Novell Hopkins (1934-2008) was former deputy director of civilian personnel for the Fire Department and an active member of local civic groups. She was the founder and vice president of the Neighborhood Block Association for Springfield Gardens.

Hopkins came to New York City in 1953 to marry her high school sweetheart on his return from the battlefront in Korea. She helped him raise their three children while attending night school for nearly ten years to earn her Bachelor’s in Sociology at Hunter College. She later joined FDNY where she became Deputy Director of Civilian Personnel, and assisted the Department in recruiting and promoting fellow women and minorities. She was also an active block association, civic group, and church committee meeting participant. During the 1968 teachers strike, she was pivotal in keeping Junior High School 231 open by getting parents to work with teachers and remain in the building overnight so it would not be closed. This led to classes that were conducted by largely African-American teachers who encouraged the students to attend school despite the strike. She was the Founder and Vice President of Neighborhood Block Association for Springfield Gardens where she worked to bar heavy commercial vehicles from using residential streets and also arranged for the planting of street trees throughout Springfield Gardens. In 1987 she received a Public Service Achievement award from Women in Government, and in 1988 received the Excellence in Service Award from the New York City Fire Department.