By KIMBERLY ACEVEDO
As Elizabeth remembered her husband, dozens of residents and non-residents alike came to the same site at Lincoln Beach on Sept. 11 morning to show their support for the families and to remember the victims lost during the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center Towers. With boards in hand, the surfers held a memorial paddle, sponsored by Unsound.
They formed a circle in the ocean and on the sand, as they held a moment of silence for the victims of the terrorist attacks.
It's a way for surfers to pay their respects, Unsound owner Dave Juan said. Memorial T-shirts were available for donations that would raise money for the newly-formed Stephen Hoffman Memorial Scholarship fund, which will award a scholarship to a Long Beach High School senior each year. Hoffman, a Long Beach resident, had worked in the towers for Cantor Fitzgerald. He was one of Robert Jordan's closest friends and memorial benches honor the two side by side at Lincoln.
Out on the beach on this anniversary morning, some reflected on the events of a year earlier and how things had changed. The waves are like they were one year ago, Roy Lester said. Last year, on Sept. 11, Lester began his morning in the water, unaware of the tragedy that was unfolding. By the time he made his way to the Loop Parkway, he saw the billowy smoke traveling across the skyline.
It was an incredible contrast, he said. From being in the water, thinking that everything was all right to driving to work and the whole world changed.
