LaGuardia Community College Hosts “Meet Mayor LaGuardia” Event, April 4

LONG ISLAND CITY, NY (March 6, 2024) — LaGuardia and Wagner Archives at LaGuardia Community College/CUNY is hosting an event highlighting the history, achievements, and personality of the college’s namesake – Fiorello LaGuardia.

Students, faculty, and staff are invited to learn about Fiorello LaGuardia, “one of the twentieth century’s most colorful politicians,” on April 4, from 6 to 7:30 p.m., in the Little Theater. The event will include re-enactments, a trivia contest, and the release of “I Never Did Like Politics: How Fiorello LaGuardia Became America’s Mayor and Why He Still Matters,” a book written by Terry Golway. The book, published by St. Martin’s Publishing Group, takes a closer look at LaGuardia’s extraordinary life and achievements.

“Fiorello LaGuardia was a man of boundless energy and strong-willed certainty, his excitable high-pitched voice a siren in the night, warning the comfortable and the crooked alike that he was on his way to challenge the status-quo and to champion the powerless,” says Golway, who was a senior editor at POLITICO, a columnist and city editor at the New York Observer, a member of the editorial board of The New York Times. “He was quick to attack the hypocrisy and injustice of his times.”

LaGuardia, known for his energetic, and charismatic personality, was an American attorney and politician who represented New York in the House of Representatives and served as the 99th Mayor of New York City from 1934 to 1946. As mayor, during the Great Depression and World War II, La Guardia unified the city’s transit system; expanded construction of public housing, playgrounds, parks, and airports; reorganized the New York Police Department; and implemented federal New Deal programs within the city. LaGuardia was also a highly visible national political figure. His support for the New Deal and relationship with President Franklin D. Roosevelt crossed party lines, brought federal funds to New York City, and cut off patronage to La Guardia’s Tammany enemies.

At the April 4th event, the winners of the trivia contest will get a free signed copy of Golway’s book. Refreshments will be served. All members of the LaGuardia community are invited to attend.

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LaGuardia Community College (LAGCC), a Hispanic-Serving Institution, located in Long Island City, Queens offers more than 50 degrees and certificates, and more than 65 continuing education programs to educate New Yorkers seeking new skills and careers. As 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 underserved populations. Since 1971, LaGuardia’s academic programs and support services have advanced the socioeconomic mobility of students while providing them with access to a high quality, affordable college education.

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