Contact: Colleen Roche (212) 788-2958
Samantha I. Lugo (212) 788-9364
"For many of us, the effort to keep our children happy and safe is what gives purpose to our personal and professional lives," Mayor Giuliani said. "But Eileen and Lorraine's concern for the safety of children did not stop with their own families. They gave their time and effort to ensure that the children of our city were kept safe from harm. That's an act of true compassion, a display of simple but profound civic generosity."
"Just like being a police officer or a fireman, being a crossing guard takes a tremendous amount of inner commitment to the public good. Crossing Guards may be among our City's forgotten heroes. But from this day forward Eileen P. Duggan and Lorraine P. Elliot will be remembered by the people of our city as the heroes that they are. The plaque we're dedicating here today will ensure that their sacrifice is given the honor and the respect that it deserves," the Mayor concluded.
School Crossing Guard Eileen P. Duggan was appointed to her civilian position with the New York Police Department on March 2, 1994. On Thursday, November 17, 1994, while in uniform and on duty, Ms. Duggan was struck and killed by an automobile at the intersection of 60th Street and 31st Avenue in Queens, her assigned post at the Corpus Christi Grammar School.
School Crossing Guard Lorraine P. Elliot was appointed to her civilian position with the New York City Police Department on August 4, 1978. On January 10, 1980, Ms. Elliot was struck from behind by a car at the intersection of Lefferts and Rockaway Boulevard in Queens, where she served the children of Public School 100, Junior High School 226, and St. Anthony of Padua Parochial School. Ms. Elliot suffered head injuries and slipped into a coma from which she never recovered. She died of her injuries on February 5, 1980.