By Alexander Dworkowitz
In his travels around the world, Auburndale's Arthur Warren Scullin could not help but express pride in his native New York City.
“Wherever he traveled, no matter where he was, he would say he was from the city,” said his wife, Catherine. “People would ask him, 'What do you mean?' And he would say, 'The city. There's only one city.'”
Scullin was so proud of New York that he often invited those he met to visit him back home, frequently bringing his new friends to his office at the World Trade Center, his wife said.
So it could not have been more appropriate that the city chose to honor Scullin, who was killed in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, by naming one of its street after him, his family said.
On Saturday morning, city officials joined Scullin's family and friends at the intersection of Northern Boulevard and 193rd Street, which was renamed “Arthur Warren Scullin Way.”
Scullin, a senior vice president and director at Marsh & McLennan, a investment management, insurance and consulting firm, worked on the 98th floor of 1 World Trade Center. He was 57.
A native of Woodside, Scullin had lived in the same house on 193rd Street in Auburndale for nearly 30 years.
Scullin, who served in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War, was known as an active member of the Auburndale community. He was block captain with the Auburndale Improvement Association, a trustee of St. Kevin's Roman Catholic Church and president of its youth guild, and a meet director of the Catholic Youth Organization Track Committee.
Councilman John Liu (D-Flushing) called Scullin “a man of the community.”
“We are sad to no longer have Mr. Scullin with us,” he said. “But we are happy because he has done so much, and he will be remembered as a man who has done so much.”
The Rev. Francis Shannon of St. Kevin's spoke above the sound of cars whizzing by on Northern Boulevard.
“I just think this corner is perfect for Arthur because he always liked to be in the middle of all the noise,” he said.
A. Warren Scullin, Arthur's son, expressed a similar sentiment.
“He believed that there is more to life than just working, that you have to serve your community and volunteer yourself,” he said.
In addition to his pride in the city itself, Arthur Scullin also felt a strong love for his neighborhood, always calling it Auburndale and never calling it Flushing, his family said.
He was also the “ultimate” fan of the band U2, his wife said.
A father with three grown children, Arthur Scullin frequented U2's mammoth concerts in the years before his death.
While working in New Jersey for a year, Arthur Scullin had to make a long commute in his car, and he always played one particular U2 song while driving, his wife said.
“They say the song he always listened to on the Cross Bronx Expressway was 'Where the Streets Have No Name,'” she said. “Now the street has his name.”
Reach reporter Alexander Dworkowitz by e-mail at Timesledger@aol.com or call 718-229-0300 Ext. 141.
