By Sentinel Staff
The air was bright, the harbor still. At 8:46 a.m. Thursday morning, the cannon at Riverside Yacht Club thundered and the bell tolled across Cos Cob Park. That is the moment everything changed 24 years ago, the moment the first tower was struck.
They gathered again, as they have each year since the memorial was built. Families of those lost, first responders in full uniform, clergy with prayer books open, residents carrying flowers. They stood before the two glass towers that rise from the bluff, sunlight slipping through etched names, and they remembered.
Harry Fisher stood among them, speaking about his brother Bennett, about that day and the moment he and Bennett’s wife Susan realized he would not be coming home. “By evening when I decided to go home, Susan and I shared a moment in the driveway and agreed that we were pretty certain that we had lost Ben,” Fisher said. “I felt that God had us and Ben in his hands at that moment.”
He recalled the flood of kindness that followed— calls, visits, salutes from soldiers, tears shared in silence. “I want to thank all who came out today to remember those we lost,” he told the gathering. “I also want to take note of the thousands more who were able to escape that day. Thankfully many more than we lost. Your continued support of those impacted is appreciated.”
First Selectman Fred Camillo spoke too. He is a man who knows the cadence of public mourning and the language of civic pride. “With the passage of time, memories will fade, and resolve will weaken. This is true for almost all events, big and small, tragic and triumphant,” Camillo said. “But for the friends and families of the nearly 3,000 Americans killed on September 11th, 2001, including 32 with ties to our community here in Greenwich, the memories are still vivid, and the resolve still strong to not forget.
“Twenty-four years ago, this morning, America suffered one of its darkest days in history. The evil that was behind the attacks still lingers in the world today, which is even more reason that ceremonies and observances like the one today must continue.
“We must not forget the innocent Americans who left home that day not to return, and the fearless first responders who risked everything to save them. May God love and bless them, and may He love and bless the people of the United States, and freedom-loving people around the world.”
It was simple, and it was right.
The Memorial That Almost Wasn’t
The towers of glass now seem inevitable. They were not.
When Connecticut built its state memorial at Sherwood Island in 2002, Greenwich families quietly asked: should there not also be something here, in the town so many of the victims called home? Some proposed a labyrinth at Tod’s Point, where on that day residents had gathered to watch the smoke rise. The idea fell away.
For years, the notion drifted in and out of public talk. Money was hard to find. Consensus was harder. Some doubted the need. Some thought the task impossible.
But Susan Wohlforth, who lost her husband Martin “Buff” Wohlforth, carried the idea forward, through meetings where hopes seemed thin.
Design, then Determination
The first true shape of the memorial came when Greenwich architect Charles “Chuck” Hilton put pencil to paper. He imagined two glass towers, twelve feet high, standing not in stone but in transparency, allowing light to pass through the names. A black granite terrace would be their base, solemn and strong.
Most striking was the walkway: a spiral path designed according to the Fibonacci ratio, often called God’s fingerprint; the sequence seen in seashells and galaxies, a reminder of order and eternity in creation. The path would carry visitors gently toward the towers, into reflection, into memory.
Hilton’s vision gave the dream its first reality, yet the project languished for years.
It was then that others were recruited to help make it happen. Peter Barhydt took up the stalled effort, lending new urgency and practical force. He brought in Gervais Hearn, who led the grassroots fundraising, and philanthropist Ed Dadakis, who had initial doubts but whose foundation became one of the largest contributors.
At the helm was James Ritman, President of the Board, steady in his leadership. He kept the ship pointed forward, guiding a group who believed that Greenwich could and must build its own place of memory. It was a true community effort; dozens of people were involved and hundreds more donated.
A Night of Music
Fundraising remained the hurdle. Then came a night of music at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester.
It was called “The Music Remembers,” and the name was perfect. Caroline Jones, Greenwich-born, sang that night. The Ian Murray Band played — its frontman Ian Murray, co-founder and CEO of Vineyard Vines, lending both music and visibility. The folk-rock trio Dispatch performed an acoustic set. The place was alive with song, and it was alive with purpose. The night raised $75,000 for the memorial.
The dream moved toward ground.
Dedication
On Sept. 11, 2015, the memorial was unveiled. More than 250 gathered. The morning sun caught the glass towers and scattered prisms of light.
It was the incredible story behind the memorial: fragile yet enduring, a dream that would not die, a promise kept at last.
From that day, Greenwich had not only memory but a place for it.
Ten Years of Services
And so it has been.
Each Sept. 11, the town has returned to the bluff. Prayers have been offered by Rev. Thomas Nins and Rabbi Gisel Baler. Music has come from the Sound Beach Community Band, the Melody Men, Megan Tyre, Michelle Pauker, Neal Spitzer, add Ken Pond and Dylan Pond, and others.
The Greenwich Police, Fire, and EMS, led by Chief Jim Heavey, Chief Joe McHugh, and Executive Director Tracy Schietinger, have presented the colors.
The Riverside Yacht Club has fired its cannon. The Greenwich Police Marine Division has sent sprays of water into the air. Flowers have been laid, names have been spoken, bells have tolled.
And there has always been Stephanie Dunn Ashley — CEO of the American Red Cross Metro NY North Chapter, organizer and often emcee of the ceremonies; along with Wells Noonan who has quietly led the effort. For ten years they have captured the moment at the memorial.
This event is privately funded, to support please send checks to: Greenwich Community Projects Funds, Inc. C/O The First Bank of Greenwich 444 East Putnam Ave Cos Cob, CT 06807 Tax Exempt EIN: 22-3092506 and is 501(c)(3) public charity located in Cos Cob, CT
