Community Corner

Chathamites Remember Those Lost in Terror Attacks

Names of 13 residents who died on 9/11 were read aloud by one of the widows.

Chatham residents gathered Saturday at Memorial Garden to remember 13 of their neighbors, friends and family who died in the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

More than 50 people gathered for the 9/11 Memorial Remembrance Ceremony at 7 p.m. Those who could sat on curbs, lawn chairs and on the wall and ramp of the Municipal Pool.

The names of the 13 Chathamites were read aloud by Meg Belding, the widow of Peter C. Moutos, one of those who died in the attacks. Girl Scouts from Troop 2172 and Troop 126 rang a bell as each of the names were read.

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The memorial service began as the sun was setting on the Memorial Garden in the borough. Boy Scout Troop 8 lowered the original flag over the memorial, placed there at the opening, and raised a new flag. The original flag was presented to Donna Cali-Charles, the chairwoman of the 9-11 Memorial Committee in Chatham, without whom, in the words of the master of ceremony Douglas Allan, the memorial would never have been built.

Former Mayor Joseph Marts, a former U. S. Marine, spoke in praise of the armed forces who have gone to war since the attacks, saying,"we should never forget them."

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Mayor Nelson Vaughan also spoke in praise of the volunteers who designed, built and maintain the monument at Memorial Garden. Vaughan pointed out that the memorial was built without taxpayer dollars and completely by the hands of volunteers, many of whom also volunteer for the Chatham Borough Fire Department.

The monument consists of two steel beams from the World Trade Center, each 9 feet, 11 inches tall and standing 9 feet and 11 inches apart, one north and one south. Between the beams seven doves are held, representing the seven years it took to erect the monument.

The names of the 13 residents are engraved in plates in the ground, forming a circle around the two beams, along with a plate explaining the site to visitors. In the center is a stone fountain. The area is surrounded by a lush garden and a stone wall and benches for visitors to sit.

Memorial Garden is not the only landmark in the Chathams that remembers those residents who died on Sept. 11. Another beam from the towers stands in Reasoner Park near the gazebo in the borough.

At the train station a plaque stands to the memory of friends who took the train into New York City that day and never came home.


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