Bob Hart Remembers Sept. 11 With Every Step

During a trip to New York in October 2001, Bob Hart decided to commemorate the victims of the Sept. 11 attacks. Once he figured out what to do, he got started.

He worked alone at first, creating what became for him a trail of tears on two of his 15 acres in eastern Clarke County. Friends old and new helped finish it. Today, under tall hardwoods stand wooden pole after pole, each with cross pieces, on which are hand-painted the names of each of those who died in New York, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C.

There are also benches, a rendering of the Pentagon and the World Trade Center, artwork and sculpture by Athens artist Harold Rittenberry. At the trail's beginning, you'll find a log book and a guidebook telling you which pole bears what name. There's also a copy of the heartbreaking profiles done by NY Times staff on the people who died in New York.

The names of Leslie Whittington; her husband, Charles Falkenburg; and their daughters, Zoe and Dana Falkenburg, are on one pole. The family was bound for California and then Australia when their plane hit the Pentagon. Hart grouped the names together at the request of Ruth Koch, Leslie's mother, and George Koch, her stepfather.

"Now Ruth and George don't have to go all over the place when they bring flowers," Hart said. "They bring zinnias for Zoe."

The community is invited to a commemoration this Sunday, September 11, beginning at 6:30 p.m. at the trail, 360 Morton Farm Lane. There will be music, singing, and the reading of all the names of those killed. Anyone who has trouble walking will receive special attention. Parking is available along the road and in a field across the street.