Joseph B. Hellmann, a longtime Queens community activist, died May 28 at New York University Hospital Center in Manhattan of lung cancer. He was 70.
Hellmann was a 1958 graduate of Bishop Loughlin High School and Sts. Joachim and Anne School in Queen Village. He earned his bachelor’s in civil engineering in 1962 from The Cooper Union School of Engineering and his master’s in civil engineering in 1963 from NYU. He was an environmental engineer in the private sector for 30 years.
He was active in professional societies and was awarded two patents and published in professional journals. Hellmann successfully worked on many issues facing communities of northeast Queens. He was a member of Community Board 11 for 12 years; secretary of the Douglaston Civic Association and a member of its board of directors for more than 25 years; trustee of the Queens Historical Society; and member of the Queens Preservation Council.
Hellmann was a founding director of the citywide Four Borough Neighborhood Preservation Alliance. In 2004, Hellmann was awarded the Van Zandt Award for Community Service by the Zion Episcopal Church of Douglaston.
He is survived by his daughter, sister, three nieces and three grandchildren. A memorial service is planned for the fall.
