By Stephen Stirling
David Oats, a lifelong civic activist and journalist in Queens, died Feb. 5 at North Shore University Hospital after a lengthy illness. He was 58. Oats' name became synonymous with Flushing Meadows Corona Park as early as 1963, when preparations for the World's Fair piqued the interest of the then teenager. Oats was caught by security guards after sneaking onto fair grounds and, covered in mud, was brought before master builder Robert Moses, who instead of scolding him told the young man he should form a group that would seek to protect the park. “David was a true fighter for the causes he believed in – particularly Flushing Meadows Park for which he fought for over 30 years,” said Oats' wife, Corinne. “Robert Moses trusted him with this cause and David never let him down.” Oats formed a strong relationship with Moses, who donated a portion of his archives to the civic activist after his death in 1981. Over the years, Oats was part of several groups whose central focus was the park and founded the Flushing Meadows Corona Park World's Fair Association, which he was chairman of until his death. “For me he was a great mentor and a role model,” said friend and Flushing Meadows Corona Park World's Fair Association President Greg Godfrey. “He always did the right thing.”New York City Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe said the loss of Oats would be noticeable almost immediately. “For decades he dedicated himself to the park he loved and fought on all levels to preserve its World's Fair history and keep it the green gem of Queens. Flushing Meadows Corona Park is better today for his lifelong efforts and we at the Parks Department thank him,” Benepe said in a statement.In addition to his activism, Oats also served on the staff at the Queens Tribune as both a writer and editor in four different decades and as managing editor for the Queens Courier.”David was a genius when it came to reporting the news,” said U.S. Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-Bayside), the Tribune's co-founder, who hired Oats as the paper's first news editor in 1970. “He had flair for writing articles and for selling stories to the public. He could look at any story and in two seconds tell you what the headline should be and how the piece ought to be written.”Despite his gift for journalistic prose, his feisty approach to civic activism trumped all else.”I will always remember David for his charm,” Ackerman said. “He was a leprechaun grown big but not old. He was delightfully boyish and always young at heart. He was one of those rare people who emanated glee and genuinely got excited about the issues and projects with which he was involved.”Oats worked on several projects that have become iconic in both the park's and Queens' history, including the 1964 World's Fair, the introduction of the US Open to Queens, the construction and expansion of the Queens Museum of Art, the 2012 Olympics campaign and, more recently, bringing the Flushing Remonstrance back to the borough for the 350th anniversary of its signing. “He saw the larger picture, that Queens is a melting pot, a tossed salad or however you want to say it. David was attracted by that, he thought it was the right thing, the right idea,” Godfrey said. “He had a very global perspective.”Oats became known as “The Park Watchdog,” a title Queens Tribune Publisher Michael Schenkler said he lived up to with every inch of his body and soul. When the red aviation warning light atop the New York State Pavilion burnt out several times in 2006, Schenkler said the Tribune received “daily reports.””It was his park and it was being done incorrectly by the Parks Department,” he said. “Not only would he not let the Parks Department live but he would not let me live if we didn't cover it correctly.” “How do you describe that kind of loss?” Schenkler said later. “Queens has lost someone that cares as much about this borough as anyone in its history. Who is going to call this paper when that light goes out?”He is survived by his wife Corinne and his sister Virginia Ernst. Funeral services were privately held Tuesday. His wife said a public memorial service will be planned for later this year. Reach reporter Stephen Stirling by e-mail at Sstirling@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 138.
