In Stanford, Volunteers Honor 9/11 Victims with Flag Display

When Ed Zick, a volunteer with the Stanford Fire Department, drove through Great Barrington five years ago, he saw thousands of flags in front of a firehouse honoring the nearly 3,000 victims of the 2001 attack on the World Trade Center. The image left a deep impression on him. “Wouldn’t it be great if we put flags in Stanford to remember our fallen firefighter brothers?” he thought. Inspired, Zick brought the idea to a Stanford Town Board meeting, where it quickly gained support.

“It’s easy to say we’ll never forget, but it’s another thing to actually never forget,” Zick said.

On Thursday, community members gathered to create a display at Stanford Town Hall consisting of 2,977 flags, each representing a life lost on Sept. 11, 2001. Of these, 343 red flags honor fallen firefighters, 72 blue flags commemorate law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty, and a single flag pays tribute to Sirius, a Port Authority K-9 dog who also perished. Stanford resident Evelyn Seipp led the design of the display, which volunteers carefully arranged using a grid system, planting each flag individually.

“We want them to come; we want them to remember. We’re not going to forget,” Zick said.

The flags will remain on display through Sept. 15, and community members are encouraged to visit at any time to reflect. “People are welcome to stop by and get the real feel of it,” said Duffy Layton, co-founder of the 9/11 committee.

For Zick, the memorial is personal. “I lost a close friend on 9/11, and I kind of dedicate this to Paul,” he said, referring to Paul Tegtiemer, a New York City firefighter who died in the attacks. The tribute is also dedicated to Dennis Gilhooly, a member of the Stanford Volunteer Fire Company who died of cancer related to his service at Ground Zero, in 2019. Gilhooly, who served with the New York City fire department’s Engine 67 company for most of his 23-year career, worked at the World Trade Center site in the aftermath of the attacks. He retired in 2004.

A ceremony will be held at Stanford Town Hall on Sept. 11 at 7:30 p.m. The event will include poems, an invocation and a moment for residents to pay their respects. Two spotlights, symbolizing the Twin Towers, will shine from behind the town hall into the sky, serving as a poignant reminder of the lives lost and the heroism displayed not only on that day but in the days and months that followed.