Louis Armstrong Returns To Queens In July 1958 

Local legends Louis Armstrong, above and at left Eddie 'Whitey' Ford. Below, the Clearview Expressway. Photos: Armstrong, public domain. Ford, copyrighted by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum

Get into a conversation with a long-time Queens resident and you're likely to discover a subscriber of the Long Island Star-Journal, a daily paper that informed the community about local and world news until it folded in 1968. A banner across the Star-Journal masthead reminded readers that the newspaper's name came from the merger of the Long Island Daily Star (1876) and the North Shore Daily Journal--The Flushing Journal (1841).

Welcome to July 1958!

On July 2, 1958, Satchmo was back home! The Star-Journal was happy to report that legendary trumpeter Louis Armstrong was in town to quietly celebrate his 58th birthday. He was also scheduled to perform in a much-anticipated appearance in West Hempstead on Long Island, accompanied by his five-man team and singer. Armstrong was looking forward to the event where he wanted to remind everyone in attendance that, "Of all the places I've been- and, man, I've been everywhere- my home is right here." "Right here" was Corona, where Satchmo dwelled during the last 30 years of his wonderful life, "the nicest place in the world".

At the same time during the interview, Armstrong was quick to comment on the current state of music. Though he didn't have an opinion on "progressive" music, Satchmo thought rock and roll was just a "passing fancy".

Armstrong wasn't the only one whose forecasts were off the mark. A Star-Journal editorial the same day hailed Alaska's admission into the Union and asserted that it "can expect to see a rush of new settlers and capital to develop its rich natural resources, including uranium". It also revealed that local Congressmember James J. Delaney voted against admission, but was inspired enough by it to propose Long Island as the nation's 50th state, given its 10 million people and "astronomical resources". In light of what Alaska brought to the table, the congressman felt statehood for his own district was more a priority. The new "state" would be comprised of Suffolk, Nassau and New York City.

At one time, summer was polio season. In 1958, that was about to change. The newspapers were encouraging everyone to get polio shots, particularly the two million New Yorkers between the ages of 20 and 40. The vaccine, recently developed by Dr. Jonas Salk of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, was well on the way to virtually eliminating an illness that was a serious threat to both children and young adults.

On July 8, 1958, famed jockey Eddie Arcaro made sports news as he continued his winning ways at the racetrack in Jamaica, much as he did at the Suburban Handicap at Belmont, where he had piloted Bold Ruler to notable victory a week earlier. At the onset of Jamaica's 20-day season, Arcaro successfully jockeyed Outer Space in the $22,200 Liberty Belle handicap, winding up, according to the Star-Journal, "with four winners for the day".

After the Suburban race, Arcaro commented that as he turned Bold Ruler's head a little to see his rival horse, Bold Ruler pulled away. This prompted the horse's trainer, Jim Fitzgerald, to use a set of blinkers to give his horse better visibility. Such an innovation would give the animal a better idea of any surrounding threat and impel it to run faster to escape.

From the luxury of horseracing to the fight for quality of life, the Star-Journal reported that civic workers in East Queens, led by Queens Village resident Peter Bach, had reportedly gathered 1,500 signatures on petitions urging President Dwight Eisenhower to issue an Executive Order to cease work on the projected Clearview Expressway at Bayside immediately. Their aim was to have 10,000 signatures before submitting them to the White House for consideration. The hope was to get an "unbiased individual or body" to investigate the selection of the 207th Street expressway route and consider the alternatives by those living in the affected area.

Turning readers' attention to the world at large, tension throughout the Middle East led to a mid-month Star-Journal headline blaring, "5,000 US Marines In Lebanon To Stop Aggression From Iraq". This being the height of the Cold War, the mission (at the behest of the Camille Chamoun government) was to protect American lives, bolster the pro-Western government of Chamoun against what President Dwight Eisenhower referred to as "indirect aggression" and to prevent any potential spillover movement emanating from the recent overthrow of a friendly government in Iraq. A stopgap measure until UN forces could be securely put into place, Eisenhower's actions had the support of top Congressional Democrats. By the end of the month, reports stated that the U.S. was already pondering a troop recall, but that no one would fix a target date.

On July 21, the Star profiled former Astoria resident Whitey Ford. "I've got to say this is the best season I've ever had…everything is going just right for me," said the talented lefthander after pitching the Yankees to an 8- 0 victory as part of a doubleheader sweep of the Kansas City Athletics. "Other years at this time, I've been in a slump. But this could be my best year," he said after his latest triumph. "You get just so many chances, and you've got to be all out, every start you get.

"I get a lot of mileage out of the curve," the lefty explained. "I know I had it early in the game and I kept ahead with it." Casey Stengel, who is understandably proud of Ford's record, said, "That man is the best man in the league when he's got it, and he is a lot better than most when he's not quite right too. Put that in the paper. He knows what he [is] doing out there; nobody is selling him a load of hay sight unseen."

On a more serious note, the state's top Civilian Defense officials released a grim report on evacuating New York ahead of an atomic attack. The task would be "wholly impossible", they now seemed to agree. The solution? Shelters 600 feet below ground which they estimate would cost $600 a person. The price tag for New York (with a population of 8 million) would be $4.8 billion, or substantially more than the city's entire budget for two full years. How deep is 600 feet? The top of a 40 story building would be below ground. That is a long way down for the city to exist, even for a brief period.

That's the way it was in July 1958!

For more information, contact the Greater Astoria Historical Society at 718- 278-0700 or visit www.astorialic.org.