Bill Stone gets street co-named for him ceremoniously at Hudson Manor Terrace

Hudson Manor Terrace at West 237th Street is now co-named Bill Stone Way following a ceremony on Sunday, May 7.

Family, friends, and community members gathered at Hudson Manor Terrace and West 237th Street to honor the late Stone with a street co-naming ceremony.

The idea for renaming the street came from Dorothy, Bill’s wife of 64 years, when she formally requested it at the Community Board 8’s meeting in January 2022. With Bill being a well-liked and respected board member himself, there was little hesitation from community board chair Laura Spalter, nor Councilman Eric Dinowitz.

Some 16 months later, a crowd of nearly a hundred stood in the hot sun to honor him and reflect on his many accomplishments and triumphs as a CB8 member, a U.S. Army member, and an activist for disabled people.

“We get to co-name streets after people who made an impact on our lives,” Councilman Dinowitz said, speaking of his time serving on CB8 alongside Bill, and the great respect he had for what Bill stood for.

“If we had a Bill on every block, the world would be better for it,” Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz said. He noted many people may not know Bill, but now when they walk past and see the sign they will see his tribute.

Spalter mentioned how Bill would take new members under his wing and made it a point to mentor them. He was gentle and humble. It wasn’t until Bill passed that Spalter learned of the many achievements he had made throughout his life.

Dorothy reflected on her husband who died on Jan. 10, 2020 following a brief illness.

He was born on Sept. 3, 1928. He attended Wade Junior High School and the Bronx High School of Science, having starred in track and volleyball. In addition he was on the staff of the school newspaper and school yearbook. Following high school, Bill attended Baruch College of Business Administration and was editor of the Accounting Journal.

Bill and Dorothy met at a Bear Mountain picnic. At the time both were in relationships. It took Bill six months to track her down, going building to building on her block. Within six weeks of finding her, they were engaged. They had two children, Linda and Howie, and moved to Riverdale.

When their son, Howie, was diagnosed with multiple handicaps, it opened the door for Bill to get involved in the local community board and become an activist for accessibility. One particular instance of his feats was convincing the Riverdale Jewish Center board to include ramps in its renovation plans. He also secured funding for interior ramps at the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale.

Despite Howie’s passing over a decade ago, Bill persisted in his activism for disability justice until his own death.

Together, Dorothy, family members, and the Dinowitzs’ pulled on a string connected to the sign to reveal the new name: Bill Stone Way.