The MEMO Blog

Originally hailing from Norfolk, Va., Leonard Anthony White enthusiastically took in all the art and culture that his adopted New York City had to offer. A former student of ballet and modern dance, Leonard continued to enjoy the performing arts, frequenting operas and other shows at Manhattan’s Lincoln Center.

Michael Packer was a lifelong musician, and an early encounter with a legendary cellist was a formative moment. His wife, Rekha, shared the story of his meeting with Pablo Casals in a Call to Remember recording.

Paying tribute to first responders who made the ultimate sacrifice is why the New York City Police Department and New York Fire Department have made a visit to the 9/11 Memorial part of their recruits’ official training. Since many of those who join the NYPD or FDNY follow their father or a loved one into the service, many times one of those recruits is honoring their own father who was killed as a result of the 9/11 attacks.

Since 2014, the 9/11 Memorial & Museum has participated in Make Music New York (MMNY), an annual musical celebration phenomenon that fills New York City with music each year on June 21, the longest day of the year. Now entering its 12th year, MMNY hosts more than 1,000 free performances in public spaces throughout the five boroughs.

Tuesday, June 12, marks the second anniversary of the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando, Fla., in which 49 people were killed and 53 others wounded by a gunman. During a tribute at the 9/11 Memorial in the days following the tragedy, then 9/11 Memorial & Museum President Joe Daniels said that the 9/11 community mourned with the city of Orlando and the families and friends of the victims.

“Postcards” is a memorial honoring the 263 Staten Island residents killed in the September 11 attacks and 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Adjacent is a separate memorial to 73 Staten Island first responders who have died in recent years from exposure to toxic substances at the WTC site in the aftermath of 9/11.

On 9/11 and in the following days, many retired Port Authority Police Department (PAPD) officers self-dispatched to Ground Zero to search for survivors. Expecting that officials would soon ask those without credentials to leave the site, some of these officers worked with the PAPD’s newly appointed Chief of Department, Joseph Morris, to form an official search and recovery team composed of retired PAPD members.

Brenda Berkman is many things: a lawyer, an historian, a pioneering woman firefighter, a retired FDNY captain, a 9/11 first responder and Ground Zero recovery worker, a docent, a teacher, a White House Fellow and – added to her remarkable resume over the last decade – an accomplished artist.

In the days after Sept. 11, 2001, first responders and volunteers from all across the country came to Ground Zero to aid in the rescue, recovery and relief efforts. Surrounded by the rubble of the World Trade Center, these volunteers worked tirelessly in the hopes of finding survivors and ultimately, to recover victims’ remains and clean up the site.

Members of the 9/11 community gathered at the 9/11 Memorial Museum Wednesday night to mark the 16th anniversary of the completion of the rescue and recovery efforts at Ground Zero.