Dorothy Basilico helping children cross the street safely
DOROTHY BASILICO
“We had everything in the neighborhood. You name it, we had it.”
“We had everything in the neighborhood. You name it, we had it.”
Dorothy Basilico has lived in Sunnyside for more than 50 years and has been a school crossing guard for more than 30 of them. She currently helps the children of P.S. 150 cross the street safely. Between duties Dorothy spends her time talking to her friends Mary Ann Gudonis and Diane Kennedy in the little wooden pavilion in front of the school. The three women cheerfully greet anyone who crosses their path.
In the past, Dorothy says, “We had everything in the neighborhood. You name it, we had it.” Today many of the specialized stores have been replaced by large chain stores and fast food restaurants. Among the shops that Dorothy misses the most are Silvers, a clothing store, and the Golden Rule, which used to be on Greenpoint Avenue between 45th and 46th Streets. “You could get anything at the Golden Rule, towels, curtains, sheets…,” Dorothy raves.
In the podcast Dorothy talks about her duties as a school crossing guard, how she sometimes has to fight with car drivers who refuse to stop for the children and with children who are hard to discipline.
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