are inscribed on a plaque resting at the bottom of the statue. Below the bronze statue is an inscription stating the phrase “Lest We Forget”. This statue was unveiled in 1923 on Memorial Day.

In an article in the New York Times written by Rich Schapiro, Ed Bergendahl, indicates the term Doughboy having an important meaning. Ed Bergendahl states, “…the term doughboy was the nickname British soldiers gave American GIs in the first World War a nod to the oversized round buttons on the American uniforms that reminded the Brits of the doughboy cakes so popular at home.”

The statue is beautiful and caught the essence of a soldier.   What made this memorable is how a former navy seaman takes the time out to educate and inform visitors. It is wonderful to know that there are people such as Ed Bergendahl who reminds us of what these honorable men did for our country. This place of remembrance reminds us of whom fought in the war but gives us an opportunity to remember and appreciate them for it.

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/veteran-guardian-angel-wwi-shrine-article-1.2003501

(Taken from: http://www.lesonline.org/cv/seward-statue.jpg)

The first photo is taken by me, didn’t realize how dark it was so I added a better photo of the monument in daylight. Link to website below photo.

The above photos are of William Henry Seward taken from Madison Square Park in New York City. The statue is located on Fifth Avenue at 23rd Street and placed on a diagonal facing the intersection of Broadway and 23rd at the southwest corner of Madison Square Park.

The sculpture portrait of the former Governor, U. S Senator, and Secretary of the State on a pedestal. The statue is made of bronze, red levante marble. The sculpture was dedicated in 1876 and William H. Seward is said to be the first New Yorker to be honored with a monument in the city. Seward was admitted to the bar at Utica in 1822 and specialized in patent law and was in great demand as an attorney in criminal cases. In 1845, he argued in defense of freedom of the press in a libel suit against a newspaper publisher.

In addition to the statue of William H. Seward, Madison Square Park has several historical figures. Below is a photo of Admiral David Glasgow Farragut.

Admiral Farragut Monument is located at the north end of Madison Square Park, 24th Street between Fifth and Madison Avenues. This monument was sculpted by Augustus Saint-Gaudens and architect, Stanford White. The figure is over 9 feet tall and is made of bronze and coopersberg black granite. The admiral is standing on a pedestal in full uniform with binoculars in hand and sword at his side as if he is engaging in commanding a fleet. The architect, White designed the semi-circular exedra on which the monument stands; an extended place to sit underneath the statue. Overtime the monument has been revered for its dynamic naturalism and is one of the finest outdoor monuments in New York City.

Admiral David Glasgow Farragut began his military career at the age of 9. he served during the war of 1812 and later fought in the Mexican War. He gained fame by wrestling New Orleans from confederate control and this is where his uttered his famous immortal words… “Damn the torpedoes… full speed… ahead!”

I didn’t know much about either Admiral David G. Farragut or William H. Seward, until I looked up famous monuments in New York City. But I did find a very interesting video on Admiral Farragut and the End of the Civil War: Gettysburg Winter Lecture (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4ZMxzq8T58). The video contains a lot of information about the admiral and the story behind his famous quote.

In addition, “The Farragut Monument was conserved in 2002, as a project of the Municipal Art Society’s Adopt-A-Monument Program, in partnership with the Department of Parks & Recreation and the Art Commission of the City of New York. A generous grant from the Paul and Klara Porzelt Foundation made the restoration possible. The monument’s conservation coincided with the restoration of Madison Square and today this outstanding example of nineteenth-century American commemorative sculpture remains a commanding presence in this historic park.”

In addition to the two historic figures, Madison Square Park also holds the famous monument of, Roscoe Conkling, who was a politician from New York who served both as a member of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate. Roscoe Conkling is located on Madison Avenue at 23rd Street and made of bronze, quincy granite. What’s so famous about this monument is that it was sculpted by John Quincy Adams Ward, who is most famous for his overly life-sized statue of George Washington on the steps of Federal Hall in Wall Street. Below is a link of the sculptors Wikipedia page so you can view more of his art. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Quincy_Adams_Ward

This picture was also taken in the city of Paris, France. At The Louvre at the biggest museum in the world. This trip that i did with my high school friends was well worth it, we backpacked through everything and visited as many places as possible. This picture was also taken approximately two years ago.

This statue was discovered on the small islands of Samothrace in the northwest Aegeans, by a man named Charles Champoiseau. This statue represents the goddess of Victory. This statue says a lot, as she stands there on top of ships, braced against wind. She represents the special naval victories that she had given to the Greeks. She supposedly grants victory. The statue is called Nike in greek. The people of the museum tried to restore the statute of the missing pieces that was broken off during the excavation. However, they were unsuccessful. But, this was one of the best work of art at The Louvre.

http://www.louvre.fr/en/oeuvre-notices/winged-victory-samothrace

My refection to this statue was shell shocking. When i went to the museum in Paris i did not know all of the information. I feel like once you know what something is, you get a deeper sense of appreciation. When i first saw this statue in person i was amazed with the amount of craftsmen ship that was still preserved. People take art for granted, however there is so much more in the details. And this goddess was more intricate than it led out to be. I have such more appreciation for art now than i ever had before.