On the first anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City, Emporian Linda Cookson arose early to help ring the bell at Fire Station No. 2 in honor of the fallen victims, and she’s been paying tribute to those victims and the survivors ever since.
Because there weren’t enough people to ring the bell that morning, Cookson rang it more than once — for Nestor Andre Cintron III, age 26, who had been a broker with Cantor Fitzgerald, and Robert D. Cirri, 39, a police officer with the Port Authority Police.
She researched for contact information for both families and heard back from Cirri’s widow, Eileen Cirri, and they struck a unique friendship — a bond formed through tragedy. Cookson has exchanged many letters with Cirri over the last several years and holds a 9/11 memorial dinner each year to honor those who died in the attacks. This year was the largest one she’s held, with more than 20 guests, she said.
“Usually it’s been from five to a dozen or so,” Cookson said.
At Thursday evening’s dinner at Timmerman Elementary School, Cookson had a table where she placed past articles written about her and Cirri’s friendship and she placed a card for guests to sign for Cirri and individual note cards where people could write a note to her. Each year she sets the dinner to a patriotic theme. This year she had red and blue plates and cups. In previous years the decorations have varied and even have had toy fire trucks and ambulances in honor of emergency personnel who lost their lives in the attacks.
Cookson said she keeps the dinner going so people won’t forget the significance of the day.
“The fact is that it’s best that people not forget,” Cookson said. “Those who forget the past have no future. As long as we remember the past it’s less apt to happen again.”