Two Streets in Ossining Named After Influential Residents
Two streets in the Village of Ossining were named last week by the Board of Trustees in honor of residents whose lives took different paths but left a lasting legacy on the community.
The intersection of South Highland Avenue and Main Street, near the historic Ossining Bank Building, was honorarily named for Dream Ioni Shepherd, who died Aug. 21 at the age of 16 as she was preparing to enter her senior year at Ossining High School.
Shepherd valiantly fought Sickle Cell Disease from birth until she received a stem cell transplant at the age of 10. She endured harsh recovery processes for years after the transplant and later would battle cancer.
Her story led to the passage of Dream’s Law in New York State, which ensures medically fragile people receive proper at-home professional medical care once they leave the hospital after transplant surgeries.
“Dream used her medical conditions and life circumstances to fight for better life quality for others is a testament to her spirit. These are gifts to not just the people of Ossining but the people of New York State that will keep on giving,” Village Historian Joyce Sharrock-Cole wrote in a report to the Board of Trustees.
Meanwhile, the corner of Beach Road was honorarily named for Barbara Klapkowski, a 59-year resident of Ossining who died Feb. 6 at the age of 88.
Klapkowski was a frequent attendee of village Planning Board meetings before she embarked on a 30-year run on the Planning Board and Architectural Review Board. She only missed one meeting during that time. As chair for 10 years, it is estimated she oversaw more than 1,500 applications with “a meticulous eye for detail,” according to Sharrock-Cole.
“She asked questions, challenged applications, visited sites, and furthered her education by taking courses that would increase her knowledge of the field,” Sharrock-Cole wrote. “On Sunday mornings, she would have breakfast at the Highland Diner and engage in conversations with residents about their sentiments on the village. She would take the results of these conversations into account when doing her work for the village.”
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