Buchanan, Cortlandt, Croton to Dedicate 9/11 Memorial on 15th Anniversary of Attacks

CORTLANDT, NY — The municipalities of the Town of Cortlandt and the Villages of Buchanan and Croton-on- Hudson will hold a dedication ceremony at 2 p.m. Sept. 11, 2016 at Croton Landing in Croton-on- Hudson, New York.

The Memorial – “Reaching Through The Shadow” - is now complete and was formally transferred from the BCC 9/11 Task Force to the three municipalities, said Cortlandt Town Supervisor Linda Puglisi.

Participants will gather in the Croton Landing parking area at the north end of Elliott Way of the Croton RiverWalk at 1:30 p.m. for the ceremony at 2 pm. Led by a color guard from the community, they will walk in procession along the quarter-of- a-mile pathway north to the site on the Hudson River. A van from the Village of Croton will be in the parking area to transport those who need assistance.

The planning, creating and building of the Memorial began in 2009. Through the hard work and perseverance of the local all-volunteer Task Force, this unique Memorial will stand for many future generations as a symbol of remembrance and hope, she said.

Major components of the Memorial consist of a functioning sundial with nine, artistically-created bronze medallions serving as the hour markers (from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.) which also depict the searing events of that day. The World Trade Center steel beam from the North Tower performs as the gnomon of the sundial, which is registered with the North American Sundial Society (NASS).

In 2014, a bronze life-size statue of a woman was installed under the steel beam. The woman is reaching, but not quite touching, the steel beam. She is “Reaching Through The Shadow” (the title of the Memorial) and she symbolizes hope and strength. She is meant to represent all of us who have experienced loss, but continue to have hope for the future. A Remembrance Garden, which is a place for reflection and renewal, has been planted adjacent to the Memorial.

A bronze plaque mounted on a boulder at the site is inscribed as follows:

Dedicated to all who lost their lives on September 11, 2001; to the first and second responders; to the members of the military who answered the call of duty; and to those listed below from our community:

• William F. Abrahamson Gregory E. Rodriguez
• FF George C. Cain Thomas E. Sinton III
• PO Stephen P. Driscoll Randall L. Sprance
• James A Oakley Joseph J. Zuccala

PHOTO/contributed by Task Force of the BCC 9/11 Memorial