This morning, the Westport Museum for History & Culture sent out an urgent email.
The Myrtle Avenue institution must raise $750,000 by January “to keep the Museum open and operating in its current form.”
The media alert says, “Despite a significant institutional transformation, national and regional recognition, and years of cost-cutting — including reduced public hours and staff — the Museum has exhausted the resources available to sustain current operations.
“Without significant community support, the Museum’s Board is exploring options including the sale of the historic Bradley Wheeler House, relocation of collections and archives, and transition to a smaller research-focused organization with substantially reduced exhibitions and public programming.”
Six years ago, under new leadership, the Westport Historical Society was renamed and rebranded as the Westport Museum for History & Culture.
The move was controversial, and unleashed a torrent of criticism that had bubbled under the surface. Complaints included the dismissal by email of a longtime employee; elimination of “period rooms”; the sale or destruction of donated pieces and costumes; the closing of the gift shop (it reopened later, with a different focus); the pushing aside of a large number of board members, volunteers and large donors; the removal of the Sheffer Gallery name, and the introduction of fees to access archives and files. (Click here for a January 2020 story on the controversy.Click here for a previous story.)
The Museum for History & Culture pivoted to more of a regional focus. Greater emphasis was placed on the stories of overlooked local history and marginalized groups, with exhibits and other programming. It looked for new sources of funding, and reached out to new and younger residents for support.
In this morning’s alert, officials say, “The Museum has preserved and restored its unique 1846 seven-sided Cobblestone Barn, renovated its grounds, modernized collections and archival management, expanded educational programming, and provided internships and training opportunities to hundreds of young people.
Joanne Woodward, at the octagonal barn. She and her husband Paul Newman were longtime supporters of the Westport Historical Society.
“At a time when the teaching and interpretation of American history are increasingly contested, Museum leaders say independent institutions committed to primary sources, scholarship and telling the whole story are more important than ever.”
Executive director Ramin Ganeshram adds, “We have taken this institution as far as determination, ingenuity and austerity can take it. Now Westport has to decide whether it wants to keep it.”
(NOTE: The “media alert” was forwarded to “06880” by a reader. Despite repeated requests, the Museum for History & Culture has not included this blog on its media distribution list.)
For weeks after the Twin Towers fell, we felt a welter of emotions: Sorrow. Rage. Numbness. Uncertainty.
Westporters wanted to help, in any way they could. Some volunteered at Ground Zero. Some tended to victims’ families. A few joined the military.
Alexis Liistro, in Staples’ Class of 2002 yearbook.
Alexis Liistro was a senior at Staples High School. Her younger sister Samantha was a freshman. Alexis took her out of school.
After they finally got hold of their parents, the sisters headed to Compo Beach.
Across Long Island Sound, they saw the destruction unfolding. Smoke filled the horizon.
A quarter century later, Alexis remembers how peaceful the water was.
“We were standing on this pristine, familiar beach where everything felt strangely safe and still, while not very far away something almost incomprehensibly horrific was happening,” she says.
“I looked across the Sound, and tried to reconcile those two realities. How could the water be so calm and beautiful, when there was so much horror just beyond it?”
A calm day at Compo Beach (Photo/Justin Reed)
That fall, in her Graphic Design class, that memory became the foundation for a piece.
A friend had an older photograph of the New York skyline, and gave it to Alexis. She was learning Photoshop, and experimented with the image.
She removed the World Trade Center from the skyline — but left the towers visible, in the Hudson River’s reflection.
That became the message: “Gone … but never forgotten.”
Alexis Liistro’s image.
“The towers are physically absent from the city, but they remain in the water,” Alexis explains.
“At the time I was thinking about the people our community had lost, including parents of kids I knew, and about the idea that someone’s physical absence does not erase their presence from our lives. The reflection became a way of representing memory.”
Alexis’s piece became part of 2 fundraisers: one by the Staples High Art Club, the other by the Key Club. Both raised money to help families affected by the attacks.
Twenty-five years later, Alexis says, “the image affects me differently. At 17, I was trying to make sense of something that I didn’t have the life experience or vocabulary to fully comprehend.
“I wasn’t trying to make some grand statement about history. I was trying to express what I had actually felt standing beside my little sister at Compo Beach that day: the surreal coexistence of extraordinary beauty and unimaginable horror, separated only by a stretch of peaceful water.
