RCC 9/11 Memorial Garden

Rockland Community College will dedicate its 9/11 Memorial Garden on September 11. The centerpiece will be a sculpture created from steel artifacts from the World Trade Center. The garden is designed to be a place of quiet reflection, to remember those who were lost and to honor first responders and those who study and work to make the future safer. 

The College received four steel I-beam fragments from the World Trade Center. These beams have been transformed into a steel and stone sculpture by Rockland artist Eric Laxman. The garden will be located in a small grove of trees on campus, with the sculpture as the central feature.

Original tiles created by local ceramic artist Cathy McErlean-Goddard, a poem by Rockland County’s Poet Laureate, RCC Professor Dan Masterson, and the inscribed bricks will all be permanent elements of the garden.  

The 9/11 Memorial Garden was initiated by RCC President, Dr. Cliff L. Wood, and designed by Page Simon, Professor of Art. Matterhorn Nursery has donated flowering trees, with local landscapers installing trees, plants and brick walkways under the leadership of Paul Trader of the Cornell Cooperative Extension.

Funds raised through contributions to install bricks will provide scholarships for students studying Fire Protection Technology, Emergency Medical Service, or Criminal Justice.