Farmingdale State College librarian discovers local road is named after Ku Klux Klan member
MELVILLE, N.Y. -- A college librarian is hoping to help change the course of history.
She uncovered records that prove a prominent Long Island landowner had a sordid past, telling CBS2's Jennifer McLogan the local leader with a street named after him was a proud member of the Ku Klux Klan.
"I just think this is a shameful piece of our history," said April Lynne Earle, the librarian at Farmingdale State College.
While researching century-old property records, she stumbled upon an appalling local link to the KKK.
"I just can't envision 200 Klansmen marching past my campus and burning a cross up the road from where I work every day," Earle said.
A 1925 obituary reads, "The remains were removed to the hearse by robed Klansmen."
The KKK turned out for the funeral of a prominent member -- landowner Judson Floyd Ruland.
In 1913, Ruland sold 50 acres of his land to New York, which eventually became the site of Farmingdale State College. Some years later, a road was named after the Klansman.
"We can do better than this," Earle said.
So she contacted the county and town, setting in motion a movement to change the name of Ruland Road.
This discovery comes after a nationwide effort to remove statues and street names honoring racist historical figures.
"It's quite OK for me for the name of the street to be changed," said Pastor Raymond Rose, of New Life Church of God.
Rose says his church was the Methodist church that held Ruland's funeral. The Klansman is buried in the church cemetery.
"There is a whole row, it belongs to the Ruland Ku Klux Klan members," said Royland Greenfield, a member of the church.
"Feeling?" McLogan asked.
"Bad, bad, bad. I don't want to be so close to them, but what can I do?" Greenfield said.
"We've sent letter out to anybody who has Ruland Road in their address," said Huntington Councilmember Salvatore Ferro.
Ferro says the goal is to "put a resolution together to endorse a name change that we're going to pass on to the Suffolk County legislature."
"This was something I could do to help, something small I could do to help," Earle said.
Earle says she wants to help put an end to segregation and racial divide latent in our history.
