Library ruffl es feathers by renaming eagle statue
A historic eagle statue named
after the newspaper whose offi ces
it once perched atop just received
a new name from bookworms with
the Brooklyn Public Library, who
rechristened the sculpture now
sitting inside a local reading
room after former beep Raymond
Ingersoll. (“One for the books:
Library renames historic eagle
statue after former beep,” by Colin
Mixson, online Jan. 11).
Ingersoll, who strongly advocated
for the borough’s library
system while serving as Brooklyn’s
top pol from 1934 to 1940,
won the honor following an online
vote hosted by library leaders,
who suggested his surname
and four other possible names
as new monikers for the statue
that formerly nested atop the old
Brooklyn Daily Eagle building
Downtown.
Some readers embraced the
change, while others expressed
reluctance at revising history:
Now let’s make the Great Hall
at the central library as grand as
it could be. Currently it is depressingly
drab. Gargoyle
from Newkirk Plaza
Dumb idea. Inappropriate, and
oh so unnecessary. Thanks for providing
further context. I agree with
Gargoyle.
Now that the library has literally
obliterated my libraries here
in Downtown — with the business
library badly shrunken and moved
out of the business district (another
stupid move, unexplained), and decimating
the Height library — these
people ought to get out of the realestate
business and back to the
business of enhancing knowledge
in surroundings that people would
enjoy going to. Anon
from Cobble Hill
Puzzling that some would deem
the library’s renaming of the eagle
statue for Raymond Ingersoll a “violation
of history,” considering that
the Central Branch was originally
named for Ingersoll. BPL’s renaming
of the branch was the violation.
This is karma. Janet
from Park Slope
SOUND OFF TO THE EDITOR
LETTERS AND COMMENTS FROM OUR READERS
Contractors this month kicked
off a two-year-plus project to install
elevators and make other
handicap-accessible improvements
to Prospect Height’s Eastern
Parkway–Brooklyn Museum
subway station (“MTA commences
two-year-plus project to
install elevators at Brooklyn Museum
station,” by Colin Mixson,
online Jan. 11).
Workers with the state-run
Metropolitan Transportation
Authority on Jan. 7 closed an entrance
to the 2- and 3-train station
on Eastern Parkway opposite
the Brooklyn Museum, as
part of the 26-month makeover’s
fi rst phase.
One reader wondered what
will take so long:
Now why will it take more than
two years to install elevators in one
subway station? Could it be done in a
shorter duration of time?
The Empire State Building was
structurally completed on April 11,
1931, 12 days ahead of schedule and
410 days after construction commenced.
The Empire State Building
offi cially opened on May 1, 1931, forty
fi ve days ahead of its projected opening
date.
So why will it take two years for
the MTA to install elevators at one
subway station? David Weinkrantz
from Downtown Brooklyn
‘Bold’ change
To the Editor,
Congratulations to Rep.
Hakeem Jeffries (D–Fort Greene)
on being elected Democratic Caucus
chairman of the U.S. House of
Representatives. Rep. Jeffries has
shown a willingness to work for
positive change in a bipartisan
manner and find solutions to the
issues that impact families most,
like accessing quality, affordable
healthcare.
Alzheimer’s disease has become
a public-health crisis, costing
Americans $277 billion annually.
The disease impacts families
at all socioeconomic levels. In the
eight years my grandmother suffered
with Alzheimer’s, it took a
physical toll on my entire family.
Especially on my mother, who lived
with her for many years, and whose
additional physical and emotional
stress affected her own health. She,
like caregivers across the country,
incurred additional costs for her
own healthcare that were directly
related to caregiving. I am passionate
COURIER L 32 IFE, JAN. 18–24, 2019 DT
about raising awareness about
the need to support Alzheimer’s
caregivers.
That is why I became an ambassador
for the Alzheimer’s Association,
New York City Chapter.
I applaud Rep. Jeffries for voting
yes on the Building Our Largest Dementia
Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s
Act — or Bold act — which was
recently signed into law. Bold will
establish Alzheimer’s Centers of
Excellence to promote early detection
and diagnosis, as well as innovative
and effective interventions
to help caregivers with the challenges
of caring for someone with
cognitive loss.
A national public-health crisis
calls for a coordinated publichealth
response, and the passage of
this legislation is a huge step in the
right direction. Darcy McCarthy
Prospect Heights
A call for chivalry
To the Editor,
This morning, while at the
Broadway–Lafayette subway station,
on a ride home from an early
morning appointment at NYU–
Langone, I came to meet and befriend
fireman K. Summers from
Sacramento — yes, Sacramento,
my Sacramento local friends.
This most warm and engaging
person and I struck up a conversation
all the way to my home stop,
where he was getting off to attend
the funeral of fi refi ghter Steven Pollard
(“Fatal fall: Bravest plummets
to death while responding to crash
on Mill Basin Bridge,” by Kevin
Duggan, online Jan. 8).
We talked about many things
during the ride home, and when
we exited to the street, I pointed to
where he could fi nd the bus to take
him to the church. At that bus stop
were 20-plus other fi refi ghters, all
on their way via bus because this funeral
was so large that a few square
miles of neighborhood streets were
completely closed down. I offered to
drive them, but they smiled because
they knew, like I knew, that myself
and my Prius, even with them inside,
would never get past the police
stations at nearly every intersection
between my home and the mile
drive to the church.
Fireman K. Summers from Sacramento,
who is distinguished by
his perfectly waxed handlebar
moustache, is far more distinguished
in that he paid his own
way to fly to LaGuardia Airport
and his hotel stay in Manhattan,
because, to him, it was something
that he had to do; and has done
for years. As we talked, I came
to learn that he was f lying out tonight
to head to Chicago, where he
will be attending another funeral
for a firefighter who died near
there.
After walking away from the station,
I turned to look at the large
group of fi refi ghters waiting for the
bus and I was compelled to go and
talk with them. The talk didn’t last
long because I started to tear up listening
to them talking about the
power of community that fi refi ghters
have in this country and around
the globe.
I said my goodbye and turned to
walk the two blocks to my home.
My only regret was not capturing a
photo of myself with firefighter K.
Summers of Sacramento; I didn’t
ask because it felt like it was inappropriate
under the circumstances.
Helicopters were in the sky
and at Avenue S, near my home, a
straight ride east to the church was
as silent as could be, and looking
east I could see endless lights of fi re
and police cars keeping the avenue
free of traffi c. Turns out the procession
with fi refi ghter Steven Pollard
would drive very near to my home
on its way to Green-Wood Cemetery
for the burial.
Powerful was this experience of
talking with a noble K. Summers
and then meeting his brethren.
My thoughts continued wondering
why can’t our city, our state,
our country, this world show the
same respect for others that these
folks do? Why must we have a leadership,
an economic system, and
mainstream media system that
continues to focus their words and
work on ugliness instead of the
beauty that most definitely emanates
from people?
As I write this, the funeral at Good
Shepherd Church is still in progress,
and I can see and hear it via live
stream. The thought of heading there
crossed my mind, but it seemed like
an almost impossibility considering
the hundreds, possibly thousands
who are already in attendance, fi lling
the streets and church.
RIP, fi refi ghter Steven Pollard.
I will walk outside my home to pay
my respects as the procession drives
by, heading toward your fi nal resting
place in Green-Wood Cemetery.
Barry Brothers
Homecrest
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