| 9/11 Memorial Sculpture Unveiled At Rosemead City Hall |
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| Written by Shel Segal | |||
| Mon, September 12, 2011 07:51 PM | |||
 ROSEMEAD - Rosemead city officials commemorated the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on New York City, Washington D.C. and western Pennsylvania by unveiling a 9/11 memorial sculpture at a city hall ceremony on Sunday with approximately 500 people in attendance.The sculpture - which included a steel beam from the World Trade Center - was made by local sculptor Heath Satow and cost $60,000 to make, which was paid for entirely by private donations. In addition, the sculpture is two hands holding the steel beam with doves carved into it to represent those who perished in the attacks and will be a permanent fixture at city hall. Rosemead Mayor Steven Ly said 9/11 will never leave America's collective memory. "This is a day 10 years ago we all remember where we were at," Ly said. "Today is a day about remembering the lives we lost on September 11, but also those who gave the ultimate sacrifice in the wars that followed afterward. "No matter how painful that day was on the American soul, we must remember heroics of the men and women." Rosemead City Council Member Margaret Clark said after the ceremony that America needs to remain on-guard against what might be lurking out there. She also described the sculpture. "Every dove represents one person who lost their life," Clark said. "They're soaring up toward heaven. It's well done. It will help us remember not just the violence and heroes of that day, but that we need to remain vigilant because America still has enemies." David Montgomery Scott, Rosemead parks and recreation director who helped oversee the entire project - including getting the steel beam from the New York and New Jersey Port Authority - said the project took exactly three years, but was worth it to all involved and was a "labor of love." "It's fabulous," he said. "The community was fully behind it. They put up the donations for it. They were patient every step of the way. That was the design the community opted for, so they were definitely behind it." In attendance at the ceremony was Brenda Acosta, who made the trip to Rosemead all the way from Rialto. Acosta lost a relative when the second airplane hit the south tower of the World Trade Center. Acosta said the sculpture and ceremony were "beautiful." "They did an amazing job," Acosta said of the efforts made by the city of Rosemead. "Out of all the cities out here, for Rosemead to take on the initiative, it's an amazing job they did." Hugo Mora, who was born in Costa Rica and attends church in Rosemead, agreed. "It's a nice monument," Mora said. "It's a nice memorial for 9/11 to remind us of the lives of the people lost and of the people who live here in the U.S." The sculpture was unveiled during a playing of "Amazing Grace" by the Los Angeles Police Department Emerald Society. Music filled other parts of the ceremony, with the So Cal Freelancers Alumni Corps playing "Taps" and "America the Beautiful," and San Fernando Valley-based soprano Diane Brown singing rousing versions of the National Anthem and "God Bless America." (Shel Segal can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .)
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