This playground honors George F. Torsney (1896-1942), World War I veteran, New York State Assembly Member, and supporter of parks and playgrounds for the Sunnyside area.
Born in Manhattan in 1896, Torsney attended public school until 1915 when he graduated from the New York Evening High School. To earn extra money he sold newspapers on the corner of 50th Street and Broadway in Manhattan. Torsney joined the Marines during World War I and was promoted to First Sergeant. When he left the Marines in 1919 he began the Torsney & Moloney Trucking Company. Torsney married Katherine Doyle in 1923 and the couple moved to 50th Avenue in Queens in 1926 where they had five children.
