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Press Release 09 01 20

Clinton Central School District

Office of the Superintendent

75 Chenango Avenue

Clinton, NY 13323

Website:  www.ccs.edu

 

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  September 1, 2020

Contact:  Dr. Steve Grimm, Superintendent, 315-557-2253, sgrimm@ccs.edu  

Mr. Bill Huther, Committee Spokesperson, 315-525-7800, divcobill@aol.com

Clinton Schools Announces September 11th Memorial Dedication

What

The Clinton Central School District has announced the dedication of the Edward Porter Felt Flight 93 September 11th Memorial.. 

When

The formal ceremony and dedication will take place on Clinton School grounds on Friday, September 11th at 6:00 PM, at the site of the Clinton Foundation Memorial Brick Garden along Chenango Avenue in Clinton, NY. 

The Sounding of the Firehouse Fire Horn and Local Church Bells

The Clinton Village Firehouse Horn will sound at each of the four significant times of day for September 11th as follows: 

  • First Horn Blast -  8:46:40: Flight 11 crashes into the north face of the North Tower (1 WTC) of the World Trade Center, between floors 93 and 99. The aircraft enters the tower intact.
  • Second Horn Blast - 9:02:57: Flight 175 crashes into the south face of the South Tower (2 WTC) of the World Trade Center, between floors 77 and 85. 
  • Third Horn Blast - 9:37:46: Flight 77 crashes into the western side of The Pentagon and starts a violent fire.
  • Fourth Horn Blast - 10:03:11: Flight 93 is crashed by its hijackers as a result of fighting in the cockpit 80 miles (129 km) southeast of Pittsburgh in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. Later reports indicate that passengers had learned about the World Trade Center and Pentagon crashes and were resisting the hijackers. The 9/11 Commission believed that Flight 93's target was either the United States Capitol building or the White House in Washington, D.C.
  • Playing of the Tower of Voices Chimes: After the fourth horn blast, the Stone Church will play the Dr. Sam Pellman composition “Tower of Voices”, and the St. James and St. Mary's churches will sound their bells for thirty seconds.

The Ceremony

The anticipated hour long ceremony will include the presentation of the colors by many neighboring local veterans organizations and fire departments, special music provided by the Clinton High School Chamber Singers, and remarks from those who made this possible.  In addition, the ceremony features a special message from Gordon Felt, the brother of Edward Felt and President of the Families of Flight 93 national organization.  He has spent the last two decades actively involved in the development of the national memorial in Shanksville, and in preserving the memories of Flight 93 and Edward in the hearts of so many.

The Project

The mission of the project is to establish and maintain a memorial to honor Clinton native and high school graduate Edward Porter Felt who was one of the heroic passengers onboard Flight 93 after it was hijacked on September 11, 2001.  The flight was diverted away from the intended Washington, D.C. target, and crashed into a peaceful farm field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania killing all aboard.

Edward Porter Felt, born November 9, 1959, graduated from Clinton High School with the Class of 1977, attended Colgate University undergraduate, and earned a Master’s degree from Cornell University.  He relocated to New Jersey and was a Computer Engineer and Technology Director at BEA Systems.

On September 11, 2001, Mr. Felt scheduled an impromptu business trip on Flight 93 from Newark, NY to San Francisco, which was one of four aircraft hijacked by terrorists on that fateful day.  The heroic actions taken by the passengers aboard that flight, including Edward, prevented a second attack on Washington, D.C.

The Memorial

We are establishing a permanent memorial to Edward Porter Felt on the grounds of Clinton Central School District near the Clinton Foundation Memorial Brick Garden.  The memorial will consist of an engraved Dakota Mahogany Granite bench, a stone from the Shanksville crash site memorial, and an informational pedestal.  In addition, a fund will be established to maintain the memorial and fund a scholarship in the name of Mr. Felt to be awarded annually to a Clinton High School student.

September 11, 2020 Fundraising

A fundraising campaign encompassed much of the middle part of the school and has raised enough money to cover the cost of the memorial and installation.  We hope to restart the fundraising efforts in order to fund the annual scholarship for many years to come.  We thank the many donors and community partners who have already donated and welcome new donations as well.

Comments

Clinton School Superintendent Dr. Steve Grimm stated “The creation of this memorial and annual scholarship gives us a visual reminder of the many sacrifices made that day and how our community is meaningfully connected to it through Edward Felt.”  He continued to say “We will be able to use this memorial to help educate future generations about September 11th, and about how we come together as a community and nation to recognize and celebrate our heroes; in this case, one of our own, Edward Porter Felt.”

Other Media Links and Information:

Clinton September 11th Memorial Project Website:  https://www.ccs.edu/september11th

Trifold Brochure (also accessible from website above):  https://www.ccs.edu/cms/lib/NY01913591/Centricity/Domain/412/EdwardFelt-Tri-fold-Brochure-DRAFT-2.pd

Donations

Donations can be made to support the 9/11 Memorial and the Ed Felt scholarship by sending a check to  the CCSD Foundation, PO Box 215, Clinton, NY 13323 or make a donation at the Foundation website, ccs.edu/domain/28