Pat Williams Playground

Hempstead Ave., 225 St. and 224 St. Cross Island Parkway Exit at 225 St.

Queens

Directions via Google Maps

This text is part of Parks’ Historical Signs Project and can be found posted within the park.

Originally named after the nearby Cross Island Parkway, this playground now honors the memory of community activist Pat Williams (1936-1990).

Pat Williams was born in Santa Rosa, California in 1936. After attending a local high school she obtained a degree as a registered nurse. She traveled around the country with her husband, who was in the Air Force, before finally settling in New York when his service ended in the 1970s. In New York, Mrs. Williams worked as a computer operator and belonged to a number of community organizations, including the 105th Precinct Community Council, voter registration groups, and the Order of the Eastern Star. She used her home as a base for the Concerned Citizens for a Safe Queens Village and worked closely with the Queens District Attorney’s office to combat local drug dealing.

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