Senate Resolution No. 5658

BY: Senator ADDABBO

HONORING The Wave newspaper upon the occasion of
celebrating its 125th Anniversary

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to honor and
recognize those journalism and media outlets which, through their
coverage of local, state, and national issues have shared current and
historical events with their readers; and

WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its
long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to honor
The Wave newspaper upon the occasion of celebrating its 125th
Anniversary; and

WHEREAS, The Wave is justly known as "Rockaway's Newspaper since
1893," when printing shop owner James Keenan, in the wake of a terrible
fire that burned down the entire seaside section of the Rockaway
Peninsula, decided local residents needed their own paper devoted to
community news; and

WHEREAS, What started as one printed sheet of paper detailing news
about the Rockaway fire in September of 1892, officially became The Wave
newspaper on May 28, 1893, when Keenan published the first edition; and

WHEREAS, Over the years, The Wave moved to a variety of locations,
and was operated by a number of different publishers, including B.F.
Ashley, D.W. Murray, his son Herbert Murray, and Leon Locke, who
purchased the paper in 1975; and

WHEREAS, In 1987, Leon Locke was able to move The Wave to its
current location at 88-08 Rockaway Beach Boulevard, which was very close
to the quarters the newspaper occupied from 1905 to 1976; and

WHEREAS, Throughout its 125 years of publishing, The Wave has
chronicled the lives of the people who live on the Rockaway Peninsula,
bringing them local news, entertainment, editorial opinion, and an
extraordinary sense of community; and

WHEREAS, In 2001, Leon Locke, who had just celebrated 26 years of
publishing The Wave, suddenly passed away; he is still deeply missed in
the Rockaway community where he served on Community Board 14, as
festival chairman of the Rockaway Music and Arts Council, as a board
member of the Rockaway Chamber of Commerce, and as a founding member of
the Peninsula Volunteer Ambulance Corps; and

WHEREAS, Leon's wife, Susan Locke, took over as publisher of The
Wave after his death, ensuring that Rockaway's beloved and respected
newspaper of record would continue bringing necessary news to residents
of the Peninsula; and

WHEREAS, In 2012, The Wave offices suffered severe water and other
damage from Hurricane Sandy, which led the staff to temporarily move to
an unaffected upstairs office dubbed "The Wave Cave" to keep publishing
while building repairs were being made; and


WHEREAS, It is with great pleasure that this Legislative Body
acknowledges this exceptional media outlet and its valuable
contributions to the community, fully confident that it will continue to
enjoy the successes it has experienced thus far; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
honor The Wave newspaper upon the occasion of celebrating its 125th
Anniversary, and to recognize its admirable resiliency, and its many
positive contributions to Rockaway, the Borough of Queens, and the State
of New York; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to Susan Locke, Publisher, The Wave.