The Roslyn Pond Park, a body of land that is under the jurisdiction of the Town of North Hempstead is getting a new name. Last Tuesday, Feb. 13, the town's council voted to rename the park, "The Dr. Roger and Peggy Newbauer Gerry Pond Park." The couple, both deceased, were central to the historic preservation movement in the village.

The name change was the idea of Donna Frost, wife of Guy Frost, himself a member of the Village of Roslyn's Historic District Board. Ms. Frost said she came up with the idea after Ms. Gerry's death last December. Both the town and the local community, Ms. Frost thought, owed the couple some recognition for all the work they had done over the decades in preserving and upgrading historic structures in Roslyn. Mr. Frost then contacted TONH Councilwoman Doreen Banks, who in turn, introduced the legislation which was debated and voted on at last Tuesday's meeting.

As Mr. Frost relates, Roger Gerry was instrumental in saving the park from a period of decline it had run into in the mid-1970s. At that time, the park, as Mr. Frost maintains, was "worn out" by overuse. The situation was due to the fact that Roslyn was then a well-known destination for young people, itself due to the number of popular nightspots in the village, especially those that featured live music.

According to Mr. Frost, the Town of North Hempstead was ignoring the park's problems. So, as he often did with similarly neglected homes in the village, Gerry stepped in and began restoration work himself. He brought in arborists and landscapers and with the town's blessing, even paid for part of the restoration project. "The park was really dying, and he turned it around and saved it," Mr. Frost said.

Mary Ann Brandl, a friend of the Gerry family, also noted the couple's efforts in the park's restoration. "Dr. Gerry had arranged for well known consultants, such as the local arborist Dr. Howard Irwin from Clark Gardens and Bruce Kelly, who is in charge of Central Park Conservatory to study and make recommendations about appropriate plantings," Ms. Brandl said.

She added that Dr. Gerry had researched and submitted the application for Roslyn Pond Park to be put on the National Registry of Historic Places. "As far as we know, it is the only park in the United States on the National Register," Ms. Brandl said.

When introducing the legislation, Councilwoman Banks also emphasized the couple's commitment to historic preservation. Last week, Councilwoman Banks said a ceremony officially designating the new name will "occur shortly" when the signage itself is installed. "Surely, the Gerrys are smiling down on their latest and most significant honor," Councilwoman Banks said after the legislation was passed into law.

Roger Gerry, a longtime member of the Village of Roslyn board of trustees died in 1995. His wife, Peggy, as noted, died only this past December. The couple moved to Roslyn in 1950, after Roger Gerry had completed a stint in the U.S. Navy, one that saw active service during World War II. Even in the 1950s, urban renewal was threatening Roslyn's historic homes and buildings.

The Gerrys immediately became involved in historic preservation, in any way possible. According to her friends, Mrs. Gerry once held a bulldozer at bay for two hours from its intended victim, an 18th century house in the village. Such a spirited attempt couldn't save this particular house, but it helped to create a public awareness among local residents to what was happening in Roslyn.

In 1961, the couple founded the Roslyn Landmark Society. Eventually, they founded a sister organization to the Landmark Society, the Roslyn Preservation Corporation. In addition, the couple, in 1962, helped to found the Historic District Board. From 1976 to 1988, Mrs. Gerry served on the board of directors for the Roslyn Preservation Corporation. In 1972, she was appointed chair of the Historic District Board. Meanwhile, Dr. Gerry was serving on the board of trustees; his term lasted from 1974 until his death in May 1995.

Mrs. Gerry was also on the board of trustees for the Society for the Preservation of Long Island Antiquities and the Nassau County Museum of Art. She also served as a member of the buildings and grounds committee for the Clayton Estate, the former Lord Bryce/Childs Frick Residence, which is now the grounds of the Nassau County Museum of Fine Arts, located in Roslyn Harbor. The preservation work the couple initiated continues to this day and has received national recognition as the model in the field of historic preservation.