Commack
– Town officials will be joined by family and friends from FDNY Engine 214,
FDNY Rescue 2, the New York City Fire Museum and the Commack Fire Department
for a street dedication at Calvert Avenue & Sheldon Place in Commack, for
FDNY Lieutenant Walter F. Malone, who lost his long battle with 9/11-related
respiratory illness on August 31, 2017.
WHEN: Saturday, June 29
at 11:00 AM
(Rain Date:
Sunday, June 30 at 11:00 AM)
WHERE: Calvert Avenue
& Sheldon Place, Commack, NY
The
Malone family requested the street dedication be held, with the sign installed,
at the corner of Calvert Avenue and Sheldon Place in Commack, where the Malone
family home is located. A fire truck from the Commack Fire Department will be
on-site, as well as a Mister Softee ice cream truck and 50 to 100 family and
friends of FDNY Lieutenant Walter F. Malone, including his three children, ten
grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren, his brothers from FDNY Engine 214 and
FDNY Rescue 2, friends from his Brooklyn Breakfast group, the New York City
Fire Museum and the Commack Fire Department.
At its
November 20, 2018 meeting, the Town Board dedicated Calvert Avenue in Commack
as FDNY Lieutenant Walter F. Malone Way.
Prior to
joining the FDNY, Walter Malone served as a Corporal in the United States Army
serving from 1952 to 1956 during the Korean War. Malone began his firefighting
career in 1960 when he joined FDNY Rescue Company 2 in Bedford Stuyvesant,
Brooklyn as a Firefighter. He was promoted to Lieutenant in 1978, with Engine
Company 214, Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. Malone served for 34 years with the
Department, retiring at the age of 57 in 1991.
On
Tuesday, September 11, 2001, Lieutenant Malone’s longtime friend, FDNY Captain
John Vigiano, Sr., lost 2 sons; one, a member of the FDNY and the other, a
member of the NYPD. At the age of 67, Lt. Walter F. Malone returned to his fire
department family. Every day for two months, he joined his friend in the pile,
searching for his dear friend’s lost sons, fallen brethren and civilian
casualties of the 9/11 World Trade Center Attacks.
On
September 11th of 2018, Lt. Malone’s grandson, Sean Malone, requested a
street to be renamed to honor his grandfather. Supervisor Chad A. Lupinacci
received a letter in support of the resolution to rename Calvert Avenue in
memory of Lt. Malone by the New York City Fire Museum.
“After
his retirement, Lt. Malone traveled from his home in Commack every Wednesday to
be a docent at the New York City Fire Museum in Manhattan from 2002 until his
health took a turn for the worse. “Wally Wednesdays” became legendary. People
from all over the world kept in touch with Wally via the Museum. In September
2017, just weeks after Wally's passing, Scottish artist Alexander Millar offered
to create a special New York fire-themed series of paintings to raise money for
the Museum. The artist’s portrait of Lt. Malone hangs prominently at the Museum
today,” said Supervisor Lupinacci, prior to the unveiling of the dedicated
street sign to Lt. Malone’s family at the Town Board meeting.
Councilman
Ed Smyth co-sponsored the resolution to rename the street after Lt. Malone with
the Supervisor and stated: “I was honored to co-sponsor the dedication of
Calvert Avenue at FDNY Lt. Walter F. Malone along with Supervisor Lupinacci.
Lieutenant Malone was a fallen hero and the Town of Huntington is proud to
dedicate Calvert Avenue so his memory will live on.”
In
the photo, the Town Board Presents FDNY Lt. Walter F. Malone’s family with the
street sign dedicated in his name: daughters, grandchildren & great
grandchildren (l-r): Kristen Barile holding baby Baxton Barile; Councilwoman
Joan Cergol; Councilman Mark Cuthbertson; Councilman Eugene Cook; Mary Malone;
Chris Barile; Arya Barile; George Barile; Matt Barile; Supervisor Chad A.
Lupinacci; (back) Audra Malone; Andrew Malone; Richard Duda; Gary Ettelman;
(middle row) Leyna Malone; Sean Malone holding baby Charlotte Malone; Colleen
Malone; Wendy Ettelman; Councilman Edmund J.M. Smyth; (front) Cassidy Malone;
Braden Malone; Killian Barile; Kallee Malone. Lt. Walter “Wally” Malone, NYC Fire
Museum Docent Emeritus, Portrait by Alexander Millar on display at the NYC Fire
Museum.
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