Cove in Hempstead Harbor to be named after May Newburger

A section of Hempstead Harbor will be named after May Newburger, a former state assemblywoman and Long Island’s first female supervisor, five years after her death.

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-Manhattan), who first proposed the change after Newburger’s death in August 2012, announced that the U.S. Geological Survey approved the name change on Thursday.

“With this news, May Newburger’s immense contributions to North Hempstead and all of Long Island will forever be immortalized in Hempstead Harbor,” Schumer said in a release. “As beachgoers swim at Bar Beach, and kids play at North Hempstead Beach Park and boats dock at the cove, I know that May Newburger will be looking down on them and smiling.”

The new name already appears on Google Maps and will be revised on federally published navigational charts, according to the release.

Newburger was North Hempstead town supervisor from 1994 to 2003. During her career she was a strong advocate for women’s rights and environmental conservation.

“May Newburger’s passion was protecting and preserving the environment, and I cannot think of a more fitting tribute to her than to have this serene cove overlooking Hempstead Harbor officially carry her name,” said North Hempstead Town Supervisor Judi Bosworth.

Federal laws prohibit such a renaming until a person has been deceased at least five years. Newburger died at her home in Great Neck from complications of cancer. She was 92.