Inspired by Lincoln, Stony Brook man creates pride in his hometown

Kevin Walters has contributed so much to his Stony Brook community that many fellow residents affectionately refer to him as “mayor.”

Walters, 57, is a retired NYPD lieutenant turned neighborhood steward who has spearheaded various improvement projects for Strathmore at Stony Brook, the 700-home development where he lives, and its surrounding areas along Nicolls Road (County Route 97) and Route 347.

His efforts have ranged from collaborating with local officials to facilitate the planting of more than 200 trees along Nicolls Road near Stony Brook University to helping establish a memorial garden within his development for late quadriplegic resident Brooke Ellison, a disability advocate and author who was the first quadriplegic to graduate from Harvard University.

“I was brought up to do the right thing and help neighbors,” said Walters, a self-described “people person.” “If anybody needs anything, they just ask me and I try to help the best I can.”

Walters worked for the New York Police Department for more than 20 years until his retirement in 2011, and has been a volunteer firefighter in Brentwood, Hauppauge and Setauket. His most recent service as a volunteer firefighter was a 16-year stint with the Setauket Fire Department, he said.

Since his retirement, Walters has kept busy as a member of his development’s S-Section Circle of Friends, a nonprofit organization of community members who “work together to beautify the neighborhood,” according to its social media page. He is also part of another improvement group called Three Village Dads.

Today, Walters can be seen tackling tasks like planting flowers on the median outside of his development, picking up litter along a half-mile stretch of Nicolls Road through Suffolk County’s Adopt-A-Highway Program and even sweeping sidewalks on Route 347.

“By Stony Brook Harbor, there are garbage cans with a saying from Abraham Lincoln that read: ‘I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives,’ ” Walters said. “That’s what I live by.”

Walters was recently recognized for his efforts by being named 2025 Outstanding Nonprofit Volunteer of the Year for Suffolk County’s 5th Legislative District, represented by Legis. Steven Englebright (D-Setauket). The legislator described Walters as someone who “deeply cares about his neighborhood” and “gives generously of his time and energy.”

“With his boundless energy and outgoing personality, he is an inspiration to neighbors and friends,” Englebright said in a statement.

Brookhaven Town Councilman Jonathan Kornreich also praised Walters for making his community a “better place.”

“What makes Kevin special is that he never just points out what needs attention, he steps up and leads to get the work done,” he said.

By Michael R. Ebert

michael.ebert@newsday.com

Michael R. Ebert is an education researcher and has worked for Newsday in various capacities since 2003. He was part of an 11-person team named as 2008 Pulitzer Prize finalists for investigative coverage of the LIRR's platform safety issues.