skip to main |
skip to sidebar
From the
Queens Tribune:
A red-tailed hawk swooped low across the open space between the Queens Theatre in the Park and the Queens Museum. Bees buzzed, collecting pollen from the freshly planted flowers and shrubs that make up the newest addition to Flushing Meadows Corona Park – David’s Garden.
Created to honor David Oats, the long-time editor of the Queens Tribune and a steadfast advocate for his beloved Flushing Meadows Corona Park, the garden was dedicated Wednesday afternoon by local officials with Oats’ widow, friends and park advocates on hand.
Oats, who helmed the Tribune over parts of three decades, grew up near the park, and as a 12-year-old snuck in during construction of the 1964-65 World’s Fair. He was brought to City power broker Robert Moses to get a stern talking to, but instead the two struck up a friendship centered on the park, and for the rest of his life, Oats was dedicated to honoring Moses by ensuring the proper upkeep of their beloved patch of green land.
Oats spent four decades advocating for the protection and improvement of the borough’s parks. He was founder and president of the Flushing Meadows Corona Park World’s Fair Association, with Moses as its first chair.
From the
Queens Tribune:
A tribute to former Queens Tribune editor and Flushing Meadows Corona Park activist David Oats will rest in the heart of the Park and Borough that drove most of his activism.
The Parks Department, a City agency familiar with Oats' activism, and Borough President Helen Marshall disclosed the proposed rose garden, located between the Queens Museum and Queens Theatre. It will feature upgraded plantings and benches, as well as a plaque commemorating Oats, all in the shadow of the New York State Pavilion, a structure he spent four decades defending.
"It's something really monumental," said Oats' widow Corinne. She received word of the honor while driving and had to pull over to regain her composure.
"I know that David is smiling in heaven. I don't know if 'thank you' is enough," she said.
Oats spent four decades advocating for the protection and improvement of the borough's parks. He was founder and president of the Flushing Meadows Corona Park World's Fair Association, with Robert Moses as its first chair.
From the
Queens Tribune:
[David] Oats, who died suddenly on Feb. 5, 2008, spent a large portion of his career as editor of the Queens Tribune, but never lost touch with his first love – Flushing Meadows. When he retired from newspapers he continued to work tirelessly as an advocate for the park, even going so far as to travel to Europe to advocate both for a third world’s fair and for the park’s use as a venue for the Olympics.
Oats saw the park as a dynamic location, filled with the energy of not just the people who use it, but the events that have taken place there through the years. In short, the park was his first true love – a love that filled his heart until the day he died.
It is fitting, then, that a year after his death, a portion of the park may be named for him. The idea, first touted by this paper in the days after Oats’ death, is supported by this newspaper, its publisher, Oats’ widow and Borough President Helen Marshall.
Marshall has asked New York City Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe to rename the promenade around the Unisphere after this fierce park advocate.
“David loved the park and Queens, and I am happy to support this effort to provide some sort of fitting memorial to him for all he did for Flushing Meadows Corona Park,” Marshall said Wednesday.
From the Queens Tribune:
