An Oasis Out in Little Neck

For over 50 years, the  has been a neighborhood hub for happy summertime memories.

And that's exactly what founding members Paul Golz and Larry Plotkin were hoping for, when they first came up with the idea of starting a community pool for Little Neck.

"I can still remember sitting on a bench in the Deepdale Community Gardens with Paul and the two of us brainstorming about ways to help make this area a better place for the people who lived here," said Larry Plotkin, one of several founding members of the Deepdale's pool, who remains the acting treasurer for the group.

Reminiscing about the 1950s, Plotkin conjured up a nostalgic image of a simpler world.

"It was different times back then, and what you have to realize is that none of the apartments around here had air conditioning. In fact, most of us didn't even own a television. So the idea of a pool, where families could cool off at and have fun in, was just the obvious answer," he said.

An answer Plotkin pointed out took the entire community coming together to make a reality.

"It's really remarkable when you think about it, because we were all just social workers, teachers, retirees, and no one had a lot of money. So we had to do everything we could to generate the funds necessary to see this project complete," he said.

A task Plotkin describes as “Herculean,” the process would involve selling debentures and giving personal guarantees to a bank reluctant to lend the group money for a pool.

"So there was a lot of risk involved with starting the pool," he said.

Then in 1958, after years in the making, the Deepdale Gardens Community Center Pool opened.

"That first day we opened was really something. I'll never forget it. All the struggling had paid off," Plotkin said.

Now, over 50 years later, as the Deepdale Gardens Community pool prepares to wrap up another summer, Plotkin stressed that all those early struggles he and his cohorts faced were still paying off.

"We set out to do something that would help bring the community together. I can't tell you how happy it makes me knowing the pool is still around today," he said.