During his lifetime, Bob Buonvino dedicated himself to many civic causes but none, arguably, was more important to him than the preservation of the New Utrecht Reformed Church, at 18th Avenue and 83rd Street.
Now, two months after his death from cancer at the age of 70, Buonvino’s friends and colleagues have advanced the idea of renaming the intersection of 83rd Street and 18th Avenue in his memory.
At its May meeting, held at the Holy Family Home, 1740 84th Street, members of Community Board 11 voted unanimously to support the request to honor Buonvino, who was the founder and president of the Friends of Historic New Utrecht and who died on March 19th.
Because of the outpouring of support for the renaming by members of the community, the board first voted to wave the public hearing on the matter, so they could vote on the same evening that the matter was brought to them by Parks Committee Chairperson Ilene LaRuffa. The committee had previously reviewed the request for the renaming and had voted to recommend that the full board support it.
“Bob meets every criteria set up by the city,” noted CB 10 Chairperson Bill Guarinello. “He was such a civically minded individual that this is a no−brainer.”
“He was a very special man,” added Marnee Elias Pavia, the board’s district manager, “and his memory will live on in our community.”
A few days later, members of CB 10, meeting at the Norwegian Christian Home, 1250 67th Street, resoundingly applauded the news after it was announced to them by CB 10 member Dilia Schack.
Besides his efforts on behalf of Historic New Utrecht, and as a member of CB 10, Buonvino also made his mark on the Boy Scouts of America. An Eagle Scout as a boy, he was later a scoutmaster of Troop 20, the oldest continuous Boy Scout unit in the nation. He was also a member of the Scout’s Brooklyn Council Executive Board, vice president of the Brooklyn Council, and a council representative to the National Council.
Buonvino was also active with St. Rosalia−Regina Pacis Church on 65th Street, where he served as a Eucharistic minister. He was also active with the American Legion, as well as the Federation of Italian American Organizations.
