2017 (on April 6) is the 100th anniversary of America’s involvement in World War I. Not many realize there is a monument to those in our community who gave their lives in The Great War: a triangle parklette bordered by Bushwick, Maspeth, and Metropolitan Avenues.
Guido and Tish Cianciotta got involved in looking after the Memorial Gore in the early 1980s. The Eagle on top of the monument had been taken. To correct this blatant act of disrespect, they and other community members raised funds to replace the eagle. On Memorial Day in 1982 a ceremony was held at the park that dedicated the new eagle to the memory of the late Supreme Court Judge Edward. S. Lentol.
The Cianciottas would later help form Friends of Memorial Gore in 2001 with James Abramo, Paul Pallatto, and Lou Pellagrino, among others. They advocated for the maintenance of Memorial Gore and planted flowers through the years. Recently the guardianship of this park has fallen to Guido and Tish Cianciotta. They are hoping to celebrate this WWI centennial at Memorial Gore this year, perhaps on Veteran’s Day.
