THE SHS 9/11 MEMORIAL

At the front of Seaford High School is the SHS 9/11 Memorial, which  is a permanent tribute to five Seaford High School graduates who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. It is also a testimony to the character of the community, representing the cooperative efforts and undaunted spirit of Seaford residents who gave of themselves to make it happen.

 

Timmy Haskell, Tommy Haskell, John Perry, Robert Sliwak and Michael Wittenstein would have been proud to stand with over 1,000 community members who attended the dedication ceremony on Saturday, November 23, 2003. These five men, who so many times during their high school days stood in the very spot where the memorial now stands, are honored there by five individual bronze plaques bearing their names. The plaques surround two stately marble pillars signifying the Twin Towers.

 

In the aftermath of the attacks, several individuals expressed the desire to commemorate the lives of these five Seaford alumni  through a permanent addition to the high school building. Discussion gave birth to the formation of a committee to plan all aspects of the memorial, including how it would be funded. Through a fundraiser held at Mulcahy’s, the sale of bricks (which now adorn the walkway around the memorial) and a fair held at Seaford Knights of Columbus, local area residents and school district personnel and students were given the opportunity to contribute to the creation of the memorial. The response was tremendous, and in just over a year’s time, the memorial became a reality.

 

As a prelude to the dedication ceremony, the Wantagh and Seaford fire department trucks formed a ladder arch across Seamans Neck Road in front of the high school.  New York City police and firefighters, the Nassau County Sheriff’s Department and the Wantagh American Legion were all represented at the event. Rabbi Michael Kramer of Temple Judea offered the invocation.  Congressman Peter King was the keynote speaker. Former Seaford High School Principal Patrick Gallagher also addressed the gathering. Family members of the memorialized men participated in the ribbon cutting ceremony to officially mark the occasion. Seaford School District Board President Julie Oliva commented, “I have always felt that Seaford is a community that takes care of its own. It was heart warming to watch the cooperation between the citizens of Seaford and its educational community as they joined forces to memorialize our five alumni lost in this horrific attack.”

 

“The occasion served two purposes,” noted former Seaford High School Principal Ray Buckley, who served as a co-chair of the event with Mr. Gallagher. “First, there was tremendous collaboration and consensus by the four families, determining the overall success of the memorial. Second, the Seaford community has once again demonstrated its ‘Seaford pride,’ not only by financially supporting the 9/11 memorial, but also by their presence at the dedication. By the community’s involvement, the success of the memorial was mandated.”