Barbara Chocky
was a long time Upper East Side community activist and member of Manhattan
Community Board 8 

which covers the UES and Roosevelt Island.
Ms Chocky died October 11, 2021. 

According to an October 14, 2021
Upper East Side Patch article:

Barbara Chocky, a community leader who fought for affordable housing and
defended the Upper East Side’s most vulnerable residents during a
decades-long career in public service, died on Tuesday at the age of 81.

The cause was leukemia, with which she had been diagnosed less than a month
ago, said Elaine Walsh, a longtime friend of Chocky’s and fellow member of
Community Board 8.

Over the years, Chocky worked everywhere from Hunter College to the Lenox
Hill Neighborhood House, but it was the community board that took up the
biggest chunk of her life. She was CB8’s longest-tenured member, serving
since 1981 and sitting through untold hours’ worth of public meetings. 

“She was a short woman but a very powerful woman,” Walsh said. “She had her
fingers in a lot of different things.”…

Leslie Gottlieb reports:

In recognition of her decades of outstanding community service and
leadership, the first annual Barbara J. Chocky Award for Public Service will
be presented to a high school senior who lives on the Upper East Side/Roosevelt Island and is
involved in social justice issues, civic or political life. The $1,000
Annual Award will be presented in June, 2022.

The Award was started by Barbara’s close friends Pete Grannis, former
Assemblyman and currently First Deputy Comptroller for the New York State
Office of the State Comptroller, and Amy Baxter, former aide to Pete Granis,
with a GoFundMe Campaign following Barbara’s death in October 2021.

According to City Councilwoman Gale Brewer, a longtime friend, ”It is very
fitting to honor Barbara’s deep commitment to social justice by awarding an
annual scholarship to a high school senior who demonstrates an ongoing
dedication to continue her legacy.“ 

Barbara Chocky was a prominent political leader on the Upper East Side and
in New York City politics. She had a Masters in Public Administration and
was a Registered Nurse. She was a passionate activist who was committed to
advocacy, social justice and public and community service. She also mentored
many young professionals.

Eligible students must reside on the Upper East Side ( from E 59th St to E
96th St., from Fifth Avenue to the East River, and Roosevelt Island). All
applicants should be in good academic standing at their high school and must
submit a one page essay on their involvement in community service, electoral
politics and/or government, as well as any volunteerism. 

Applications and an
official transcript should be emailed to:  [email protected] 
by May 13, 2022. Finalists will be contacted for interviews in late May. The Barbara J. Chocky Memorial Award committee will consider diversity, equity
and inclusion when reviewing applications. 

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram. The recipient will be
presented with the Award in June.

Donations to the fund may be made to the Barbara J. Chocky Memorial Award on Go Fund Me.

More on Ms Chocky from NY Times obituary and Upper East Side Patch article.