Farmingdale State College Remembers 9/11 at Memorial Ceremony

The community honored the victims of the  9/11 terrorist attacks on Friday.

More than 75 people attended the ceremony, which was led by the President of the College, W. Hubert Keen and featured a member of the FDNY Emerald Society Pipe Band. 

President Keen began the ceremony by reading several verses from a poem by Mark Strand titled When the Vacation is Over For Good.  The poem, which bears remarkable similarity to the tragic events of 9/11, brought many ceremony attendees to tears.

The ceremony continued with two Farmingdale administrators, Brian Maher and Eric Farina, spaking about how 9/11 personally affected them and their lives. Maher quoted a blessing given by Pope Benedict XVI, and Farina told the story of how four late friends affected his life.

Two members of the clergy, Mother Christine Peterson-Snyder of St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Farmingdale, and the Very Reverend Father Nektarios Papazafiropoulos of St. Nicholas Shrine Greek Orthodox Church in West Babylon spoke and officiated prayers during the ceremony.

Also present was staff sergeant Herschtein, an Army recruiter out of Massapequa, to honor and thank the more than 100 Farmingdale State students that have served in the military since 9/11. Honored specially were Tom Dennis and Mark Ellis, two SUNY Farmingdale alumni who were killed on 9/11.

The college began the tradition of holding 9/11 memorial ceremonies on Sept. 12, 2001, and will continue the annual tradition for many years to come, according to President Keen. 

The college has three permanent 9/11 memorials on campus, one honoring Long Island Lacrosse players killed, another honoring rescue workers, and a permanent installation of an i-beam recovered from Ground Zero.