By Nathan Duke
The city renamed a portion of 215th Street in Bayside last month to honor the late Sol Soskin, a Little Neck community activist who served on the 111th Precinct’s community council for over 50 years.
More than 50 people attended a ceremony May 4 to rename a section of 215th Street between Northern Boulevard and 45th Road in Bayside as Sol Soskin Way. The street’s namesake spent five decades on the precinct’s community council, which acts as a liaison between the police and the community. He was the group’s president for many of those years.
Lt. Daniel Heffernan said Soskin consistently ensured that the needs of Bayside’s Greek-American community were met.
“He encouraged representation from the Greek community at every meeting,” Heffernan said. “Our auxiliary police have a strong Greek presence.”
Soskin died of heart failure at age 92 in September 2008.
He first became president of the community council in the 1950s and served in the position for 35 years, making him the longest-serving precinct council president in the city.
The Little Neck resident earned a Purple Heart while serving in World War II and worked in a small business assistance program at the Long Island Development Corp. He also was a member of Community Board 11 for more than 30 years.
Soskin was succeeded as community council president by then-Vice President Jack Fried.
Heffernan said Soskin’s “unselfishness and community service will always be remembered.”
Reach reporter Nathan Duke by e-mail at nduke@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4566.
