Residents lost on 9/11 to be part of R.B. memorial
Wife of victim came to council to inquire about status of commemoration
By gloria stravelli
Staff Writer
RED BANK — The borough is taking steps to assure the widows of two World Trade Center victims that their husbands will be remembered in a permanent memorial planned for Riverside Gardens Park.
"We want to make sure that what’s done is in keeping with their wishes, and is a suitable remembrance of their loved ones," Red Bank Borough Administrator Stanley Sickels said this week.
Sickels said he met with Debora Hemschoot, whose husband Mark F., 45, perished in the attacks, late last week to discuss plans for the memorial.
"We met to get her input and review the proposals," said Sickels. "Debbie had some very good comments. We brainstormed."
The borough official said he also has reached out to Sandy Lang, widow of WTC casualty Bren-dan M. Lang, 30. Once he makes contact with Lang, he said, he will arrange a similar meeting.
"I would like to get Mrs. Lang’s input, and ultimately get them together," he explained. "If they don’t embrace it, it’s fruitless to have a memorial."
"I have a little better picture of what they’re talking about. We discussed what my thoughts are," said Hemschoot, who had criticized borough officials for failing to include the families of the two Red Bank victims in discussions about a permanent memorial.
"I think they should have included us in the discussions," she said. "What’s Red Bank doing? I don’t know. I feel as though they’re being forgotten."
Lang said she also feels the memorial should recognize the loss of the two Red Bank residents.
"I would like the memorial to be more personalized because they’re the only two from Red Bank. This was our home," said Lang, who had lived in the borough with her husband since 1999.
"I think there should be a plaque for him with his name on it," she added.
Lang, whose husband was supervising a construction project at the twin towers Sept. 11, said she had not been contacted previously about plans for a memorial.
"Right after it happened, I wanted a tree and a plaque placed at Riverside Gardens Park, and my sister called and spoke to someone at the borough," she said.
Plans for a permanent memorial have been evolving in discussions at several Borough Council meetings over the past few months.
Earlier this month, Sickels told a council meeting the borough’s permanent memorial at Riverside Gardens Park would consist of a bronze plaque with a raised relief image of the twin towers and a narrative about the events of 9/11. The names of the two Red Bank residents who perished in the attacks, he told the council, would be inscribed on two separate plaques and placed beneath trees planted in the park in their memory.
During the public comment portion of the council’s July 9 meeting, Hemschoot told the council she initiated two meetings with Red Bank Mayor Edward J. McKenna Jr., and asked to be involved in the process but had not heard back.
"I feel very hurt," she said, speaking quietly but firmly. "My family and my husband’s family have owned businesses, worked, volunteered, lived and raised families in Red Bank for over 150 years."
In addition to her husband’s service as a volunteer firefighter, she said family members have served the borough in various capacities including police and finance commissioner, fire chief, and fire police.
Hemschoot also told the council she was concerned that plans were still vague, and time was running out so that a memorial would not be ready by the anniversary of Sept. 11.
"I advised you at the last meeting we had that we would be consulting with you," McKenna told Hemschoot. "I said to you ‘When we’re ready, we will come to you and advise you of the status.’ As far as timing, no matter what we do, it would be ready for Sept. 11."
"I’m sorry if you’ve felt in any way that you’re not part of the process," Councilwoman Jennifer Beck told Hemschoot at the meeting. "I feel terrible that you had to come and speak in front of a crowd of people about something that’s so personal."
Hemschoot also spoke to concerns expressed by Councilwoman Florence Bette Thompson that the memorial not detract from the beauty of the park, a pet project of the council liaison to the Parks and Recreation Committee.
Hemschoot pointedly said in her remarks that she is not seeking large scale replicas of the twin towers, nor, she said later, would memorial stones create the feeling of a cemetery, a concern she said Thompson expressed in a conversation with her.
"There was no reason to refer to it as a cemetery. I was not asking for headstones," Hemschoot said.
She also understands the need to remove the temporary memorials placed at the park.
"It’s not unreasonable," she said. "I was impressed they allowed it to stay for so long."
"I said what I needed to say," said Hemschoot, who said she was stung by McKenna’s remarks. "As far as I’m concerned, he was very rude to me."
Hemschoot’s statement asked for "a lasting memorial for my husband Mark F. Hemschoot and Brendan Lang at Riverside Gardens Park," a memorial, she said, that "will allow all of us to remember the sacrifice they made on Sept. 11, 2001."
Hemschoot has planned a private funeral service for her husband’s remains, which were identified in May.
The service will be held early next month on what would have been Mark Hemschoot’s 46th birthday.
"We’ve been waiting," said his widow, who is hoping a final check in August may reveal any additional remains that may have been recovered. "It’s appropriate. I’m bringing him home for his birthday."