Maine news, sports, weather | Kennebec Journal, Augusta, Maine

September 11, 2012

Mainers take time to remember Sept. 11 attacks

By David Hench dhench@mainetoday.com
Staff Writer

Susan Moore thought the grief would diminish with the passage of years.

Her brother, Stephen Ward, of Gorham, was working on the 101st floor of the World Trade Center's north tower and was one of the 3,000 people killed in the terrorist attacks Sept. 11, 2001.

Moore realized that each year she still endures powerful emotions -- memories of a cheerful, dedicated man and a deep sense of loss at his passing.

"I'm not working (Tuesday)," said Moore, a Windham real estate broker. "If I look up and see blue sky and I'm brought back to where I was that day, I think it's better not to be at work, and be by myself."

Today, on the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, Moore will gather with other family members at a cemetery to pay their respects and to mourn him privately.

Their public observance was held Sunday, when some 250 people ran in the 911 Memorial 5K Run Walk, a race to raise money for a scholarship in Ward's name.

Sept. 11 observances around the state will be muted this year compared to the large memorials held in Maine and across the country last year for the 10th anniversary, which fell on a Sunday.

Some events, such as the road race, were held last weekend.

The Maine State Federation of Firefighters convention was held in Freeport over the weekend, and firefighters from around the state participated in a memorial there Saturday.

Maine's Roman Catholic diocese paid tribute to police, firefighters and emergency medical workers in Lewiston at its annual Blue Mass held to mark the public safety response to the terrorist attacks.

Other events are this coming weekend, including the Maine Fire Service Institute's 9/11 memorial dedication at Southern Maine Community College's midcoast campus at Brunswick Landing.

In Lubec, the Congregational Church hosts a memorial garden in remembrance of Jackie and Robert Norton, of Lubec, retirees who were headed to a wedding on the West Coast when their plane was flown into the World Trade Center.

Moore said public events have little bearing on her personal remembrance.

"I'm not terribly conscious of everything out there," she said. "There have been years and there probably will be years where we go to Manhattan and participate with the New York community."

For those who knew and loved her brother, gathering annually to raise money for a scholarship to help a Gorham High School senior attend college is an appropriate memorial.

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