Talk Bronx New York

George Williams Jr. knew he was destined for bigger things the day after he declined to head to downtown Manhattan with a bunch of his friends.

This was a summer in the late 1970s. Jobs were scarce, especially for teens like Williams, who were living in the Davidson Houses projects on an edge of the South Bronx so rough in those days it was dubbed Fort Apache.

His friends were headed downtown to sell marijuana.

“Nine out of 10 guys I knew were going downtown to sell reefer,” Williams recalled. “I was flat broke, and they asked me if I wanted to go with them.”

But having been raised in the church - his late father, George Sr., was a minister and his
grandfather, Rev. Leonard Williams, the former head of Mount Pleasant Baptist Church in Harlem - Williams decided the trip was not for him.

“That day, all of my friends got arrested except one who came back to tell us what happened,” Williams said. “I guess he was the one who ran the fastest. “So, I knew I made the right decision. I knew there was something better out there for me.”

He was right.

Williams, now 43, brokered the computer training he received at Herbert Lehman High School into a career that has included jobs with Dollar Drydock Bank, Freedom National Bank, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, and a gig with the Thomas Lipton Co. that saw limousines ferrying him from the projects to the airport so he could service company computers at offices across the country. Read more..

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New York Real Estate: Morris Park, Bronx

MAP/BOUNDARIES

Morris Park is defined by Pelham Parkway to the north, the Amtrak/Metro-North tracks to the east and south and Muliner Avenue and Bronxdale Avenue to the west.

INTRO

Morris Park’s thriving Italian community is often compared to the better-known Little Italy centered on Arthur Avenue, but that doesn’t mean the locals are any less proud of their neighborhood.

The number of pasticcerie, salumerias, and pizzerias crammed into the area is spellbinding, Italian is spoken in the shops, and even the parking meters are striped with the colors of the motherland’s flag.

But at the turn of the century, Morris Park was famous for something else: its racetrack, which was built by John Albert Morris.

Local development picked up in 1910 when a streetcar line was installed on Morris Park Avenue, and construction of new roads and housing continuing well past World War II. Soon, droves of Italian immigrants began settling in the area.

Though the area’s Italian qualities are prominent, some locals claim there’s more to Morris Park than the Italian community.

“It’s always been a family area, and that’s stayed the same, but now all types of people live here,” said Angela DaBenigno, who moved to Morris Park in 1992. “People move in, people move out, but the area constantly adapts to the changes.”

The neighborhood is now home to significant populations of Albanians, Latinos and Chinese.

“There are a lot of different ethnic varieties, different colors,” said DaBenigno. “Years ago it was much more Italian, but times change.”

Though Morris Park’s population has become more diverse in recent years, residents still have certain things in common.

“It’ll always be a good, regular crowd–down-to-earth, working class people,” said DaBenigno. “No matter how much it changes, it’s still a gem in the Bronx.”

TO EAT & DRINK

Morris Park’s restaurant scene is comprised largely of Italian eateries, with the pizza places considered among the best in the Bronx. Try Emilio’s (1051 Morris Park Ave.); Luciano’s Pizza (1005 Morris Park Ave.); Pasta Pasta (2023 Williamsbridge Rd.); and Federici Ristorante (980 Morris Park Ave.).

• Patricia’s

This extraordinarily popular brick pizza restaurant gets so packed during peak hours that squeezing through to your table can be quite trying indeed. The atmosphere’s unbeatable, and so is the food: sandwiches made with slices of rich and oily focaccia, breadbaskets accompanied by garlicky dips and arguably some of the best pizza in the Bronx (some even say the city).

1080 Morris Park Ave. 718-409-9069

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 Ali Shama, who used to paint graffiti, now runs technology department at Kennedy H.S.

 Ex-Graffiti Artist Shows Bronx H.S. Students How To Tag With Technology 

When Ali Shama was a teenager in the 1980s, he never imagined that he’d one day help reform a troubled high school.

Back then, Shama spray-painted subway cars and signed them with his tag, EON.

“Graffiti consumed me,” Shama said. “It got me into trouble. I didn’t do very well in school.”

Now, 25 years later, he’s an assistant principal at Kennedy High School in the Bronx, keeping kids engaged through technology and computer arts.

He’s the creative force behind its new digital communication technology program that included digital music production, digital photography, Web design and desktop publishing.

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