UWS Intersection Renamed For Its Longtime Crossing Guard

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — The southwest corner of West 105th Street and Amsterdam Avenue now bears the name of a neighborhood fixture who spent decades keeping local children safe on their way to school.

West Side Councilmember Shaun Abreu gathered community members to honor Ethel Deas, a crossing guard who served the Upper West Side for more than 30 years, with an official street co-naming at the busy intersection near P.S. 145 and West Prep Academy on Tuesday.

Deas, who died in 2021, was remembered not only for her long tenure but for the warmth and care she brought to the role, Abreu said.

"Ethel Deas stood on this corner for 33 years and made it safer, warmer, and more connected," Abreu said. "She was a constant, trusted presence in the lives of families who counted on her every single morning."

For 36 years—33 of them at West 105th Street and Amsterdam Avenue—she greeted students each morning with a smile, helping generations safely cross the street, Abreu said.

Born in Charleston, South Carolina, Deas was also an ordained minister and bishop. She moved to the Upper West Side in 1958 with her husband, Julius, a U.S. Army servicemember.

The couple raised eight children and lived for decades in the Frederick Douglass Houses, where Deas remained until her passing.

Family, neighbors and local officials gathered to celebrate her life and legacy, with speakers including Deas’ children and grandchildren.

"From now on, the corner of West 105th Street and Amsterdam will always carry her name and honor her commitment to the community," Abreu said.

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