By Anthony Rifilato
It is also the boyhood home of Brian McAleese, a 36-year-old New York City firefighter and father of four, who died on Sept. 11 trying to save people after the attack on the World Trade Center.
On Saturday, April 5, in a fitting tribute to Brian, the street was renamed Brian McAleese Place. In a ceremony attended by nearly 100 people, including family, firemen, neighbors and Town of Hempstead officials, the new sign bearing his name was unveiled following a solemn service that honored Baldwin's fallen hero.
McAleese was a seven-year veteran of Engine Company 226 in Brooklyn. He is survived by his wife, Dawn, and four young children, Brianne, Jack, Aidan and Liam. His father, Jack, was a New York City firefighter. His brother, John, is a firefighter with Engine 219, and bother Kevin is a New York City detective.
As members of the New York City and Baldwin fire departments stood in formation, a bagpiper led the McAleese family to the podium at the corner of Tennyson and Harte. There Brian's mother, AnnMarie, and two sisters and two brothers, among others, addressed the neighborhood, recalling not only a courageous fireman, but a loving husband, father, brother and son.
"It was on this street where we all grew up," Brian's sister Pat Nitti said in an emotional speech. Nitti recalled how Brian would work on his car in the driveway, play ball with neighborhood kids, and how he would bring Dawn home for the holidays. "Each time we gather here we remember him. When we hear the word hero and all that applies, we remember him."
This is not the first time the neighborhood has come together to remember McAleese. His siblings spoke of the extraordinary support the neighbors gave shortly after the tragedy. "It was this very street where neighbors came to the family's aid after 9-11," Nitti said.
Now, after 18 months of immeasurable grief, the family said the time was right to commemorate the street where McAleese was raised. "This is where Brian grew up, and it will always be Brian's place," said his sister Maureen Porcelli. Porcelli reflected on how tagging along
with her older brother to the beach or to the car wash was always a privilege, and how they would play touch football with neighborhood friends. "All those games were played right here on this street," she said.
Brian's brother John, who along with Kevin McAleese was dressed in full uniform, also spoke. "To have his name on this street sign means that every time someone drives down the block, people will remember him," he said.
Bill Carew, captain of Engine 226, gave a moving speech remembering his friend and colleague, and how the past 18 months have been painful for those close to Brian. "After 9-11, we all thought we'd forget," Carew said of the tragedy's impact, which hasn't yet faded from the public consciousness. "We see here today that that's not possible."
As people stood under tents in the chilly, rainy weather, Father Robert Kuznick of St. Christopher's Church led the crowd in prayer and gave an invocation. Town Councilman Anthony Santino and Town Supervisor Kate Murray also gave speeches, and later presented a separate street sign to Brian's mother. AnnMarie unveiled the sign above Tennyson and Harte to an eruption of cheers and bagpipe music. Then, underscoring the closeness of the neighborhood, she invited everyone over for lunch.
The street sign is a symbol of the indelible memories McAleese left on the neighborhood, and childhood friends recalled growing up around him.
Brian's sister-in-law, Heather McAleese, had known him since junior high school. She described him as someone who helped out his neighbors and volunteered for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, working against an illness which his father had suffered and died from.
"I thought it was a beautiful tribute to a beautiful life," she said of the ceremony.
Beth Gibbons, who also grew up on Tennyson, said she and McAleese were part of a close-knit group of kids on the block. "We were always hanging out together," she said. "He had the nicest laugh. I can still hear his laugh."
Dan Forsberg, who grew up on Harte Street and attended Plaza Elementary School with McAleese, pointed to the new sign. "We used to climb that sign post," he said. "There is such a strong McAleese presence on this street. Having his name on the sign is a fitting tribute."
