Co-naming East 49th Street: "Alfred J. Vigliante Way"

Alfred J. Vigliante was a humanitarian, an outstanding citizen of the great borough of Brooklyn and also an ordinary guy. A multi-decorated World War II veteran, he was part of what is often called the “Greatest Generation”. The son of an Italian immigrant, Mr. Vigliante was a native Brooklynite, born and bred in Flatbush.

A self-taught artist and craftsman, and a machinist by profession, he was a vital part of the Brooklyn community for close to sixty years, receiving numerous honors and awards. As Commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Memorial Post, he worked tirelessly organizing charity fundraisers, food drives and programs for the underprivileged, including the founding of a local drum and bugle corp.

He also devoted time to the Brooklyn Chapter of the Boy Scouts and served as an advisor to the Kings County Cadets youth program. Mr. Vigliante helped raise funds for Kings County Hospital and assisted in obtaining much needed medical equipment for the Brooklyn Veteran’s Affairs Hospital.

He was instrumental in developing a local program to support Brooklyn veterans returning from Vietnam and to support the POWs and MIAs from that war. He co-founded the East 49th Street Block Association, with his wife, in 1972. They promoted the first “beautiful garden” contest and helped organize the first “arts & crafts” and “reading” mobile workshops for the neighborhood children. Pick any home on East 49th Street and you might find something there that he either built or fixed, by request. Mr. Vigliante also donated his time to St. Therese of Lisieux Parish and Catherine McAuley Catholic High School.

Beginning in the 1970’s, as the mainly Jewish/Italian/Irish neighborhood of East Flatbush began to change, and family, friends and neighbors took flight to the suburbs, Mr. Vigliante remained true to the community, stayed, and formed bonds with his new neighbors and, along with that, new and lasting friendships.

Al Vigliante was well known for his generosity and great sense of humor and was always ready to lend a hand, an ear, or tell a good joke. Mr. Vigliante is buried at Calverton National Cemetery, in honor of his service to this country. For all of these reasons, we would like to co-name the block that he lived on for so long as “Alfred J. Vigliante Way”.