Tue 8 Apr 2008
Shea Stadium Namesake a Transit Guy
Posted by TJ under 7 Train, Shea Stadium
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Today’s NY Times reports that William Shea, the high-powered New York lawyer for whom the Mets park Shea Stadium is named, dabbled a bit in some high-profile transit endeavors.
According to Richard Sandomir, Shea helped broker New York’s acquisition of the Long Island Railroad. He also served on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s board.
Shea also was an adviser to several mayors.
Sandomir mentions how Shea would joke about how few people knew who the stadium, which sees its final opening day today before the Mets shift to Citi Field next April, was actually named for.
[Shea] wrote about two fellow train commuters who thought he was an old ballplayer killed in World War I. (He wished they had thought he had been killed in World War II.)