INWOOD – The family of a beloved community center’s board member was joined by dozens of locals and elected officials to celebrate his legacy with a street co-naming ceremony Friday afternoon.
The corner of Nagle Ave. and Ellwood St. was co-named Sydney Offerman Way in honor of a longtime Washington Heights resident who was instrumental in helping the YM&YWHA of Washington Heights & Inwood open at 54 Nagle Ave. in 1956, said Martin G. Englisher, executive vice president and CEO of the organization.
Offerman passed away suddenly in 1975 at the age of 62, according to his relatives — but he had already made big strides in the community that he loved. He said father graduated from City College at the age of 17, and would return to the neighborhood to play old friends in handball.
“My father grew up here in the Heights, and became a successful guy — but never got the Heights out of him,” his son Steve Offerman said, “For us and the grandchildren, who are here today, it’s special to see who he was. He was a busy guy and whatever he did, he became the leader at it."
Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez said the center has been pivotal for the community, serving as a “role model” citywide for its youth and senior programs, and adding that even the mayor held an important meeting there in recent months.
