QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, May 22, 2014 Page 8
SQ page 8
EDITORIAL
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AGE
Dreaming of the World’s Fair, past and future
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et’s hear it for Queens! We’re sure Chronicle contributor, semiretired teacher, actor and playwright Mark Lord of Forest Hills won’t mind if we borrow the name of his recent musical to sum up the pride we hope everyone in the borough feels after last Sunday’s spectacular World’s Fair Anniversary Festival in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. What an event. Thousands came out to relive the exuberance of both the 1939-40 and 1964-65 World’s Fairs that each, in its own way, helped put Queens on the map. There were musical and other performances, fireworks, a touching tribute to the man who designed the Unisphere that was attended by his widow, and, of course, Belgian waffles, those tasty treats that debuted at the fair 50 years ago and are still a hit with all ages. And that wasn’t all. For those who are old enough, the event brought back the memories of the extravaganza in the park they’ve never forgotten over the last 50 years — and, in some cases, 75 (at least one senior citizen brought her ticket book from the 1939-40 fair to show with pride that she had been there). For those who weren’t even born yet, it was a chance to imagine what it must have been like for Flushing Meadows
to have been filled with people day after day for months, to walk through what amounted to temporary towns highlighting the latest in human technology and understanding, towns of which now only a few remnants remain. More than one person told the Chronicle reporter at the festival — none other than that same Mark Lord — that they wished there could be another World’s Fair here. Which raises the simple question: Why not? No, there is no driving force today quite like Robert Moses, the legendary and controversial urban planner who was behind both fairs. And it often seems that we Americans simply think smaller than we did 50 or 75 years ago. But that doesn’t mean it couldn’t be done. We certainly would rather see Flushing Meadows host another temporary event such as a World’s Fair than be further developed permanently, as so many have tried to do. It was only just last year that public opposition defeated a plan to build a soccer stadium right on top of the Fountain of the Planets, one of the neglected remnants of the 196465 fair. And of course the Willets Point redevelopment project involves building on part of the park, albeit a part that’s now paved over for parking.
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Don’t forget 1939 Dear Editor: 1939 is a year that has much significance in the annals of history. It was the year that the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge was opened and the year the World’s Fair opened at Flushing Meadows Park, as well as the year that among the many motion pictures released were two of the world’s best loved classics: “The Wizard of Oz” and “Gone With the Wind.” 1939 was also the year that an innocent country was wantonly and viciously attacked by its neighbor. The country that was attacked was Poland, and the country that attacked it was Nazi Germany, on Sept. 1, 1939. That unprovoked attack marked the beginning of the world’s most devastating conflict, World War II. The world must never allow such a conflict to ever erupt again. If it were to happen, nobody would be the winner. Humanity would be the loser, forever. John Amato Fresh Meadows
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Fond fair memories Dear Editor: Re Managing Editor Liz Rhoades’ ongoing series on the World’s Fair anniversary: During the 1964-65 World’s Fair in Flushing Meadows I was the teacher of a © Copyright 2014 by MARK I PUBLICATIONS, INC. All rights reserved. Neither this newspaper nor any part thereof may be reproduced, copied, or transmitted in any form, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, microfilming, recording or by any information retrieval system without the express written permission of the publishers. This copyright is extended to the design and text created for advertisements. Reproduction of said advertisement or any part thereof without the express written permission of MARK I PUBLICATIONS, INC. is strictly prohibited. This publication will not be responsible for errors in advertising beyond the cost of the space occupied by the error. Bylined articles represent the sole opinion of the writer and are not necessarily in accordance with the views of the QUEENS CHRONICLE. This Publication reserves the right to limit or refuse advertising it deems objectionable. The Queens Chronicle is published weekly by Mark I Publications, Inc. at a subscription rate of $19 per year and out of state, $25 per year. Periodicals Postage Paid (USPS0013-572) at Flushing, N.Y. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Mark I Publications, Inc., 62-33 Woodhaven Boulevard, Rego Park, N.Y.
And we fear that if New York were to make another bid for the Olympics, an idea recently floated again, and if it were to actually win this time, the park would again be targeted for development. We don’t need that, we don’t want that, and the Olympics are almost always a financial disaster for their host city and nation anyway — just ask Russia or Great Britain. We much prefer the idea of billionaire businessman John Catsimatidis, who said both during his failed campaign for mayor last year and more recently that he would love to see another World’s Fair here. Crucially, Catsimatidis has also said publicly that he would be willing to help bankroll the restoration and repurposing of the New York State Pavilion, the most sadly neglected relic of the 1964-65 fair. Borough President Melinda Katz appears dedicated to the idea of saving the endangered parts of the pavilion, the Tent of Tomorrow and the Observation Towers. Katz is as serious a player in city politics and governance as Catsimatidis is in business. Maybe together Katz and Cats can actually save the pavilion. And maybe, just maybe, they could even see it put to use again for another World’s Fair. It’s worth dreaming about. Let’s hear it for Queens!
E DITOR
third-grade class. The school, Nativity of Our Blessed Lord, was in Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn. My class of about 40 children and I decided to go to the fair. We took the train from Brooklyn to Queens. The 8-year-olds listened to their young teacher well. They rode the train and walked in line safely. We looked forward to the sights and sounds of the fair but had very little money. We mainly attended free exhibits and events. There were many of these. Walking around and seeing the various pavilions was more than exciting for the children. Truly the best part of the fair was that it could be enjoyed by all ages, regardless of what one had to spend. After enjoying the fair for several hours with the exotic foreign pavilions and the unbelievable views of what was to come in the future, we returned to our Brooklyn school, with much to talk about and dream of for a long time. Barbara S. Glassman Sunnyside
The doctor shortage Dear Editor: A “residency bottleneck” exists. More and more students are enrolling into medical school and graduating, yet the number of residency slots available is capped. Graduates need these residencies to complete their training and become licensed physicians. But Congress, which controls funding for most residency programs, has frozen the number of subsidized spots since 1997. If we want to address the physician shortage, we need to fix this problem. Luckily, there is a solution. Rep. Joe Crowley (D-Bronx, Queens) supports legislation that would expand the current cap on the number of Medicare-funded training slots for doctors. The Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act, backed by a record-high 100 bipartisan members, would increase the number of residencies nationwide by 15,000 over five years — a 15 percent increase from the number of spots open in 2013. It would provide enough funding for