Heralding the Arrival of Fall
As the leaves change, the mornings feel frosty, and the evenings darken sooner, the 9/11 Memorial Museum highlights some photos from the permanent collection that capture that autumn feeling and celebrate the lives of some of the 2,983 men, women, and children we memorialize.
Collection 9/11 Memorial Museum, Gift of Peter and Jeanne O’Neill
Amityville, Long Island native Peter O’Neill lived in Valley Stream with his parents and siblings. In the undated photo above, O’Neill is pumpkin picking with his siblings, Bridie and Tom, on Halloween. As a teen, O’Neill served in a local fire department and later spoke of taking emergency medical technician training. After graduating from college in 2001, Peter joined his uncle’s firm, Sandler O’Neill & Partners, as a trader.
Collection 9/11 Memorial Museum, Gift of the Palazzo family
Brooklyn-native Jeffrey Palazzo lived in New Dorp on Staten Island with his wife, Lisa, and their two daughters, seen here in this undated photo after carving a pumpkin. He was a hunter and outdoorsman and often went camping and scuba diving with his family. A U.S. Coast Guard veteran who remained in the service’s reserves, Jeffrey joined the FDNY in 1996.
Collection 9/11 Memorial Museum, Courtesy of Voices of September 11th, The 9/11 Living Memorial Project
Brooklyn-born James Joseph Kelly lived in Oceanside, Long Island, with his family. Here, the Kellys sit in a pumpkin patch: Kelly with his wife, Joanne, in the back, with their four daughters, Brianne, Kaitlyn, Colleen, and Erin. He liked to give nicknames: his wife, Joanne, was Joey, their two older daughters were Book One and Book Two, and their twins were the Twinkies. A New York Mets fan, he made waffles and milk shakes for his family after victories.
Collection 9/11 Memorial Museum, Gift of Tim's wife and children, Stacey, Caitlyn, Brittney and Timmy
A lifelong resident of Massapequa Park, Long Island, Timothy Alan Roy, Sr. lived with his wife, Stacey, and their three children, Caitlyn, Brittney, and Timothy Jr., seen here dressed for Halloween. In his free time, he played golf. Timothy made his career with the NYPD, joining his father, a firefighter, and four of his seven siblings in public service.
Collection 9/11 Memorial Museum, Courtesy of Voices of September 11th, The 9/11 Living Memorial Project
A native New Yorker, Harry Blanding, Jr. lived in Blakeslee, Pennsylvania, with his wife, Deborah, and their three children. Here, Harry and Deborah pose with their daughter Hayley on her first Halloween. As coach of the Pleasant Valley Cubs youth football team, Harry was known for his encouraging high fives and smiles. At Aon Corporation, he worked as a claims analyst on the South Tower’s 99th floor.
Collection 9/11 Memorial Museum, Courtesy of Voices of September 11th, The 9/11 Living Memorial Project
An Executive Vice President at Cantor Fitzgerald, Brooklyn-native Edward DeSimone III lived in Middletown, New Jersey, with his wife, Joanne, and their two children. He taught his children to fish and showed friends how to prepare the foods of his Italian heritage. Here, Edward hold his son Eddie on his shoulder on Halloween.
Collection 9/11 Memorial Museum, Gift of the Ginley Family in memory of my husband, John
Born in Queens, John F. Ginley lived in Warwick, New York, with his wife, April, and their two children, Taylor and Connor. Here John poses with the kids on Halloween. Like his father, three of his brothers, and two of his cousins, John was an FDNY firefighter and a 16-year veteran with Engine Company 40.
Collection 9/11 Memorial Museum, Gift of Lourdes LeBron, Waleska Martinez's sister, and on behalf of Waleska's family members, in her memory
Waleska Martinez was born in Santurce, Puerto Rico. Here she is (dressed in grey) with her sister, Lourdes, and friends at a high school Halloween party in 1980. After earning her bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1986, she moved to New York for an intensive English course, later settling in New Jersey. She joined the U.S. Census Bureau and rose to become a supervisor.
Sergio Gabriel Villanueva (wearing overalls) with his friends at a Halloween party (1999). Collection 9/11 Memorial Museum, Gift of the Villanueva family, in loving memory of Sergio Gabriel Villanueva.
Born in Bahía Blanca, Argentina, Sergio Villanueva came to the United States in 1970. He lived in Flushing, Queens, with his fiancée, Tanya. Sergio cheered for Argentina’s soccer team and played on an FDNY team. Before joining the Fire Department in 2000, he had worked as an NYPD officer.
Photograph of Ivan Vale with his wife, Luz, on their second Halloween together, at a family member's house (c. 1999-2000). Collection 9/11 Memorial Museum, Gift of Luz M. Vale in memory of my husband, Ivan Vale.
Born in Puerto Rico, Ivan Vale lived in the Ridgewood section of Queens with his wife, Luz. An animal lover, Ivan shared his home with lizards, rabbits, cats, and a dog. Like his brother, Felix Vale, Ivan was employed by Cantor Fitzgerald. Ivan worked in desktop support at Cantor’s eSpeed subsidiary.
Photograph of Daniel Lopez dressed as a scarecrow for Halloween (undated). Collection 9/11 Memorial Museum, Gift of our infinite love in memory of Daniel Lopez.
Queens-native Daniel Lopez lived in Brooklyn with his wife, Elizabeth. He had a son and a daughter. Daniel, a practical joker at heart, often played tricks on his family and friends. He also enjoyed salsa dancing and taking cruises with his family.
By 9/11 Memorial Staff
On Monday, the 9/11 Memorial & Museum kicked off a new season of its digital public program series When the World Changes with Fran Moore, Director for Intelligence (now Analysis) at the Central Intelligence Agency (2010–2014).
We are pleased to present the next program in our When the World Changes digital conversation series at 2 p.m. ET on Monday, November 9.