25 Years Later: How Our Community Carries the Memory of September 11

Twenty-five years after September 11, 2001, the tragedy remains connected to our community in ways that are both deeply personal and distinctly local. 

For The War Memorial, one of those connections begins with Fred Alger. 

On the morning of September 11, 2001, 35 employees of Fred Alger Management lost their lives when American Airlines Flight 11 struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center. The firm’s offices were located on the 93rd floor, directly in the impact zone. 

Seen here is the 9/11 Memorial at AMVETS Post No. 57 in Harper Woods.

For Alger, the loss was profound. In the years that followed, his extraordinary generosity helped create a lasting legacy at The War Memorial. 

Alger’s gifts, totaling $20 million, helped establish the Fred M. Alger Center, which opened in 2022. Today, his connection to this place is reflected in the building that bears his family’s name, while The War Memorial’s annual 9/11 Service of Remembrance continues to bring our community together each September to honor the lives lost and reflect on the enduring importance of remembrance. 

On Friday, Sept. 11, at 8:30 am, that tradition will continue as the community gathers on the lakefront lawn of the historic Alger House for The War Memorial’s annual Service of Remembrance, marking the 25th anniversary of the attacks. 

“As we mark the 25th anniversary of September 11, we come together to honor the lives that were taken, recognize the extraordinary courage of those who answered the call to serve, and reaffirm the resilience that has defined our nation ever since,” Maria Miller, president & CEO of The War Memorial, said. 

The annual service is one way our community continues to carry the memory of September 11 forward. Just a few miles away, that remembrance takes physical form. 

At AMVETS Post No. 57 in Harper Woods stands a 200-pound steel beam recovered from the North Tower of the World Trade Center. The beam is now the centerpiece of a memorial honoring the victims of the attacks and the first responders who answered the call. 

“Today, the memorial serves as a lasting tribute to the victims of the attacks, the bravery of first responders, the dedication of our military, and the unity of communities across America,” a press release from the veterans post states. 

The memorial’s story began in 2011, when then-Harper Woods Fire Chief Sean P. Gunnery petitioned the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to obtain a World Trade Center artifact for the city. His request was approved, and the steel beam was entrusted to the Harper Woods Fire Department. 

In 2016, Katherine Sarvis-Adamski, then probation director for the City of Harper Woods, recognized the importance of establishing a permanent memorial and spearheaded the effort to make the memorial a reality. Sarvis-Adamski is also a member of the local chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution and a trustee and sergeant at arms of AMVETS Post No. 57. 

With approval from AMVETS Post 57 Commander Ray Lacey Jr, city officials, local businesses, skilled craftsmen, veterans and volunteers came together to transform a donated three-ton boulder into the memorial, which was formally dedicated in 2017. 

A bronze plaque, donated by War Memorial partner the Louisa St. Clair Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, is attached to the memorial and lists the names of Michigan men and women who lost their lives in the attacks. 

But the work of remembrance did not end with the memorial’s dedication. 

In 2022, an updated list of Michigan lives lost on September 11 revealed that several names had not appeared on the original plaque. 

“In total, there’s 40 names, but not all of them are on the first plaque,” Sarvis-Adamski said. “One of them that was missing was Todd Beamer from Flight 93. He was born in Flint and wasn’t on the 2017 plaque.” 

Beamer was among the passengers and crew aboard Flight 93 who, after learning of the attacks unfolding that morning, chose to fight back against the hijackers — an act of courage that has endured as one of the defining stories of September 11. 

Sarvis-Adamski learned that the original list had been based on where victims were living at the time of their deaths rather than all of their connections to Michigan. A new plaque now includes the additional names. 

This September, the community will once again gather around the memorial at AMVETS Post No. 57 for a 6pm ceremony. Sarvis-Adamski hopes another new plaque, provided by Michigan Questers Fox Creek #216 of Grosse Pointe, will be ready to dedicate as part of the observance.  Earlier that day, The War Memorial’s Service of Remembrance will begin at 8:30am on the lakefront lawn. This year’s ceremony will include personal reflections from Grosse Pointe Farms Mayor John Gillooly, remarks from Fr. Andrew Van Culin of Christ Church Grosse Pointe, and musical performances by Kisma Jordan and Gary Johnson, as well as JC Whitelaw and Niko Eklund. 

The service is free and open to the public, with advance registration requested. Those unable to attend in person can also watch the ceremony live on The War Memorial’s Facebook page and YouTube channel. 

Twenty-five years later, the ways we remember September 11 take many forms: a name preserved on a plaque, a piece of steel recovered from the World Trade Center, or a community standing together in silence on a September morning. 

Each carries the same responsibility forward: to remember.