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Mostly Cloudy Bellmore-Merrick Central District dedicates 9/11 memorial
World Trade Center girder forms centerpiece of tribute to local victims
Thomas Crotty stood and stared for a moment on Friday at the twisted, rusted, 1,600-pound steel girder in front of the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District’s Brookside School in North Merrick. “It was very thoughtful of the community and the young people to do this so the day and the people will not be forgotten,” Crotty remarked.
His wife, Pat, agreed, saying, “This was really amazing.”
The couple was referring to the memorial that now bears the name of their son, Thomas, killed in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, along with the names of Bellmore-Merrick’s 23 other victims. “He was the oldest of our four boys,” Pat said, holding back tears.
On Sept. 24, the Central District dedicated the memorial, with a girder that once helped to hold up one of the Twin Towers at its center. The piece sits now in the middle of a brick walkway at the entrance to the Brookside School, which houses the district’s administrative offices. Surrounding the memorial are plaques and bushes.
Dozens of local residents, many the family and friends of Bellmore-Merrick victims of the Sept. 11 attacks, attended the solemn ceremony, punctuated by a performance of “God Bless America” by Mepham High School vocalist Stephanie Mojica, daughter of 9/11 victim Manuel Mojica of Bellmore. Also in attendance were Central District Superintendent Dr. Henry Kiernan, state Sen. Charles Fuschillo Jr., Assemblyman David McDonough and Assemblyman Thomas McKevitt. Calhoun High School violinist Rebecca Bittman performed “Gabriel’s Oboe,” by Ennio Morricone, to open the ceremony, and Kennedy High School vocalist Dana Shapiro sang the national anthem. A group of four Meadowbrook Alternative Program students read the names of Bellmore-Merrick’s victims aloud (see video).
“9/11 touched all of us in one way or another,” McDonough noted sadly.
Special-education teacher John Boyle and former MAP student Julie Schnaars led the yearlong effort to bring the girder to the Central District. The project began with a drawing by retired Calhoun High School art teacher Dan Christoffel.
