Hudson Reporter
Honoring Rev. H. Gene Sykes
West 20th Street between Broadway and Avenue C is now Rev. H. Gene Sykes Way
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The name street sign at the intersection of Avenue C and H. Gene Sykes Way (formerly West 20th Street between Broadway and Avenue C). Photos by Daniel Israel.
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The name street sign at the intersection of Avenue C and H. Gene Sykes Way (formerly West 20th Street between Broadway and Avenue C). Photos by Daniel Israel.
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On Easter Sunday, Bayonne honored and celebrated the life of a local faith leader who died last year from COVID-19.
On April 4, a portion of West 20th Street between Broadway and Avenue C was dedicated as Rev. H. Gene Sykes Way. Friendship Baptist Church, where Sykes was the pastor, is located there.
Hudson Reporter
Bayonne to rename street after the late Rev. H. Gene Sykes
Sykes was the pastor at Friendship Baptist Church on West 20th Street ×
Rev. H. Gene Sykes. Photo by Alyssa Bredin Quiros.
Bayonne has moved to rename a street after the late Rev. H. Gene Sykes of Friendship Baptist Church. In April of 2020, Sykes passed away from COVID-19. He was 78.
Sykes’s death was one of the many tragic losses from COVID-19. He was the eleventh resident to die from the virus.
A long-lasting legacy
Before becoming a clergyman, Sykes was an engineer and a flight crew trainer for the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War. After the war, he continued engineer work for private companies before becoming a faith leader.