By James Vespe
Even if you voted for Mario Cuomo for Governor, as I did, you should admit that the name of this proud son of Queens County does not belong on a bridge connecting Westchester and Rockland counties. But there are two places in his…actually, our (I was born and raised in Astoria)…home county that should be named for the Governor.
The first is the main branch of the Queens County Public Library, in Mario’s home neighborhood of Jamaica. Mario Cuomo always was a voracious reader, and long proclaimed the importance of learning and education in helping immigrants assimilate. What finer honor could be bestowed on this lover of language than to rename the central branch of the library that continues to serve new Americans from around the world?
The second is somewhere around CitiField. As viewers of the Ken Burns documentary on baseball know, Mario Cuomo played two years of minor league baseball in the 1950s for the Pittsburgh Pirates’ system. Indeed, he was offered a bigger signing bonus by the Pirates than they offered Mickey Mantle! Yes, the stadium can’t be renamed for him because Citibank has paid for naming rights, but perhaps one of the approach roads, or the parking lots, or the subway station at Willets Point, or the clubhouses.
One location in Queens that should not be renamed for Mario Cuomo is the site of the Olympic swimming trials in 1936 and 1964, the largest municipal swimming pool in America and frequent backdrop of the TV show Blue Bloods: The Astoria Pool.
The Astoria Pool should have already been renamed for a 9-year-old boy from nearby 32nd st who sang at its opening in 1936. His name is now Tony Bennett. But that’s another story.
James Vespe, Mamaroneck
Editor’s Note: Thanks to Jim Vespe for this story, which points to a fact that has been lost to many during the troubles of former Governor Andrew Cuomo. And that is, former Governor Mario Cuomo was void of any scandal. He could have run for President but didn’t want it. His name is still intact and worthy of some sort of honor. I met him in 1990 when he came to SUNY Oswego and I had the honor of taking him around the campus. He would have made a great USSC Justice!
