Terry Katz, director/producer

Terry Katz was born in Pomonok in 1954. He lived at 67-29 Kissena Blvd Apt. 6A, the court with the water tower, or “the circle” as it was sometimes referred to. His parents first came to Pomonok in 1951 from the quonset huts in Canarsie, Brooklyn, which were built as temporary housing for veterans. His father Eddie drove a cab and worked with the boy scouts and his mother Eleanor was a teacher’s aide in PS 201 and later worked at Queens College.

Terry attended PS 201, Campbell JHS 218, and graduated Jamaica High School in 1972. Among his first memories is playing in the dirt behind his building in the summers and then running into the showers, which were in his court. Also near his court, were the famous hills, which were a mecca for sledding in the winter. Jack’s ice cream, of course, stands out in Terry’s memories, especially Mario’s Ices. He moved out of Pomonok in 1979.

Terry worked for over 30 years as a film and television editor, and has an MA from New York University. He presently teaches at St. John’s University and Fashion Institute of Technology.

Al Stark, producer

Al Stark was born in 1951 on Montgomery Street on the lower east side of Manhattan. His family moved to Pomonok in 1954, at first into 70-10 Parsons Apt. 2B, and then into 65-10 Parson Apt. 2A after his brother Lloyd was born in 1956. He left in 1977, while his mother stayed until 2000.

His dedication to Pomonok is well-known by those who grew up with him. He worked as a summer counselor at the Pomonok Community Center in 1968 and supervised the evening game room and the Night Center at PS 201 until the late 1970s. He organized the Pomonok Summer Basketball Tournament in the summer of 1973 and, the same year, helped create the Pomonok Softball League with Willie Sutton, Jeff Ritholtz, and Lloyd Stark. That league lasted up until 1985, connecting Pomonk friends to their old stomping grounds for years after many had married and had their own kids.

Starting in 1980, Al worked for 13 years as the Youth Coordinator at Community Board 7 Queens. He got his Master’s Degree in Urban Studies at Queens College in 1992 and then began a 21-year association with the Beacon Program, one of the most successful after-school programs in NYC. Today, he is the Director of the MS 216 Beacon Program in Fresh Meadows, funded by the NYC Department of Youth & Community Development and sponsored by The Samuel Field Y.