Bill Text: NY K00560 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: Honoring the late Woody Guthrie upon the occasion of co-naming a street in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York, in his name,

Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 23-7)

Status: (Passed) 2019-06-13 - adopted [K00560 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-K00560-Introduced.html

Assembly Resolution No. 560

BY: M. of A. Cymbrowitz

        HONORING  the late Woody Guthrie upon the occasion
        of co-naming a street in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New
        York, in his name, in recognition of  his  legendary
        musical career and remarkable life

  WHEREAS,  It  is the sense of this Legislative Body to honor and pay
just tribute to those musical geniuses  whose  commitment  and  creative
talents  contributed  to  the  entertainment  and cultural enrichment of
their community, the State of New York, and the entire Nation; and

  WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and  in  full  accord  with  its
long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to honor
the  late Woody Guthrie, one of the most significant figures in American
folk music, upon the occasion of co-naming Mermaid Avenue and West  35th
Street  "Woody  Guthrie  Way"  in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York, as a
fitting and lasting tribute to both his renowned musical career and  his
legacy of social justice and grassroots advocacy; and

  WHEREAS,  The re-naming was the brainchild of Rabbi Andy Bachman and
was sponsored in  the  New  York  City  Council  by  Councilmember  Mark
Treyger; the ceremony is being conducted on Saturday, June 22, 2019, the
same  day  Arlo  Guthrie  and  Nora  Guthrie,  Woody  Guthrie's  son and
daughter, are being crowned King Neptune and Queen Mermaid at the  famed
Coney Island Mermaid Parade; and

  WHEREAS,  Woodrow "Woody" Wilson Guthrie was born in 1912 in Okemah,
Oklahoma; seeking work as a young adult with a small family,  he  joined
hundreds of thousands of people heading across the country to California
during the Great Dust Bowl; and

  WHEREAS, After seeing the living conditions the transplanted "Okies"
were  forced  to  endure,  Woody  Guthrie started writing his own songs,
giving a voice to those who were disenfranchised and oppressed; and

  WHEREAS, After years of traveling across the  United  States,  Woody
Guthrie  arrived in New York City in 1940, at the age of 28; it was here
he wrote what was to become his best-known  song,  "This  Land  Is  Your
Land;" and

  WHEREAS,  In  New  York,  he  met  and married Marjorie (Greenblatt)
Mazia; they moved to Coney Island in 1943 and lived there until 1952; it
was at  3520  Mermaid  Avenue  that  Woody  and  Marjorie  raised  their
children,  Cathy, Arlo, Joady, and Nora; among his favorite Coney Island
activities were building sand castles on the beach  with  his  kids  and
going to Nathan's for hot dogs and "hot patooties" (fries); and

  WHEREAS,  After  developing  symptoms of Huntington's disease, Woody
Guthrie was hospitalized  and  died  on  October  3,  1967;  during  his
lifetime,  he  composed  over  2,500  songs;  he had a fervent belief in
social, political, and spiritual justice and helped  to  establish  folk
music as a force for change and a viable new commercial genre; and

  WHEREAS,   Songwriters   such   as   Bob  Dylan,  Phil  Ochs,  Bruce
Springsteen, Harry Chapin, John Mellencamp, Pete  Seeger,  Jerry  Garcia
and Tom Paxton have acknowledged Woody Guthrie as a major influence; and

  WHEREAS,  It  is the custom of this Legislative Body to remember the
life and many accomplishments of musical greats such as  Woody  Guthrie,
whose  prominent  career  will  forever  live  in the hearts of many and
continue to inspire generations to come; now, therefore, be it

  RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its  deliberations  to
honor  the late Woody Guthrie upon the occasion of co-naming a street in
Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York, in his name,  in  recognition  of  his
legendary musical career and remarkable life; and be it further

  RESOLVED,  That  copies  of  this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo, Governor of the  State  of
New York; Woody's children, Arlo Guthrie and Nora Guthrie; New York City
Councilmember Mark Treyger; and Rabbi Andy Bachman.
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