Alexis Liistro, today.
Looking at it now, she says, “I think that is why the reflection still feels meaningful to me. Twenty-five years have passed. The skyline changed. We grew up. Families learned how to continue living with people missing from them. An entire generation has been born that has no memory of September 11 at all.
“But the reflection is still there.
In a way she could not have understood when she created it, Alexis says, “that may be what remembering actually is. The world continues above the surface, but what was lost remains reflected beneath it.”
Alexis now lives and practices intellectual property law in San Francisco.
But — like 9/11 itself — her image of the New York City skyline, and the gone-but-not-forgotten Twin Towers, lives on.
Last week, “06880” reported on a new trend: massive parties at Compo Beach, outside the homes along Soundview Drive. Revelers appear to be primarily freshmen. That was the second in as many weekends.
The third week offered no reprieve.
A reader writes: “There was a mob scene of freshmen. I’m told by one of the town employees, who is trying to keep them under control along with a few cops, that there are 4 or 5 different schools having these insane parties at Compo. They are on people’s property, running around, leaving trash and drinking.
“It’s absolutely awful. Probably 300 kids.
“This is the third time, and probably the worst I have seen it this season.
“It’s a real problem. I couldn’t even walk the beach for over an hour.
“One Staples junior football player told me he tries to help out with the situation because the kids know him.
“The last time, I met a resident who was outside of her house not knowing what to do. She said all her windows were closed, and the noise was very disturbing.
“I’m all for kids having a good time, but this is out of control.”
As a Staples Players actors, August Laska starred in a variety of shows, like “Guys and Dolls,” “Little. Shop of Horrors,” “West Side Story” and “A Chorus Line.”
He’s played many “roles” since then.
After graduating in 2013, August majored in film and media at Middlebury College.
While many classmates joined the “Middlebury to Goldman Sachs pipeline,” he headed to Los Angeles. He worked for Snapchat and loved the West Coast, but realized technology was not for him.
In 2018 August joined the marketing team at Disney Theatrical Productions.
Which all led to …opening a plant store.
August founded The Old Yew Plant Shop in the West Village in 2021. He now owns a second store too, on the Upper West Side.
August has earned renown for his ability to understand customers’ needs, educated them about both design (what plant goes where), and diagnostics (what happens when pests invade, or plants die).
Yesterday, the New York Times Real Estate section featured a long piece on August, and his magic touch with customers.
All those communication skills are certainly paying off. Particularly from “Little Shop of Horrors.” Click here for the full story.(Hat tip: John Dodig)
August Laska, at his Old Yew Plant Shop. (Photo/Ngoc Minh Ngo for New York Times)
Ric Burns’ 2 new episodes of his sprawling, highly regard “New York” documentary film — the first in 23 years — air tonight and tomorrow on PBS (9 p.m.).
A 10-volume soundtrack was just released for streaming.
And there’s a great Westport connection.
Staples High School Class of 1971 graduate Brian Keane composed that soundtrack.
But that’s not all. Brian spoke yesterday at the IFC Center in New York, at a tribute to Jane Goodall.
Brian scored the original chimps movie that helped put Goodall on the map in the 1980s, and also scored Ruby Yang’s film “Vanishing Song” about a gibbon in Malaysia. Goodall was collaborating on that documentary when she died.
Brian Keane (center) with Ric Burns (right) and Burns’ son Simon, at Keane’s studio. A newborn when “New York” came out in 1999, Simon is now assisting on his father’s 2 new episodes. A 10-volume complete soundtrack set of Keane’s score — one for each episode — is streaming on all platforms.
The next Veterans Benefits Luncheon (Thursday, September 24, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.), VFW Post 399).
It’s open to all veterans as part of an ongoing effort to check in on all veterans’ welfare, and connect them with the benefits and support they earned.
Representatives will answer questions, and provide information on services and assistance available to veterans.
RSVPs are encouraged (but not required). Email vfw399ct@gmail.com, and include the number of attendees, or call (203) 227-6796.
PS: If you’re not a veteran, but know one: Please pass the word!
The Westport-native artist returns soon. She’ll do it again.
Rozanne Gates and Suzanne Sheridan, creators of First Folk Sunday, saw Bastoni perform in Northampton, Massachusetts — where she now lives — in 2023.
