By Nicole Falco
In his keynote address, Joseph Cairo referred to memory as one of God's greatest gifts, because though time passes, memories remain.
Cairo spoke to an audience that gathered to remember Scott Bart, class of 1991, Bruce Boehm, class of 1970, James Haran, class of 1978, and Adam Ruhalter, class of 1978. The four graduates of Valley Stream North High School may not have been acquainted, but their lives are connected by their deaths. All four were killed on Sept. 11, 2001. The memories of those four lives and their significance have been memorialized through the efforts of North's Spartan Club, a 20-year-old parents' organization.
The Spartan Club pitched its idea to create a memorial in the school's interior courtyard to North's principal, Dr. Thomas Troisi, the Board of Education, and the families of the four alumni, and the idea was well received. To raise money, the Spartan Club sold gift bricks, which were inscribed and have since been laid as part of the memorial. The memorial project included shrubbery and benches as well. The four corners of the memorial are dedicated to the four men, and a plaque has been placed at each corner.
"The memorial garden will not be to remember September 11 ... but rather to remember the lives of these four men," Cairo said.
The memorial was dedicated on June 13, and the audience included the family and friends of Bart, Haran and Boehm. Ruhalter's family was unable to attend. Dr. Robert Alden, former principal of North, returned for the dedication and led those gathered in a moment of silence. The evening included a performance of the national anthem by students Alison Andrews, Elizabeth Rini and Callie Viggiano and an instrumental rendition of "I Will Always Love You," by flutist Alison Carter. A scroll and plaque were presented to each victim's family, and the presentation was followed by a candle lighting.
