By WILLIAM MATHIS 

A crowd of about 70 community members, many of whom live in nearby Tracey Towers, gathered with local officials for a ceremony to rename a tiny strip of Jerome Avenue after Margaret J. Mack. Mack, who lived most of her life in Tracey Towers, passed away in February 2014.

Community members viewed the renaming as a tribute of Mack’s life and also a reminder to residents to carry the volunteer spirit Mack displayed. The crowd came together May 2 at the corner of Jerome Avenue and East Mosholu Parkway South, which meets at Greenstreets Triangle.

As the 4 train rumbled overhead, Jean Hill, a Tracey Towers resident and local community leader, recalled Mack’s dedication. “If you had a problem and you were a tenant, she was ready to go to war for you.”

Hill had known Mack for years so it seemed fitting she would lead the ceremony that was also attended by Mack’s widower, her children and her grandchildren. Joe Mack, her widow, left the memorializing to others. “I get too emotional,” he said.

Long-time residents remembered Mack’s tenacity and dedication to address problems in Tracey Towers, the tallest rental complex in the Bronx. She earned a sterling reputation for her years of work for residents of Tracey Towers and the greater Norwood community as both a member of the Tracey Towers Tenants Association and Community Board 7. She worked to get building management to address the building’s heat, leaks and safety issues. She also led the fight against a proposed 77 percent rent increase in 2011.

“I’m proud to have the opportunity to do this,” said Councilman Andrew Cohen, who represents the area, delivering the community’s petition to rename the street to the New York City Council and Mayor Bill de Blasio. The Mayor signed a street renaming bill on Feb. 5, immortalizing Mack’s name in the Bronx. “If all the streets in New York were named after people with hearts as big as Ms. Mack, we’d live in a better city,” he said.

“She deserved all of this and more,” said Rachel Clement, a retired social worker and resident of Tracey Towers since 1977. She recalled how Mack helped her hold Tracey Towers’ management accountable in 2013 when a powerful leak in her shower forced her and her family to use the bathroom under the cover of an umbrella for ten days. “She was one of the best, the best there was,” she said.

Alfred Grant, a union representative at North Central Bronx Hospital, met Mack soon after he moved into Tracey Towers in 1978. He looked up fondly at the new “Margaret J. Mack Triangle” sign above him as he considered Mack’s impressive impact. “Politics begins with the little people,” he said.

Some residents will use the new signage as an inspiration to continue to fight for their rights. “I love Tracey Towers,” said Clement. “But we’ve had some management that can’t get it together.”

“The fight goes on and she was always there,” Grant mused. “I believe the legacy will be other people standing in the crowds wanting to get more information, wanting to get involved.”