By Howard Koplowitz
A street renaming in honor of a Corona man who died in the Sept. 11 attacks somehow got lost in the shuffle, but family members and the community took solace Sunday that the commemoration occurred the same year of the 10th anniversary of the tragedy.
Francisco “Frank” Munoz was a 29-year-old IT consultant working on a project in the World Trade Center when the towers collapsed.
On Saturday, the corner of 111th Street and Roosevelt Avenue in Corona was co-named Francisco Munoz Way in his honor.
City Councilwoman Julissa Ferreras (D-East Elmhurst) said the street renaming came to light because of a “firecracker in our community,” referring to Munoz’s mother, Iluminada Munoz.
“It needed to happen now so we wouldn’t forget,” Ferreras said before the sign was unfurled. “We’ll remember his name forever because his name will be in the community forever. He has made me a better person because I will remember him every day. Every day I walk down Roosevelt Avenue … every time I look at the Freedom Tower.”
Community Board 3, which covers the area, recommended the street renaming two years after Munoz’s death in 2003, but for some reason the suggestion was not followed up by the city, according to CB 3 District Manager Giovanna Reid.
“Once we realized it had not been instituted, we did everything we could to try and move it again,” Reid said. “I think there was a divine purpose it was installed 10 years later.”
Munoz’s cousin, Roberto Alberti said three words describe Munoz: “integrity, family and respect.
“Francisco was an example of what is great about America,” Alberti said, noting that Munoz was the son of Dominican and Colombian immigrants and “lived life to the fullest.”
Alberti credited Munoz’s mother with shaping his life and said his mother reared him almost his entire life after his father died when he was 2 years old.
“It’s through her hard work and sacrifice as a mother that Francisco became the man he was,” Alberti said.
Nigel Bisnath was a friend of Munoz who first met him when they both attended Pace University in 1996.
“He was an incredible person,” said Bisnath, 35. “A huge heart. Always did the right thing.”
State Assemblyman Francisco Moya (D-Corona) said the street renaming means Munoz will not be forgotten.
“He will live every day because he will be remembered for the wonderful things [he did] and the love that he brought to his family, his friends, his neighbors,” Moya said.
Reach reporter Howard Koplowitz by e-mail at hkoplowitz@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4573.
