...As Time
Goes By...

Anniversaries are truly universal.

Religions and cultures have marked them for centuries. What would seasons be without Passover, Easter, Ramadan, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, Christmas and New Years? In our civic life, where would be without celebrating the Fourth of July or the generational remembrances of Dec. 7, 1941, Nov. 22, 1963, or Sept. 11, 2001?

But those are of a larger scale. We all in some way have our own personal anniversaries. Sometimes we may forget them from time to time, but in a way they come back – sometimes with a tinge of tears or regret – but at other times with a dance to the Anniversary Waltz.

At the Tribune we are celebrating our 37th Anniversary in our own way. Granted, it’s not a rounded out number, but we are proud that we are here after all these years ...and we are happy that you are, too. So take a trip with us back to some of the issues, events and things that helped shape some very important and interesting events in our lives.

To all those readers who have some moment in time to mark this year we give you a salute or toast with the words from the famous song from the movie “Casablanca”…

It’s still the same old story
A fight for love and glory
A case of do or die...
No matter what the future brings
The fundamental things apply
As time goes by

Lyrics by Herman Hopeful
Copyright 1931
Warner Bros. Music Corp. ASCAP

Again, to quote from the classic “As Time Goes By,” we find another line that helps define Queens; one that symbolizes our constant drive.

It is with great passion that we live here in Queens. Our food is dynamic, our art is cutting edge, our people can pick up an argument at the drop of a hat and we have such capacity for love.

Whether it is evidenced by a photo like this, where a Queens artist works to restore the damage done by a man – perhaps in a state of heightened passion – to a St. Albans church statue, or if it is shown in the level of civic activism that often borders on mania over issues regarding homes, parks, neighbors and pets, we are passionate here in this borough.

And it is with fervent hearts that we have made choices that have not always been easy. Those men who signed their names 350 years ago in the fight for religious freedom were passionate about their decision. That seed of revolution and progress was planted firmly in the soil of the borough, and we will continue to harvest it, “as time goes by.”