Impressed with her songwriting prowess, musicianship and connection to the audience, they invited her to Westport. Neither knew her roots.
Lisa told Rozanne, “I was just a kid, but I was at the anti-war rally you organized in 2001 on Jesup Green when Suzanne sang. I thought she was wonderful.”
On October 4 (12:30 p.m., Saugatuck Rowing Club), Lisa and Suzanne will sing together
Lisa wrote “There Are No Kings in America,” which has been sung nationally at many No Kings rallies. Suzanne Sheridan sang it in March, on Jesup Green.
Click here for tickets, and more information. Doors open at noon; an a la carte menu and open bar are available. Questions? Call 203-984-7562.
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StartUp Westport continues to expand its programming.
The town’s public/private partnership to serve entrepreneurs and innovators continued its “Founder Stories” series last week, at Content Studio in Saugatuck.
Amy Hochhauser and Rhodie Lorenz spoke with Julie Roehm about JoyRide. They went behind the scenes, offering insights into what it takes to build, grow and evolve a business — including unforeseen challenges like COVID.
Founded in Westport in 2010, JoyRide pioneered the local boutique fitness movement, expanding into a beloved regional brand across multiple studios in Connecticut and Texas. While the business ultimately closed its doors, its multi-year trajectory offers a master class in scaling, community building, making tough decisions, and navigating complex market shifts.
And finally … in honor of all who celebrate Yom Kippur:
(Another Monday … and another Roundup, to start it off. If you appreciate all the ways you can learn about Westport on this hyper-local blog, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
A Compo Beach resident who requests anonymity writes:
I want to share what our neighborhood has seen over the past 7 days, in case it isn’t already on the town’s and citizens’ radar.
Sustained reckless driving and speeding on Compo Beach Road and Soundview Drive, including late at night.
2 gatherings of 300-plus young people on the beach. Several attendees said they were freshmen at Staples High School. There was open drinking and littering.
Each of the following mornings, the beach, seawall and road were covered in bottles, cans and trash.
On Friday night, at least 7 police cars were on the beach. Working alongside a Parks & Recreation Department supervisor, they kept the situation under control, dispersing a crowd of 300 quickly and calmly.
It was genuinely impressive, and they deserve credit for it.
Compo is one of the best things this town gives its kids. A night on that beach with friends is exactly what a place like Westport should want for them.
What gives me pause is the combination — a crowd that size, alcohol, fast cars, and an unlit road with no separation between pedestrians and traffic.
It’s fun — until the night it isn’t.
Friday night’s Compo Beach party.
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Speaking of the beach: The other day, our Roundup linked to a breathless story in the Connecticut Centinal, which charged that hundreds of “illegal aliens” were illegally shellfishing in Westport every night, “until there is nothing left.” And that no one in our town cared.
I noted that Media Bias/Fact Check calls the oddly spelled Centinal “an extreme right-biased imposter website (rated) Questionable based on the promotion of propaganda, conspiracy theories, pseudoscience, poor sourcing, and false claims.”
Bingo!
Westport Animal Control officer Peter Reid spoke to Corporal Brendan Fearon of the Westport Police Department’s Marine Division.
He told Reid the WPD has been monitoring Sherwood Mill Pond. The current activity is for blue crabs only — which is legal.
Fearon said the Mill Pond is closed to shellfishing, and that during inspections they have not seen any shellfish in the buckets. He has also not seen any juvenile terrapins, a concern of Reid’s.
Fearon added that the large groups that were there a couple of summers ago (and were commercial operations) are a thing of the past. Numerous arrests were made. He noted that the current crabbers are mostly families.
This Connecticut Centinal photo purported to show illegal shellfishing.
Former Y’s Men president Dewey Loselle honored 9/11 last week, with a deeply personal remembrance at the group’s first meeting of the season.
In 2001 Loselle — who later served as Wesport’s town operations director, under 1st Selectman Jim Marpe — was a partner in a consulting firm, with offices near the World Trade Center.
He had gone to the Port Authority for a morning meeting, and narrowly escaped from the 63rd floor of the North Tower after a hijacked plane struck the building at 8:46 a.m.
Loselle described the thunderous impact, the building’s violent swaying, and the immediate decision to leave everything behind and head for the stairs.
