Beyond Returns: StuyTown Honors Longtime Residents
At Blackstone we look beyond returns to strengthen the communities within which we live and work.
In the past two weeks, the Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village community honored two long-time residents by naming two playgrounds after each of them.
Bernie Rothenberg and John “Butch” Purcell were thanked for their incredible contributions to the community at two different ceremonies.
Playground 3, named after Rothenberg, was Rothenberg’s preferred practice green and was referred to as “the Rothenberg Golf Club.” He was a celebrity in the community and a fixture in the community.
Purcell is known as the “Mayor of StuyTown” and a regular basketball coach on Playground 9, which will now carry his name. Outside of the community Purcell gained fame as a basketball coach and drug and alcohol counselor, working with the NY Knicks and NBA on their abuse concerns.
The community gathered for both commendation ceremonies and even drew outside guests including former NY Knicks Hall of Famer Earl Monroe and current and former members of NYC City Council, the NYS Senate and the NYS Assembly. New York State Senator Brad Hoylman commented that “in a world of divisiveness, this recognition by StuyTown and the event itself showed we can all come together as one community.”
We’re proud of our portfolio company for cultivating a greater sense of community by recognizing these pillars of StuyTown. Learn more about these remarkable men here, see photos from the events here and hear from “Mayor Butch” here.
