P.S. 193 is an elementary school in Kings County, Brooklyn, New York City. Its students range from Pre-Kindergarten to fifth grade, and the school provides for the educational needs of approximately 900 children. It is also known as the ‘Gil Hodges School, after the famous baseball player. The school itself is on Bedford Avenue and Avenue L, a section of the former in proximity to the school having been duly renamed Gil Hodges Way in April of 2001. The school was part of Educational District 22, which has now been combined with Districts 17 and 18, to form Region 6.
Gilbert Raymond Hodges (April 4, 1924 – April 2, 1972) was an American first baseman and manager in Major League Baseball who played most of his career for the Brooklyn & Los Angeles Dodgers. He was the major leagues’ outstanding first baseman in the 1950s, with teammate Duke Snider being the only player to have more home runs or runs batted in during the decade. His 370 career home runs set a National League record for right-handed hitters, and briefly ranked tenth in major league history; he held the NL record for career grand slams from 1957 to 1974. He anchored the infield on six pennant winners, and remains one of the most beloved and admired players in team history. A sterling defensive player, he won the first three Gold Glove Awards and led the NL in double plays four times and in putouts, assists and fielding percentage three times each. He ranked second in NL history with 1281 assists and 1614 double plays when his career ended, and was also among the league’s career leaders in games (6th, 1908) and total chances (10th, 16,751) at first base. He managed the New York Mets to the 1969 World Series title, one of the greatest upsets in Series history, before his sudden and untimely death at age 47.
