Seaford H.S. Graduate Remembers Five Alumni Who Died On 9/11

WANTAGH, NY — Since 2015, Michele Walsh Myers has been riding her bicycle to honor the five Seaford High School graduates who died on 9/11.

Myers was part of the school's Class of 1985 that would include two future victims of the World Trade Center terrorist attacks-- Timothy Haskell and Michael Wittenstein.

For the 20th anniversary, Myers decided to do a different route, riding 470 miles spanning nine days that would take her and friend Tracey Durst to the sites of the plane crashes: Shanksville, PA, the Pentagon and the former Ground Zero in lower Manhattan. The trip included stops at three 9/11 Memorials and 14 firehouses. She concluded the ride at Seaford High School's 9/11 Memorial.

"It was extremely emotional, just the thought, organization and dedication to put these memorials together to honor these people that lost their lives on September 11," Myers told Patch. "It's hard to put into words. I'm wiping tears away from my eyes because you feel it as you're there."

The Haskells got a punch to the gut twice on 9/11-- FDNY brothers Timothy and Thomas were killed on 9/11. Myers, who relocated to Rochester, NY, knew Timmy fairly well. They both were in the high school band and their families were close.

Myers, while resurrecting her education at SUNY Brockport for a career change, noticed a familiar voice on her dorm room TV.

"It was Kenny Haskell and he was being interviewed about his brothers [who] were missing," she said. "That's when I realized it hit home."

Her recollections of Wittenstein, who died while working at Cantor Fitzgerald, is that of an academic and quiet person. She knew him as a classmate but not on a personal level.

It took several years for her to create "Michele's Ride to Remember" and "bring it home for my hometown."

Even more rewarding, her ride is a fundraiser using GoFundMe that helps support the five annual high school scholarships named for the victims. She raised $2,200 this year.

"I put my mind, and pen to paper and came up with the bike ride," Myers said.