Twp. recalls 9/11 in somber ceremony
Second phase of memorial unveiled to crowd of hundreds

BY JENNIFER KOHLHEPP
Staff Writer

FARRAH MAFFAI staff North Brunswick Township Councilman Bob Davis looks for his cousin’s name, Glenn Davis Kirwin, on the township’s 9/11 memorial on Saturday.

One day in the distant future, a child will look at North Brunswick’s Sept. 11 memorial and feel the impact that tragic day had on society.

That’s the image members of North Brunswick Township’s Sept. 11 Committee maintained in their minds throughout the last three years while developing their community’s tribute to the 3,000 people who perished at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and Pennsylvania Sept. 11, 2001.

On Saturday, hundreds of community members attended a special ceremony at 10 a.m. in 9/11 Memorial Park on Hermann Road to witness the committee’s unveiling of the second phase of the memorial.

“When you look at all of the names inscribed here, you are moved and can’t help but get a lump in your throat,” Mayor Francis “Mac” Womack said while reading through the names inscribed on three scrolling black granite screens the committee dedicated during the ceremony.

While some in attendance reflected internally, many community members could not contain an outward display of grief.

Committeeman and Councilman Bob Davis knelt before the screen containing the name Glenn Davis Kirwin, and in a moment of reflection leaned a carnation up against the wall and wept. Davis, who did not read during this year’s ceremony because his emotions overtook him, while reading a poem last year said, “It never gets easier.”

Congressman Rush Holt, who spoke at the ceremony, agreed with Davis’ sentiment. Holt said the years since the event will never get easier, but will work to provide context for what happened.

“The events of that day actually become more meaningful with time,” Holt said. “We are all still trying to develop a response to that day. My partial response this year is simply that I now know true courage and it gives me the courage each day to face down bigotry and to build a stronger community.”

Holt, Davis, Womack, and committee members Lou Ann Benson, Ann Coscione, Ann and Dan DiStefano, Helene Handaly, Dawn Holubiak, Kenneth McCormick and Roni Salkin revealed tablets and two sitting benches to the community during the ceremony. The group uncovered the second phase of their project from beneath heavy black draperies adorned with red, white and blue ribbons that hid the new additions from public view until the ceremony.

“Today we unveil a piece of history that not only reminds us of how valuable our freedom is, but that will also teach a valuable history lesson to those of future generations who did not live through the tragic experience,” Benson said.

Womack dedicated the plaques to the memory of those who lost their lives on 9/11 and to those still living.

“It is important for the living to move forward and lead stronger, more meaningful lives for those who perished, ourselves, the nation and those who will come after us,” Womack said.

In key with Womack’s remarks, the North Brunswick Community Worship Center performed. Sean Plante, 19, of South Brunswick, and Andrea Hoagland, 33, of New Brunswick, led the group in two songs.

Plante sang, “When you feel pain and you can no longer go on your own strength, just stand, stand and watch the Lord see you through.” Plante’s uplifting melody faded into Hoagland’s soulful, “We Shall Overcome.”

Hoagland said it was the first time she participated in a Sept. 11 ceremony.

“It is important for the community to come out and gather together to pay respects to those who lost their lives and their surviving family and friends,” Hoagland said.

The North Brunswick Township High School choral group performed under the supervision of advisor Peggy Sica.

After singing the “Star-Spangled Banner” and “God Bless America” during the ceremony, choral member Valerie Swercheck, 16, said, “This ceremony is not just about how that day affected us personally, it is about coming together with our community and realizing how we are all still grieving that day.”

Salkin, who lost her brother, Alan Lederman, kept her sunglasses on throughout the ceremony to cover eyes red with the anguish she says she feels most every September since that day.

“I can’t say that it feels good to finally have unveiled the plaques we worked so hard on,” Salkin said. “There is a sense of accomplishment, but there is a stronger feeling of grief and inner struggle when you look at all of those names.”

Salkin said the township’s ceremonies somewhat counteract the loss she feels when she thinks about her brother.

“Each year, the ceremony is done so tastefully and I am grateful for it and my involvement with the committee. But the music, the poems and the entire tribute bring me right back to that day and into memories I have of my brother. It’s hard.”

Salkin said her dedication to the lasting tribute will not end soon, however.

“The granite scrolls and the benches do not mark the end of the township’s memorial project,” she said.

The new additions flank a centerpiece of two granite hands upholding two pieces of metal salvaged from the wreckage of the World Trade Center collapse that the committee installed last year.

Committee members relied on private donations from individuals and local businesses for both stages of the project, which cost upward of $50,000.

The committee wants to continue to expand on the memorial with landscaping and other cosmetic additions.

“Just as ancient civilizations left writings on cave walls for us to decipher the events of the past, our community remains dedicated to leaving similar inscriptions about the events that moved and changed our society,” resident Georgiana Hartland said. “This is our contribution to history and no expense should seem too much, considering the price we’ve already paid.”

For more information or to make a contribution, call (732) 247-0922 ext. 475.