On Sept. 14, Frances Lewis, a dear friend, long time park volunteer and community activist came back to the Bronx for the last time. Frances volunteered for many years for the Parks Department and for the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition and numerous other organizations in the community.
Frances would be up in arms at the conditions that now exist at Whalen Park and Williamsbridge Oval.
Frances moved to Norfolk, Virginia seven years ago to live with her daughter. She passed away on Sept. 8.
It saddens me that the Parks Department did not send a representative to pay their respects in honor of her many years of volunteer work. Her wake was held at McKeon & Sons on Perry Avenue – not in Virginia. The Parks Department was notified that she would be there but no one came. I was happy to see that a few Parks employees who had the privilege of working with Frances in the Williamsbridge Oval and Whalen Park came to pay their respects to Frances and her family.
Ramona Maysonet
Norwood
admin
Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.