Simple Tribute Honors Communitys 9/11 Lost

In the enormity of the tragedy of September 11, tributes both large and small have honored the lost. But even after a full year of memorials and remembering, new tributes continue to move New Yorkers to tears.
A simple exhibit at the Poppenhusen Institute in College Point made of newspaper clippings, snapshots and letters is surprisingly powerful in its quiet homage to 10 victims of 9/11 who either lived in or had close ties to the neighborhood.
"College Point has grown a lot, but we still feel very close to each other," said Susan Brustmann, Poppenhusen Institutes executive director and a College Point native. "Were honored that the families even allowed us to do this."
To put together the memorial exhibit, Brustmann wrote letters to the 10 families asking for information about their loved one. In almost every case, they wrote her back and offered her family mementos and photographs to use. In cases where the families did not respond, Brustmann and others at the institute searched out newspaper articles or school pictures to place in the exhibit. Fire Captain Thomas Wick and firefighter Thomas Weckman, both of College Point, also networked with other firemen to find photos and information about those lost to the FDNY.
The result is a memorial full of pictures of the victims as they were in life: standing tall in their graduation cap and gown, smiling at their weddings, or as children, riding a tricycle or playing baseball.
Thomas Harlin is beaming with his children, photos of Michele Coyle-Eulau capture her at her wedding, Michael Carlo looks awkwardly out of his jr. high school yearbook page, and a five-year-old Thomas Casoria giggles at a birthday party.
For some, friends or family have written heart-wrenching tributes. Coyle-Eulaus childhood friend Suzanne Tangredi simply lists the things she loved about her life-long pal.
The room in which the memorial is set up also has a small fountain and a pair of benches, so visitors can sit and contemplate. They can even close the heavy wooden doors if they need privacy. The exhibit will remain open for a year.
This informal but carefully created exhibit in the midst of the tight-knit community in which these people lived pays a deep and meaningful tribute not just to the lost, but to those who loved them.
"Life goes on because it has to," said Brustmann. "But we can never really forget."