LaGuardia Community College Awarded $280,000 Grant to Preserve and Share Veterans’ Histories at Cypress Hills National Cemetery

LONG ISLAND CITY, NY (September 10, 2025) — LaGuardia Community College/CUNY has been awarded a $280,000 grant through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ Veterans Legacy Grant Program (VLGP) to launch “Voices from the Past: The Veterans of Cypress Hills National Cemetery.” The project will bring to light the stories of veterans interred at Cypress Hills National Cemetery, the second-oldest national cemetery in the nation.

“LaGuardia is proud to partner with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in preserving the history of our nation’s heroes,” said Kenneth Adams, President of LaGuardia Community College. ‘Voices from the Past’ reflects our deep commitment to education, research, and honoring the service of veterans interred at Cypress Hills National Cemetery. This grant will allow our faculty, staff, and students to ensure their sacrifices are remembered with dignity and respect.”

Dr. Billie Gastic Rosado, Provost and Senior Vice President at LaGuardia Community College added “As the daughter of a Marine, Purple Heart recipient, and Vietnam Vet, I am grateful to the LaGuardia faculty and staff who are leading this important project and making it possible for more stories to be told about the lives and heroism of those in our community who served our country.”

Voices from the Past will be led by Dr. John F. Shean, Professor of History in the Social Science Department, and Daryl Griffin, Student Life Manager for Veteran Services at LaGuardia. The project team also includes LaGuardia and Wagner Archives Research Associate Dr. Gretchen Aguiar, and historian and educator Dr. Albert A. Nofi.

“This project is about honoring service and making history come alive for students,” said Dr. Shean. “By studying the lives of veterans buried at Cypress Hills, young people can better understand the sacrifices made and the diverse stories that shaped our nation.”

Daryl Griffin added, “As a veteran myself, I’m proud that LaGuardia is playing a role in preserving the legacies of those who served, while also deepening connections between our college, local schools, and the veteran community.”

Dr. Shean and his team will host a professional development seminar for 17 K–12 educators from across the New York metropolitan area at LaGuardia’s campus in Long Island City. Teachers will participate in lectures led by distinguished scholars; explore the history of America’s wars through the stories of veterans interred at Cypress Hills; create lesson plans and educational resources aligned with city and state standards; and train their students to research and write biographies of individual veterans.

Seminar participants will visit the historic Cypress Hills National Cemetery for a guided tour, gaining first-hand exposure to the monuments and stories of the 21,000 veterans and civilians laid to rest there — from the Revolutionary War to Vietnam.

Biographies and lesson plans created through the project will be uploaded to the Veterans Legacy Memorial website, where they will be accessible nationwide. Information for pre-need eligibility for burial in a national cemetery is also available. In addition, the LaGuardia and Wagner Archives, a key source of information about New York City’s social and political history, will house these resources, ensuring public access long after the grant period.

Beyond classrooms, the project will engage local veterans’ organizations, schools, and historical societies to raise awareness and promote use of the materials created. The program demonstrates LaGuardia’s ongoing commitment to serving veterans, educating future generations, and preserving New York City’s unique historical heritage.

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LaGuardia Community College (LAGCC), a Hispanic-Serving Institution, located in Long Island City, Queens offers more than 50 associate degrees and academic certificates, and more than 65 continuing education programs to prepare New Yorkers for transfer to senior colleges and rewarding jobs and careers. An institution of the City University of New York (CUNY), the College reflects the legacy of our namesake, Fiorello H. LaGuardia, the former NYC mayor beloved for his advocacy of the underserved. Since 1971, LaGuardia’s academic programs and support services have advanced the socioeconomic mobility of students from Queens, NYC and beyond.

Founded in 1849 and designated a national cemetery in 1870, Cypress Hills National Cemetery holds the remains of veterans from nearly every American conflict, including the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, and both World Wars. Notable figures interred there include Daniel Daly, two-time Medal of Honor recipient, and Brig. Gen. Thomas W. Egan, commander of the 40th New York (Mozart) Volunteer Infantry Regiment during the Civil War.

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