Ivan Johnson remembers his older brother Marvin as hardworking, inspirational and fun loving. But the most notable quality about Marvin, who passed away unexpectedly this past May at age 48 after a three- week battle with pneumonia, was his love for the community.
“He was so active in the community. He always threw parties. He was the go-to guy when there was an event in the community, whether it was someone coming home from serving active duty or graduating high school,” says Johnson. “He was so involved with different causes in the community and if you needed his help, he would do it. He always stepped it up for the community, and for New Cassel in particular.”
This Saturday, Marvin’s years of service to New Cassel will be recognized as Maplewood Drive (where the Johnsons grew up) is renamed Marvin L. Johnson Way. The Town of North Hempstead unanimously passed a resolution in August to give the New Cassel street the honorary name and will officially unveil the new street sign at the corner of Maplewood and Floral Lane on Saturday, Oct. 25 at 11 a.m.
“This is not just an acknowledgement of him, but everyone in the community, because they can relate to him so well. Seeing his sign up is like seeing your own name up,” says Johnson. “I feel like everyone in the community has a Marvin story, where he affected them in some way.”
Sebastian Kennebrew can tell you thousands of Marvin stories. Kennebrew grew up with Marvin and the two were best friends for 35 years. He remembers Marvin as a “gentle giant” who was always talking about Westbury.
“Marvin always saw a bigger picture with Maplewood Drive. He wanted everyone to be one big family,” says Kennebrew. “And he was always smiling. He just wanted people to be happy. He brought out the best in everyone.”
Eric Vineyard says his cousin Marvin taught him everything about DJ-ing.
“I always looked up to him because he was a DJ. I always wanted to be like him. He taught me everything from getting the new songs, how to mix, how to scratch, how to blend. He taught me everything,” Vineyard says. “Marvin’s a legend. Everyone knew him and he’ll be missed.”
North Hempstead Councilwoman Viviana Russell remembers Marvin as welcoming her and her family to the community when they first moved in.
“He was always a pleasant person. He was always very nice and had a compliment [to give],” says Russell. “Often times people like Marvin don’t get recognized for their contributions to the community because they’re not someone in the spotlight, but he was an extraordinary person in the community that meant a lot to a lot of people and was always encouraging and found a way to help bridge people together.”
Marvin’s dream was to become a radio DJ, and he gave up many potential job opportunities out-of-state because he didn’t want to leave New Cassel.
“He wanted to stay here. He loved the community, because a lot of different people here helped raise us and were there for our family,” says Johnson. “That meant a lot to him because they loved him, not out of family obligation but because they wanted to. That kept him grounded in the community and he felt he wanted to stay because he wanted to put New Cassel on the map.”
