Park Service official Joseph Avery dies

Joseph Avery, a Westbury resident who had been the man in charge of some of the most famous buildings in America, has died. He was 73.

As superintendent of six federal monuments in Manhattan and Mount Vernon, Avery was honored by the National Park Service in 1997 for leading the restoration of Manhattan's General Grant National Memorial - better known as Grant's Tomb. Avery also was credited with helping efforts to clean up the parks after some were damaged by the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.

Avery died Thursday at home from heart disease, his family said.

"No matter where you look, you see excellence in this guy," said Avery's best friend, Julius Ford, of Cortland Manor, a former vice president at Westchester Community College. "He was an exceptional person, a unique person in many ways."

Avery also was the superintendent for Federal Hall on Wall Street, Castle Clinton in the Battery, Theodore Roosevelt's birthplace on East 28th Street, and St. Paul's Church National Historic Site in Mount Vernon. Avery was part of a successful effort to open up Alexander Hamilton's house in Harlem to the public later this year, his family said.

"He contributed greatly to Westbury and New York City, and we're just very proud of all his accomplishments," said his daughter, Nicole Avery Nichols, of Southfield, Mich., an assistant features editor at the Detroit Free Press. "If we could embody one-fourth of his talent, we'll be doing pretty good for ourselves."

Avery was born on March 29, 1937, in Elmore, Ala. He received a horticulture degree from Alabama A&M University in Huntsville, where he co-captained the basketball team.

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After their marriage in 1965, Avery and his wife, Betty Jean, moved north and settled in Westbury. He worked for the federal Department of Agriculture and later became superintendent of the Jamaica Bay/Breezy Point Unit at Gateway National Recreation Area.

Avery was a leader at the Westbury A.M.E. Zion Church, said the church's pastor, the Rev. Gregor Miles. Avery often spoke to young people about his experiences growing up in Alabama, where blacks were forced to use separate public facilities when Avery was a boy.

"He was not only faithful to the church, he was faithful to his family, he was faithful to his community and he was faithful to his people," Miles said.

In addition to his daughter Nicole, Avery is survived by his wife and another daughter, Ebonee C. Avery of Laurel, Md.; two sisters, Ruby Nell Royston and Joyce E. Simms, both of Kansas City, Mo.; a brother, Eddie B. Avery Jr. of Mobile, Ala.; and two grandchildren.

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A wake will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesday at Westbury A.M.E. Zion Church. Services will be held at 9 a.m. Thursday at the church. Burial will be at Calverton National Cemetery.