The MEMO Blog

With a generous grant from the Leon Levy Foundation, the 9/11 Memorial & Museum is  establishing its first-ever institution-wide digital asset management system (DAMS), which will enable the Museum to further organize, preserve, and significantly expand access to its digital collections and institutional archives.

Caleigh Leiken, born September 11, 2001 in New York City, reflects on growing up in the wake of the terrorist attacks and coming of age in the pandemic. Today, the Ohio State senior plans to pursue a career in law, a path heavily influenced by the upheavals unique to her generation.

Fall 2001 saw David Friel completing the final weeks of his aviation career. His impending retirement inspired him to start maintaining a personal journal that detailed his experience as a pilot in the wake of 9/11. That journal is now in our permanent collection. Here, Friel elaborates on his unique perspective.

Artist Anthony Graviano spent the immediate aftermath of 9/11 visiting Ground Zero and taking inspiration from the colossal remnants of the steel structures. His paintings convey the unusual spirit of unity generated by the attacks. 

Recent Fordham graduate Jack Moses reflects on his spring internship with the Government and Community Affairs team at the Memorial & Museum. 

Pen and ink artist John Coburn, whose work is featured in the new Towers Rising exhibition, found inspiration in the devastation he witnessed after 9/11, fueling him to transform the pain and chaos into something meaningful. 

With a nod to the anniversary of the U.S. Army's 1775 founding last month, this installment of "In Their Own Voices" features Army Reservist Larry Provost, who responded to lower Manhattan on 9/11, volunteered for a week, and ultimately joined his unit on a six-month mission to Afghanistan. 

As the FDNY's Chief Medical Officer on 9/11, Dr. Kerry Kelly was a first responder who raced to Ground Zero to help however she could. Her school teacher husband Dan, whose ability to remain calm and steady in the face of chaos steered his Staten Island students through that horrific day and its aftermath, is a 9/11 hero in his own right. 

This Teacher Appreciation Week, we're sharing some of the powerful notes we've received from educators about the role we play in teaching the history and legacy of 9/11. 

With the 21st anniversary of the formal end to rescue and recovery efforts at Ground Zero fast approaching, we're dedicating this month's "In Their Own Voices" series to Rich Palmer, of the New York City Department of Correction.