Councilmember Sandra Ung was joined by State Senator John Liu, members of Community Board 7, community leaders, and friends and family of John Byas on Saturday for a ceremony to co-name the intersection of Colden Street and 45^th Avenue in Flushing as “John Henry Byas, Sr. Way.”

“John Byas was a remarkable individual who left an indelible mark on the Flushing community for the four-plus decades that he called it home,” said Councilmember Sandra Ung. “With this street co-naming, we are ensuring that he will always be a part of Flushing. ‘John Henry Byas, Sr. Way’ should serve as an inspiration to all of us that one person can make a difference and transform the lives of those around them. Hopefully, this street co-naming will inspire others to follow his example. It was my honor to bring this street renaming request before the City Council, and I am happy for the Byas family that it is finally a reality.”

“We all saw the same thing he saw, jobs that needed to be done and problems that needed to be solved,” said Nia Johnell byas, the granddaughter of John Byas, Sr., said during the ceremony. “He saw possibilities where the rest of us saw need. He saw opportunity where the rest of us saw problems. Grandpa’s enthusiasm gave the rest of us what we needed most, which was leadership. So, grandpa, on behalf of everyone here, I’d like to say thanks for being a man of action and not just words. You got us started, rallying people to work together to complete your work in the community.”  

John Henry Byas, Sr. was born on November 18, 1934, in South Carolina, and eventually settled in Flushing in 1974 with his wife, Johnnie Mae, with whom he raised three children, Clyde, Dana, and John, Jr. Shortly after moving to the building on Colden Street where he would live for the rest of his life, Byas started a tenants’ association. 

From then on, he was an active member in the Flushing community. He served on Community Board 7, was elected District Leader, was on the Board of Directors of NewYork-Presbyterian Queens, and started a successful after-school program for local youth at I.S. 237. He was also an active parishioner at Macedonia AME Church, where he was a pastor’s aide. 

He is perhaps best remembered for a decades-long crusade to have a comfort station built at Rachel Carson Playground on Colden Street for the families and children who played there. With the help of then-councilman John Liu, funding was allocated for design and construction of the comfort station, which opened to the public in 2013.