By Mark Hallum
Former Queens Borough President Helen Marshall was honored for her career in politics and service to Queens at the grand opening Tuesday of the Helen Marshall Cultural Center, an 11,000-square-foot atrium at Queens Borough Hall. The project cost about $23 million, according to current Queens Borough President Melinda Katz.
Katz led the dedication of the new space, followed by remarks from state Assemblyman Jeffrion Aubry (D-Corona), as well as Marshall’s daughter Agnes and grandson Chasen.
Helen Marshall, who now lives in California, was not able to attend the dedication ceremony.
“Helen Marshall spent her life leaving a legacy to the future of the City of New York,” Katz said of Marshall’s contributions.
Aubry told the audience of around 400 how Marshall was present as he was first introduced to community politics. He talked about how her learned from Marshall and how she worked tirelessly to better serve her community.
Agnes Marshall spoke about how her mother was not only a Girl Scout leader but also a protest demonstration organizer. Chasen Marshall told the audience he was happy to see that so many people in Queens hold his grandmother in such high esteem.
The ceremony also included a musical performance from General Assembly, who played a variety of folk songs from the Mediterranean on acoustic instruments from the region. Students from the Dual Language Program at PS 127 Aerospace Science Magnet School in East Elmhurst read poems in Spanish and English, and a choir from PS 127’s middle school performed “The Star Spangled Banner” and “God Bless America.”
Born in 1929, Marshall attended public schools and studied education at Queens College. She left the teaching profession in 1969 to help found the Langston Hughes Community Library and Cultural Center in Corona. In 1982, she was elected to her first of five terms in the state Assembly. She would later be elected to the City Council, where she served as the founding chair of the Higher Education committee.
She became Queens Borough President in 2001 as the first black woman and second woman to serve in the position, immediately succeeding Claire Shulman, who was present at the dedication ceremony.
During her time in office, Marshall allocated more than $600 million in capital projects which went toward education and public spaces as well as local organizations. She was known for her positong in support of better health care, elder care, quality education and environmental protection.
Others in attendance were state Sen. Leroy Comrie (D-Hollis), state Assemblywoman Aravella Simotas (D-Astoria), Councilwoman Karen Koslowitz (D-Forest Hills), Councilmen Jimmy Van Bramer (D- Sunnyside) and Councilman Peter Koo (D-Flushing), among others.
The Helen Marshall Cultural Center can be rented for events through the New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services’ Office of Special Events.
Reach reporter Mark Hallum by e-mail at mhall
