Project 2,996: Remember Shekhar Kumar
Shekhar Kumar was a 30 year-old programmer analyst at Cantor Fitzgerald in the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. He’d been married in November 2000, and didn’t have the opportunity to celebrate his first wedding anniversary. A co-worker described Shekhar as “a gentle man with a great capacity for figuring our arcane problems, and … Read more
Project 2,996: Remember Andre G. Fletcher
Andre G. Fletcher was a 37-year-old firefighter with Rescue 5, an emergency response unit with NYFD. Andre and his twin brother, Zack, also a firefighter, responded to the crisis on September 11, 2001. Andre was killed in the first tower collapse at the World Trade Center. Zack described he and his brother as “type A-plus” … Read more
Project 2,996: Remember Matthew Gerard Leonard
Matthew Gerard Leonard was a 38-year-old lawyer working as director of litigation at Cantor Fitzgerald in the South Tower of the World Trade Center when tragedy struck on September 11, 2001. He was husband to Yolanda, brother to Helen, and father to Christina, seven months old at the time. Matthew was a devout Catholic, steadfastly … Read more
Project 2,996: Remember Kenneth Watson
Kenneth Watson was laid to rest on November 9, 2001 – almost two months after terrorists decimated the World Trade Center, where his body was finally found. He served as a firefighter with Engine Company 214. Engine Company 214 responded to the devastation caused when the towers were struck. By mid-day, several members of the … Read more
Project 2,996: Remember Deborah Merrick
Mr. Wright originally wrote this tribute for Deborah on 9/11/09. He posted it on a blog we set up for our business, but never ended up using. Therefore, it gets relatively no traffic. I wanted to move Deborah’s tribute here, where thousands can stumble upon it and say a prayer in her memory.Deborah Merrick45 years … Read more
Project 2,996: Remember Joseph DiPilato
This post was originally published on 9/11/09 on Citizen Gonzo. I’ve moved it here because I haven’t blogged at Citizen Gonzo for a long, long time, and I get thousands more hits on this blog than on CG. I think Joseph deserves those thousands of views and more, don’t you? Electrician Joseph DiPilato, age 57, … Read more
Bad Gratitude Monday: I’m Alive. You? Happy Memorial Day!
Poor Gonzo Mama spent the last week in bed with a nasty bacteria that caused her to have pneumonia and collapsed lung tissue and all manner of nastiness. I’m telling the story over on Jaren’s blog. Thanks to the healing provision of the Lord and some high-powered antibiotics, I’m up and running again. If that’s … Read more
Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie… Or Anywhere Else, for That Matter
Last night I bought a copy of Elizabethtown at StuffMart. Perhaps it’s a sign of my rapidly accelerated aging process in the last few years, but the first time I saw the movie, I really keyed in to the great music, the Paul Varjak/Holly Golightly-type almost-romance between two beautiful people who were truly friends first, and the … Read more
Bad Gratitude Monday: Family Treasures, Poetry & Cutter Racing
Did y’all know I’ve written a little poetry in my time? Well, I have. You can stop laughing, now. The thing is, I never had a gift for rhymed verse, though I wanted to. I totally wanted to rock that ABAB or ABBA or ABCBA rhyming scheme, but I actually sucked at it. I like … Read more
Project 2,996: Remember Rahma Salie
Project 2,996 volunteer Asher Styrsky wrote the following tribute to Rahma Salie, wife of Michael Theodoridis, on Facebook. Since only Asher’s friends can see this wonderful tribute, Asher asked me to copy and post it here, where Rahma’s tribute can be joined with Michael’s. Here is Asher’s tribute to Rahma: For several years now, I’ve … Read more
Project 2,996: Remember Michael Theodoridis
Michael Theodoridis, 32, and his wife, Rahma Salie, 28, were passengers on American Airlines Flight 11 on September 11, 2001. Rahma was seven months pregnant with their first child. The two were looking forward to being parents as they boarded the plane, intending to travel to California to attend a wedding. Michael was of Greek … Read more
