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Central Park Reservoir to be Named After Mayor of Central Park Alberto Arroyo

By DNAinfo Staff on April 12, 2010 12:43pm  | Updated on April 12, 2010 12:42pm

Alberto Arroyo, the unofficial mayor of Central Park.
Alberto Arroyo, the unofficial mayor of Central Park.
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FlickR/dietrich

By Josh Williams

DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

CENTRAL PARK — The track at Central Park's reservoir will be dedicated Monday night to the "Mayor of Central Park" Alberto Arroyo, who — until his death last month — would happily cheer on runners and walkers as they did their laps.

Arroyo, a retired court clerk, died March 25 at the age of 94 after decades spent encouraging runners at the reservoir using such unorthodox means as headstands and foot massages, the New York Times reported. Some reports said that Arroyo had been the first person to jog around the reservoir in 1937, the Times said.

Arroyo suffered a stroke in 2008 and since he was no longer able to make it to the reservoir on his own, friends volunteered to push him around in a wheelchair, the paper reported.

A collection of flowers at the South Gate House served as an impromptu memorial site for Arroyo in the week that followed his death.

A commemorative plague will be unveiled at the ceremony Monday evening, which will take place at 6:30 p.m. at the pump house on the south end of the reservoir.