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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PR- 186-05
May 16, 2005

MAYOR BLOOMBERG, CONGRESSMAN FOSSELLA, STATE SENATOR GOLDEN AND BROOKLYN REMEMBERS UNVEIL “BEACON” MEMORIAL TO HONOR MEMORY OF THOSE LOST ON SEPTEMBER 11TH

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Congressman Vito Fossella, State Senator Marty Golden and Brooklyn Remembers Inc., a group formed by community members in the wake of September 11th,  today unveiled a memorial to honor the 283 victims of Kings County lost in the World Trade Center attack.  Soaring 25 feet in the air, the “Beacon” memorial is shaped like a speaking trumpet. The device was once used by the volunteer fire brigades of New York City to transmit warnings to the crowd, and orders to firefighters, while also alerting neighbors of a crisis in progress.  Made of bronze, the memorial features a beacon of light shining from the top that will be illuminated from 9:00 pm to 11:00 pm daily.  Both Lower Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty can be seen from memorial’s location on Veteran’s Pier at 69th Street in Bay Ridge. 
 
“Today, we come together to remember how our loved ones lived – their bravery, their decency, their love for family and friends, and for the great borough of Brooklyn,” said Mayor Bloomberg.  “On the morning of September 11th, many gathered on this pier and watched our City’s most terrible tragedy unfold before their eyes.  For decades, we had looked at the Twin Towers as a symbol of New York’s strength and power.  But on the morning those buildings crumbled to the earth, we came to look at each other to find the true source of our strength and power.  As we dedicate this memorial, let’s pledge to renew our efforts to be better neighbors and help one another, and carry it forward in our daily lives – making a difference as volunteers, as neighbors, and as citizens.  That’s the very least we owe to those we lost on that terrible day.  We will never forget them.”

 “The attack of September 11th robbed our community of hundreds of men and women who helped make Brooklyn such a wonderful place to live,” said Congressman Fossella.  “They remain in our thoughts and prayers.  This memorial will help us to keep alive the names and memories of those who are no longer with us.  It will allow us to remember their sacrifice and honor their lives.  The memorial will serve as a reminder to future generations that our freedom must be cherished because so many gave their lives in its name.  I would like to thank the Parks Department, the Board of Brooklyn Remembers, those who contributed and the countless others whose efforts made the creation of this memorial a reality.”

“Since 8:46 a.m. on the morning of September 11, 2001, the American Veterans Memorial Pier has been a place for Brooklyn residents to go to remember and reflect upon the attack on the World Trade Center that once stood in the shadows of this Brooklyn Pier,” said Senator Golden. “Today, we erect a permanent memorial on the pier so that we, as a borough, can always remember the lives lost in the name of democracy that morning.  Our mission to remember was brave, but our vision was never blurred.”
 
“I would like to thank the members of the Board for their dedicated and hard work,” said Brooklyn Remembers President Bill Guarinello.  “I would also like to thank Congressman Fossella and Senator Golden for their commitment to remembering the lives of Brooklyn’s heroes and for assembling this group to honor their sacrifice.”

“We are a tight knit group of people in Brooklyn and all us in the Bay Ridge-Bensonhurst area felt a tremendous sense of loss on September 11th,” said Brooklyn Remembers Secretary & Administrator Patrick Condren.  “We are pleased to present this today to the people of the City of New York and we thank Mayor Bloomberg for joining us and accepting this memorial wonderfully designed and built by Brooklyn’s own Robert Ressler.”

The Beacon was designed and built by artist Robert Ressler, whose design was selected through a competition which included Brooklyn Remembers, the City’s Arts Commission and Parks Department, and was approved by the Art Commission in February of 2004. 

The memorial was cast from bronze at Bedi-Macky, a foundry in Greenpoint and the oldest in New York City, and best known for having cast the Iwo Jima Memorial.  At the ceremony, members of Brooklyn Remembers turned the memorial over to the Parks Department. 

George Hindy, a 9/11 family member from Brooklyn who lost his son Mark, an employee of Cantor Fitzgerald, in the attack said, “I am here today with mixed emotions – sadness that we even have to be here but a sense of gratitude to all the people present on the committee who worked tirelessly on this memorial.  I hope the Beacon will keep 9/11 in peoples’ thoughts and help us work to make sure that something like this never happens again.”

Brooklyn Remembers Inc. is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) corporation and was, founded in October of 2001 by a group of community leaders from Bay Ridge and Bensonhurst. Through a collective and individual effort, the Board generated interest in the design, development and building of a monument dedicated to those from Brooklyn who were lost on September 11, 2001.







MEDIA CONTACT:


Edward Skyler/Jennifer Falk   (212) 788-2958



GENERAL CONTACT:

Patrick Condren (Brooklyn Remembers)   (917) 836-3685


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