NEWS
Montgomery County Office of Communications
Court House, Norristown, PA, Box 311, 19404-0311
Phone : 610-278-3061 Fax : 278-5959
Commissioners : James R. Matthews Chairman, Thomas Jay Ellis, Esq., Ruth S. Damsker
RELEASE: 04/04/05 PR#05-11
DATE SET FOR DEDICATION OF SEPTEMBER 11th MEMORIAL
NORRISTOWN — The Montgomery County Commissioners and President Judge S. Gerald Corso are pleased to announce that a Dedication Ceremony for the September 11th Memorial will be held at 11 a.m. on Thursday September 8th next to the Swede Street entrance to the Court House.
The centerpiece of the Memorial sculpture is a dramatically twisted piece of steel superstructure that came from the World Trade Center where American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the building. The steel will be cupped in a set of hands and held aloft.
The County Commissioners have set a goal of having this cultural resource funded entirely through private donations and are proud to announce one-third of the $125,000 has already been gathered.
A significant pledge by members of the Genuardi family has boosted the fund to its current level of $45,000. Through their generous pledge, the Genuardi family has again demonstrated its commitment to giving back to the communities where its stores have operated throughout the Delaware Valley, especially Norristown.
"We hope through the leadership and example of the Genuardi family that other families and businesses in Montgomery County will support this very worthwhile Memorial project," Commissioners Chairman James R. Matthews said.
"It’s a commitment to honor those who responded to the terrorists, those who fell as helpless victims, and more importantly, to stand by the side of the families of those victims," Matthews said. "We should all ensure that the light on this memorial will never fade."
The event will feature speeches by Commissioner Matthews and Sassona Norton, the sculptor.
Montgomery County Sheriff John Durante, a forensic fingerprint expert who volunteered to help identify victims of the tragedy, secured the donation of the twisted steel I-beam from the World Trade Center for use in the County’s Memorial service a year after the tragedy.
The steel was stored at the County fire academy while the Commissioners sponsored a contest to use it in a permanent memorial to Montgomery County natives who lost their lives in the Twin Towers and all victims of the attacks as well as emergency personnel who responded.
The steel is currently at a foundry in New York state being assembled into the memorial.
