By Dana Filipowski
Sept. 11, 2001 is a day no one will soon forget. With less than a month before the eighth anniversary, Hauppauge-based Innovative Stone announced that it will commemorate the tragic losses by rededicating the Freedom Stone, a memorial that was intended for the Freedom Tower, has since been given back to the company.
Former New York Gov. George Pataki and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg had unveiled the stone during a ceremony at Ground Zero on July 4, 2004, where it was going to be the cornerstone of the Freedom Tower at 1 World Trade Center, which is currently under construction. Once the site plans changed, the memorial piece—a 20-ton solid granite monument that was mined from the Adirondack Mountains—was given back.
The stone, which has flecks of garnet—the official gemstone of New York—within it, has been sitting in the backyard of the company’s headquarters ever since. But stone will soon be relocated to its new home at a new memorial garden in Hauppauge.
“This is a way that people can reflect quietly”, says Cathy Mazzo, marketing manager for the company. “It brings them back to the feeling of community.”
“It’s important for Americans to remember what happened,” said Glen Klein, a retired New York City Police Department officer and the current director of police affairs for the Feal Good Foundation, which are one of the big sponsors of this project. “They are not listening to it anymore on the radio or seeing it on the news. This is a way to help people remember.”
A public rededication for the stone will be held on Sept. 11, 2009 from 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at 130 Motor Parkway. For details regarding the Freedom Stone ceremony or to become a sponsor, please visit www.innovativestone.com or call 631-297-0411.