Deserves Renaming
To The Editor:

I would at this time like to applaud Community Board 11 who voted in favor of renaming a street in Douglaston after the late Rev. John J. Gribbon, who served 37 years at St. Anastasia Parish. Now the reason 1 commend this action is because I had known Father Gribbon for many years. Father Gribbon was chaplain of St. Anastasia Knights of Columbus Council No. 5911, where I had served as Grand Knight. I had also served under him as church lecter at St. Anastasia Parish. Father Gribbon was much more than a man of God, for he was a human being who cared for the needs of others. He was involved with many different organizations in the community.

Here is a little story about him I would like to share and that is this: a number of years ago Father Gribbon had just reached his 50 years as a priest and my council allocated funds to buy him a beautiful Knights of Columbus jacket, which he said he would cherish. Now a few weeks later a member of my council was at the carwash in Little Neck and saw a young man with Father Gribbon's jacket on and was asked how it got it. The young man said, "Father Gribbon gave [it] to me because he saw that I was cold and didn't have a warm jacket." This was a man that saw those hurting and tried to do for others.

Now that brings me to Frank Skala who serves as a member of CB 11 and who had said before the vote, that renaming the street would set a dangerous precedent with religious denominations and demanding similar recognition and would be crossing the line on the separation of church and state. Well I found his comments to be ludicrous. To name this street after John Gribbon is not because he so much was a man of the cloth but because he gave so much to Little Neck- Douglaston community for over 37 years. I guess Frank Skala never met Father Gribbon, for if did he never would have said what he said at the meeting. Let me say in closing to CB 11 members who voted for the street renaming on 245th St. for Rev. John Gribbon, I thank you for keeping the memory of a good man alive. Sincerely Yours, Frederick R. Bedell Jr. Bellerose