Manton Post Office dedicated

More than 200 relatives, friends, and elected officials - including Senator Chuck Schumer and Congressmember Joseph Crowley - crowded inside the Woodside Post Office sorting room for a ceremony to honor the late Congressmember Thomas Manton, for whom the post office was renamed.
The Post Office, located on 61st Street just north of Roosevelt Avenue, now bears a plaque in Manton's honor.
Crowley, who Manton handpicked to run for his former Congressional seat and who has since taken over Manton's role as Queens Democratic Party Chair, served as master of ceremonies for the event on Thursday, November 30.
Congressmember Carolyn Maloney, Congressmember Anthony Weiner, Queens Borough President Helen Marshall, and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who attended the dedication, were each asked to recount a personal memory of Manton.
Weiner recalled seeking counsel and an endorsement from Manton during which he was told to simply &#8220do the right thing.”
Quinn remembered how Manton went out of his way to welcome her when she first won a seat in the Council.
&#8220Tom Manton was a true friend, a brilliant politician and consensus builder,” she said. &#8220He spent his life in service to the people of Queens and of New York City. It is fitting that we dedicate a tribute to his service right here in Woodside, a neighborhood he loved so very much.”
&#8220His word was his bond. It was gold,” said Schumer, who was praised at the dedication as a driving force behind the Democratic sweep of Congress during the recent mid-term elections. &#8220I am here, in good part, because Tom Manton always stuck with me.”
&#8220The Thomas J. Manton Post Office Building will be a reminder of the enduring respect and love we hold for a true leader and remarkable public servant,” Crowley said.
Manton, who passed away in July at the age of 73, was a life-long Woodside resident - born in Astoria - and represented the area in both the City Council and Congress for nearly 30 years.
Friends and family of Manton regaled the crowd with stories of the man, whose favorite memory, they said, was leading the St. Patrick's Day Parade on Fifth Avenue.
Recounting a conversation he had with Manton as Congress was preparing to vote on the Gulf War, friend Gerry Sweeney, of Sweeney, Gallo, Reich & Bolz, L.L.P., said that Manton was quick to point to a statistic that more soldiers from the Woodside zip code had been killed in past wars than any other area.
Although Manton proudly served in the Marines and had supported past military actions, Sweeney said that the former Congressmember had said, &#8220War doesn't have to be the only strategy.”
Manton's daughter Cathy Laurent also spoke of her father.
&#8220If we go about our daily lives, perhaps mailing a letter here at the Thomas J. Manton Post Office … think of him and [be] inspired by the wonderful way he spent his life,” she said, &#8220It will be a true testament to his enduring legacy.”