Lover of Beauty

Joseph William Ricevuto (rick-ah-VIEW-tow) has always loved beauty - women, flowers, life. A veteran of the Korean war, Ricevuto opened William Hair Stylist in Jackson Heights (a neighborhood in the borough of Queens, New York City) in 1960. After selling it in 2002, Ricevuto started spending more time investing in the business of beautifying his neighborhood.

While he still works at the salon near his apartment a few days a week, "just to stay in it," Ricevuto spends more of his time organizing senior events on behalf of his parish, St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church, volunteering with the Knights of Columbus, serving as a clown in the last thirty years of the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and as a founding member of the Jackson Heights Beautification Group's Garden Club.

The Club meets on the third Wednesday of every month, at the Community United Methodist Church on 35th Avenue between 82nd and 83rd Streets. Bringing in horticulturalists, historians, urban landscapers and other "experts," the Club is committed to enhancing and maintaining the beauty of the neighborhood, from its parks and sidewalk plantings to the semi-private courtyards of this garden community.

Jackson Heights: A Garden in the City, by Daniel Karatzas, reveals that the neighborhood was once farmland and meadows and in the mid 1920s was named after John Jackson, the president of the Hunters Point and Flushing Turnpike Company (which operated the Jackson Avenue trolley).

According to an article in the New York Times, the neighborhood, "became America's first full-scale cooperative garden apartment community. More than 1,000 apartments -- all facing some kind of common green space -- were built between 1917 and 1925, not long after the Queensboro Bridge and new subway lines connected what were the hinterlands to Manhattan. The grand plan extended from 70th Street to 92d Street, between Roosevelt Avenue and Northern Boulevard. Much of the area is now designated a historic district."

Ricevuto, a widower with two children and many grandchildren, began planting in front of his shop in 1988 in honor of Mother's Day, putting up a sign that read, "In Honor of All Mothers." His handiwork and the sentiment attached to it was met with great approval by neighbors, who encouraged him to do the same elsewhere. He's been planting and memorializing ever since.

When asked why he's involved, Ricevuto responds, "Because I love Jackson Heights...it's like a little town. Everybody is very friendly. Whenever people move away to Florida, we feel sorry for them. And if I ever win the Mega Million, I would just buy a nice co-op and stay right here."