Howard Beach Remembers at Tutor Village

The Tutor Village community in Howard Beach gathered at Joseph Addabbo Playground to honor the memory of those taken by the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The memoriam was held to mark the 10th anniversary of the attacks, but for many in attendance, the tragedy of that day is still a fresh wound.
Isabella Romano worked with 12 of the victims at an investment firm in 1988 – those 12, all close friends long after their employment together ended, died along with hundreds of other Cantor-Fitzgerald employees on that Tuesday morning.
At the candlelight vigil, Romano held 12 balloons, each one representing a friend she lost. Her name could have easily been among the deceased, as she interviewed for a job with Cantor-Fitzgerald, but was turned away because she didn’t have a college degree.
“Not going to college saved my life,” she said, clutching the balloons and fighting tears. “I just wanted to do something special for them. The feeling of that day never subsides completely. Each year I relive that morning.”
Also in southern Queens, hundreds gathered in Tribute Park in Rockaway Park to remember the victims. This year, a piece of World Trade Center steel was unveiled as a permanent fixture in the park. — Steve Mosco