McCarthy 9/11 Memorial Under Construction, Donations Still Needed

The concrete pad has already been installed outside of Reading Memorial High School, but RMHS graduate Mark Dwyer still needs more donations to pay for the Kevin McCarthy 9/11 memorial he organized.

“We’re about $1,000 short,” Dwyer said.

Dwyer has been organizing the memorial for a while. He has worked with both the town and the school district and appeared before both the board of selectmen and school committee.

The final plan for the memorial, already in mid-installation, starts with a circular area reachable by two walking paths and flanked by two trees. The circular area will also include three rounded granite benches and two granite monuments with affixed bronze plaques—one to honor all of the victims of the Sept. 11 2001 terrorist attacks and one to honor Kevin McCarthy.

Kevin McCarthy graduated from RMHS in 1978—one year before Dwyer—and worked on the 104th floor of the north tower on the day of the attacks.

He left behind three children and a winding life story.

According to Dwyer, McCarthy ran his own livery business for eight years. He also served with the National Guard while attending college and a stay-at-home dad for his newborn twins. Later, Dwyer said, McCarthy reinvented himself as bond broker, which took him into the World Trade Center.

Dwyer plans to dedicate the memorial on the morning of Sept. 11, 2011. He said the project cost a total of $11,000.

Anyone interested in making donations can send them to:

Kevin McCarthy RMHS 9/11 Memorial Fund
c/o Reading Cooperative Bank
180 Haven Street
Reading, MA 0186

Donors can also contribute online through PayPal.