This playground is named in honor of Broad Channel community activist Eugene Gray (1927-1973). Gray was born on March 14, 1927 in Park Slope, Brooklyn and later moved to Hell’s Kitchen in Manhattan. After attending college, Gray married Lorraine Baker (1929-1977) with whom he had three children: Michael, Gary and Gregory. Gray later moved to Broad Channel and became involved in various neighborhood youth programs, including the Broad Channel Athletic Club, an organization for which he served as president. A community football coach for more than twenty years, Grey also helped to shape and maintain the Broad Channel football league and assisted in the creation of the local Teen Club, which provided safe recreational activities for the area’s youth.