Steve Shenkman, Community Activist,
Dies at 55

By HEATHER HADDON

Even while in the hospital, where he would spend his last months, Steven Robert Shenkman was worried about his civic duties. "The last thing he asked at the hospital was about his dues to the Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association," said Steven Bussell, Shenkman's longtime friend and a Bedford Park resident. "He was very devoted to all the causes he was involved in."

Shenkman's civic affiliations were legion, and many groups and individuals are mourning him after his death on March 7 from complications due to a spinal injury at the age of 55.

Born on Aug. 4, 1948 near the Grand Concourse in the south Bronx, Shenkman was raised by Jewish parents, both now deceased. He was married, but later separated from his wife, Virginia. For the past 15 years, Shenkman lived with a roommate and lifelong friend, Charlie Sagebrecht, at the Fordham Hill Cooperative development on Sedgwick Avenue and Fordham Road.

Shenkman, who was of stocky build, was known for his boundless energy - perhaps fueled by a copious intake of coffee and Diet Pepsi. Despite a full-time job on the nightshift at Verizon, Shenkman always found time for his many neighborhood causes. He was also a prankster, a Yankees fan, and at times, sharp-tongued. "He was never afraid to say what he thought," Bussell said.

Bussell first met Shenkman through community safety work. Both attended the community crime meetings at Our Lady Refuge Church, and then at the 52nd Precinct Community Council, where Shenkman served as the secretary. But policing to him was more than meetings.

Shenkman attended multiple trainings at a local citizens police academy - which acquaints the public with the duties and skills of police officers - and could often be spotted walking and surveying the streets. "He watched the block," said Sagebrecht, 74. "I think everybody knew Steve."

Shenkman was especially close to the merchants along Kingsbridge Road, and almost every night, he could be spotted drinking coffee at the New Capital Diner on the corner of Jerome Avenue. "He never stayed home," Bussell said. "Steve was always roaming around."

St. James Park was one of Shenkman's favorite places to frequent, and he became one of its most enthusiastic advocates. Santiago "Cat" Milland of University Heights first met Shenkman in 1990 at a meeting of the Friends of St. James Park, a volunteer group. Shenkman became the group's vice president (and Milland the president), and was the park's first volunteer warden. He also volunteered for the Friends of Devoe Park and the Bronx Zoo, and was on Fordham Hill's board.

"The guy never said no," Milland said. "He never said 'How much?' but 'When did you need it done?'"

Shenkman was known for his fund-raising abilities. "He was always pounding the pavement to get donations," said Heidi Hynes, a Valentine Avenue resident and former community organizer who worked with the Friends. Shenkman was known for his own annual donation of hundreds of hotdogs for summertime activities in St. James. "He wanted all the children to have something," Sagebrecht said.

In a stroke of bitter irony, St. James Park was where Shenkman suffered the injury that would end his life. Last Sept. 18, having recently left the hospital after treatment for his diabetes, Shenkman was still intent on attending the precinct community council meeting at the Mosholu Montefiore Community Center. It turned out the meeting was cancelled, and while returning home, he stopped for a rest on a park bench. A tree limb cracked and struck Shenkman. He suffered serious injuries that left him immobilized and bedridden at a number of hospitals. Shenkman died at the Jewish Home and Hospital in Kingsbridge.

As they mourn, Shenkman's friends hold on to their good memories. "The really great thing about Steve was that he really cared about the other people in the groups" he volunteered for, Hynes said. "He didn't just care about having a title."

Though Shenkman won one award from the Partnership for Parks advocacy group in 2002, Milland wishes he had been further recognized while he was alive. "People like him are so vital to our community, and our earth," he said.

Ed Note: Their will be a memorial service for Steve Shenkman on Thursday, March 25 at 5:30 p.m. at Concourse House, 2751 Grand Concourse. Donations in his memory can be made to the Friends of St. James Park, c/o Santiago Milland, 2410 Davidson Ave., Bronx, NY, 10468.

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