Bill and El Sugra will not be attending any memorials on the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on September 11. Instead, the Salisbury Township couple will spend it together, quietly, at the shore where they can be alone in their grief, away from all sound and fury but their own. In the 10 years since their 30-year-old son, Bill, died at the World Trade Center, they have shed many tears publicly and privately, grieved with friends and strangers alike, granted interviews to any media that asked. They wanted their son to be remembered, that he meant something. But today, this grieving …
On Nov. 22, 1963, the 35th president of the United States, John F. Kennedy, was assassinated. Many Americans can say, “I’ll never forget where I was when President Kennedy was assassinated.” Jump back to Dec. 7, 1941, and many Americans can say, “I’ll never forget where I was when Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Japanese.” Flash forward to 2011, and many Americans can say, “I’ll never forget where I was when two airplanes were flown into the World Trade Center, one airplane into the Pentagon and one airplane -- thought to be headed toward the U.S. Capitol -- into a Pennsylvania field." The …
Penn State Lehigh Valley opened a special exhibition, Reaction and Healing: The Tenth Anniversary of 9-11, which will be on display through Oct. 21. The work of seven professional artists with international exhibition experience was selected, said Ann Lalik, the gallery's director and arts coordinator. “We have several mediums -- paper, bronze, fiber, paint and pastel. It’s a combination of medium, politics, art and spirituality.” “I felt each of their statements about how and why they express themselves was significant.” The artists include Denise Bankuti of Burbank, Calif., Kathy Levine of…
1. "Never Forget....Hope" Memorial Service Where/When: On Sunday, Sept. 11, at 10 a.m at Cedar Crest Bible Fellowship Church, 1251 S. Cedar Crest Blvd., Salisbury Township. Why Go: FBI Agent David J. LeValley will be guest speaker at the service, which begins at 10 a.m. Tracy Sell, sister of Salisbury Township native Bill Sugra, who died at the World Trade Center, will be a guest. Members of police, fire and other emergency units will attend in uniform. 2. Community Interfaith Gathering – Come Together in Hope Where/When: At the Jewish Community Center in Allentown on Sunday, Sept. 11, at 3…
Sept. 11, 2001 is a day so etched in our memories that most people can remember exactly where they were and what they were doing at the time of the attacks. Like many others, I learned about what was happening from breaking news broadcasts on TV. The feelings of helplessness, fear and sorrow were overwhelming, and as a nation we grieved the loss of the men and women who died in the Twin Towers, on United Airlines Flight 93 and in the Pentagon, as well as the police, firefighters and volunteers who died in heroic rescue attempts. Ten years later, we are commemorating that day with hope, …
Cedar Crest Bible Fellowship Church in Salisbury Township will honor first responders Sunday at a 10th anniversary memorial service of Sept. 11, called "Never Forget...Hope." FBI Supervisory Special Agent David J. LeValley will be the guest speaker at the service, which begins at 10 a.m. Members of police, fire and other emergency rescuers who plan to attend are encouraged to wear their uniforms. Cedar Crest Bible Fellowship is located at 1151 S. Cedar Crest Blvd., near I-78. The event is sponsored by Cedar Crest Bible Fellowship Church, Cetronia Ambulance and South Whitehall Township.
A community interfaith gathering in Allentown on the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks will give people in the Lehigh Valley an opportunity to continue healing and building relationships. “Come together in hope” will be the theme of the interfaith gathering at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 11, at the Jewish Community Center at 22nd and Tilghman streets in Allentown. “We’ve come a long way in the last decade in terms of understanding one another,” said the Rev. Christine L. Nelson, executive director of The Lehigh County Conference of Churches. “We believe this gives our …
Less than a year after he moved to New York from Salisbury Township, Bill Sugra was among the 658 employees of the Cantor Fitzgerald brokerage firm who died in the attack on the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. But out of this tragedy, hope has been given to others. His parents, Bill and El Sugra of Salisbury, established the Bill Sugra Memorial Fund to honor his memory and his compassion for others by helping those in need. Over the last 10 years, the fund has given more than $250,000 to individuals and non-profits organizations that assist the needy and disadvantaged, regardless of …
