The community is invited to help recognize Patriot Day on September 11, at 7 am, on the southwest corner of the Clinton Square. As in years past, there will be a guest speaker and short ceremony. All are welcome. The 9/11 memorial located there is, of course, a reminder of that tragic day, but also a reminder that all first responders put their lives on the line daily. Many folks do not look too closely at the memorial on the southwest corner. Some folks may not know it is there at all. One part of the memorial is made of a piece of twisted metal from the site of the Twin Towers – which was obtained through the efforts of then START (Students Together Achieving Responsible Tasks) President Beth Ross and others.
The approval process for obtaining the piece itself was detailed and long – and the odds were slim that Clinton would get anything at all; START had already been denied the initial application when efforts to obtain something began. But, through the help of a retired New York City Fireman whose son was killed on 9/11 (Lee Ielpi – his son was Jonathan) the odds improved of Clinton getting a piece of one of the Towers for their own memorial: Beth, in a previous interview, said that after Lee got involved it wasn’t long before tracking information for a package started appearing. Excitement grew about what might show up and no one knew what to expect. What would it look like? To make matters more tense, when the package finally arrived Beth was out of town with her family. Fortunately, the late JC Smith made everyone involved wait so it could be opened together. “It may not be the largest piece of steel that was given, but it makes up for its size with character,” said Bethany a few years ago.
The memorial site is shaded by trees and the engraved stone is the design of Gerald and Dixie Atchison: there is a lot of detail on the stone and it is worth a close look when you visit. Beth denies taking too much credit for the endeavor and usually says that others should be acknowledged more than her, but it was her idea, and it turned out wonderfully.
