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The street co-naming ceremony of Mary Spink Way

(2nd St, between Avenues A & B)

     

Mary was born in Schenectady, New York. She moved to NewYork City as a teenager and has since called the Lower East Side home. During her years in the Lower East Side, Mary owned and operated a dress shop, a newsstand, and a hardware store. She was a cook, a record promoter, a bricklayer, a dancer, a waitress, a plumber, an office manager, a superintendent and a property manager. She served as Director of Drug Prevention for the Archdiocese of New York. For nearly 20 years, Mary was Executive Director of Lower East Side People’s Mutual Housing Association (LESPMHA),an organization that has renovated and built 600 units of affordable housing. She was an active member of the Seward Park Area Coalition. She was an appointed member of Community Board 3 and a board member of the LES Peoples Federal Credit Union, the LES Girls Club, the East Village Community Coalition and many other organizations. Mary’s departure leaves a void in all of the organizations that she worked so tirelessly for and in a community that she loved so dearly. Mary, we will never forget your smile, laughter, and good deeds. You will be missed. Rest in peace.

Selected Articles

“Humble Basement Boiler Settles Into a Penthouse, Above Flood Level” The New York Times, 2017

“De Blasio Administration Celebrates Micro Housing” New York City Mayor’s Office, 2016

“As Prices Rise, Housing Groups Face the Need to Alter Tactics” The New York Times, 2007