City Council Member Robert Holden held a street co-naming ceremony for late FDNY firefighter and World War II veteran George P. Linnemann on Friday, Sept. 26, at the corner of Linden Street and Fresh Pond Road in Ridgewood.
Numerous community members, community leaders and FDNY firefighters were on hand for the street co-naming of Firefighter George P. Linnemann Way. Holden sponsored this event alongside the Juniper Park Civic Association and the Newtown Historical Society.
A native of Middle Village, Linnemann graduated from P.S. 153 Maspeth Elementary School. He is credited as being the author of the school song. He would become a scholar-athlete while attending Grover Cleveland High School, Brooklyn College and Queens College. In 1940, while at Queens College, Linnemann set the 220-yard dash record, which stood for more than 20 years.
During World War II, Linnemann served as a member of the United States Office of Strategic Services. He helped in the liberation of a concentration camp and earned the rank of Captain before being honorably discharged.
He joined the FDNY in 1946, serving at Engine Company 218 in Brooklyn. On Feb. 18, 1968, Linnemann died in the line of duty while fighting a four-alarm fire in Bushwick.
Shortly before his death, Linnemann was tasked with writing the official history of the Brooklyn Fire Department by then-mayor John V. Lindsay. He had also served as president of the New York City Numismatic Club.
“Today, our community says his name and honors his legacy of service, courage and scholarship,” Holden said. “May every passerby who sees this sign remember a life lived for others. Thank you to his family, the FDNY, our veterans and neighbors who joined us to keep his memory alive.”
