“Strack Pond, a story of loss and rebirth unfolds before us” I murmur. Strack Pond is a glacial kettle pond in Queens. It sits inside Forest Park in New York City. Imagine this pond buried in 1966. Now picture its restoration four decades later.
This pond has a story. It is named after Private First Class Lawrence E. Strack. He was a Woodhaven resident. Sadly, he was killed in the Vietnam War. In February 1969, the pond received its official name. Before that, it was unnamed.
Lawrence Strack grew up in Woodhaven. He ice skated on this very pond. In summer, he played in the Rich-Haven Little League. It was a team of kids from Woodhaven and Richmond Hill. Strack became a paratrooper in 1966. He briefly returned home and married his sweetheart. On March 3, 1967, during a combat jump in Vietnam, PFC Strack died in a firefight.
For years, the Rich-Haven Little League used this site. After moderate rain, the site flooded. This made it unusable. In May 2004, the restored Strack Pond opened. It became a three-acre nature preserve. A trail descends to the pond.
Cleanup of Strack Pond began in 2019. There is a proposed renovation. It includes a patio. Currently, it is unfunded.
Two years before the pond’s restoration, a youngster fell through the ice and drowned. Many visitors come to Strack Pond. They sit on rocks and tree trunks. It is a quiet place to watch nature. The water here is clear.
Strack Pond is about four feet deep. Green Sunfish swim here. Some say larger fish also broach the pond’s surface.
Back in 1960s, this kettle pond was drained. It became ballfields. But the ballfields flooded often. So, they reverted to their natural state. Now, they exist as they were meant to be.
When Gil and Laurence Strack were boys, they walked to this frozen pond. They called it the soup bowl. There, they played hockey. Laurence often wore a Chicago Blackhawks jersey. Bobby Hull tossed it to him once during a game.
Gil Strack remembered his brother at the pond’s dedication. He almost saw his brother sitting under a tree.
Though near Woodhaven Boulevard and its traffic, Strack Pond feels secluded. A thick forest separates it from the road. Standing here, you see no buildings or vehicles.
Strack Pond is more than just a pond. It is a memorial. It’s a place of peace. It connects us to nature and to the memory of a local hero. It is a reminder of loss and a testament to the healing power of nature.