In a vivid account, Loselle recalled the extremely narrow, crowded, smoky stairwells; the uncertainty over what had happened, and the courage of fellow evacuees and first responders.
He spoke of encountering a man in a wheelchair and his companion, who later perished while awaiting help, as well as members of Fire Department Rescue Company 1 climbing upward in full gear.
Loselle and his team eventually escaped into the chaos outside, where debris fell, people fled in every direction, and the collapsing towers sent a massive dust cloud through Lower Manhattan.
Loselle described his wife Susan reaching his cell phone in the stairwell before communications failed, and the hours she spent not knowing whether he had survived.
His presentation was both an account of survival, and a plea to preserve the memory of those killed.
Dewey Loselle, speaking to the Y’s Men. (Photo/Ted Horowitz)
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Mia Dillon is a Westport Country Playhouse favorite.
She debuted there in 1979, and has performed often since then. Her nexxt appearance is tomorrow (September 14, 7 p.m.), in the Script in Hand play reading of “The Next Best Thing.”
Dillon plays Jo, an outspoken and wildly inappropriate grandmother who takes issue with the impeccably polite android version of herself created to replace her after she dies. The play asks: Should we embrace what’s difficult about the people we love, or settle for a more acceptable alternative: the next best thing?
Donate gently used clothing and accessories — and anything new and unworn, too — to the Westport Woman’s Club. They’re gearing up for their annual sale. Proceeds benefit the WWC food closet, need-based student scholarships, and grants awarded to local charitable organizations.
Tax-deductible donations are accepted weekdays (10 a.m. to noon, and 1 to 4 p.m.) in the coat room of the WWC (44 Imperial Avenue), The sale is November 13-15.
Items include women’s and men’s clothing, shoes, boots, handbags, scarves, jewelry, and other accessories. Undergarments, lingerie and bathing suits, are not accepted.
Local retailers are invited to donate surplus inventory too.
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Chili time is near.
A highlight is always the VFW’s Chili Cook-off.
This year’s event — the 4th annual fundraiser, supporting Westport’s first responders and veteran community — is Saturday, October 17 (6 to 8 p.m. VFW Post 399).
Attendees vote for their favorite, among a wide variety of homemade recipes. There’s plenty of other great food, a 50/50 raffle, and a healthy heaping of community spirit. Tickets are $25, at the VFW in advance or at the door.
Questions? Email vfw399ct@gmail.com, or call 203-227-6796.
The Sweet Remains brought their folk-pop harmonic vibe to the Levitt Pavilion last night.
A large crowd packed the outdoor theater for the locally based, broadly loved band.
Last night at the Levitt.
Three special appearances offered a special added bonus: front man Greg Naughton’s wife, Broadway star Kelli O’Hara, and their two talented children, Owen and Charlotte.
Greg Naughton (left), Kelli O’Hara, and the Sweet Remains. (Photos/Susan Garment)
There’s more to come at the Levitt this week:
Tonight (Sunday): 7 p.m. Brian López Electric Trio
Tuesday, September 15, 7 p.m., Comedy night
Wednesday, September 16, 7 p.m., Westport Community Band
Thursday, September 17, 7:30 p.m., Barboletta: Tribute to Santana.
In a survey of 2,000 Americans, 35% say 2026 is “stressful.” Almost a third call it “challenging.” 37% say life feels out of control.
No surprise. But Westport author Caroline C. Barney’s new book — “Connected: From Stuck to Thriving in the Middle of the Chaos” — arrives at exactly the right time.
She was named to Ad Age’s “40 Under 40,” and worked with organizations ranging from Fortune 500 companies to the White House. That career taught her a lot about strategy, narrative, and what makes people move.
Barney says that feeling connected — to who they really are, to the beauty of life with others, and to a belief bigger than themselves — helps people thrive at home, at work and in their community. Click here to learn more about her “connections” work.
Caroline C. Barney
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To all in the “06880” who celebrate, we echo the sign on Pumpkin Hill Road: L’shana tova!
Former Staples High School girls soccer coach Dr. Jesús Zornoza died peacefully last weekend. He was 79, and lived in Ridgefield.
The Madrid native began practicing radiology in 1974 at MD Anderson in Houston. He published extensively on cancer imaging and needle biopsy techniques, as well as authoring and editing a book on percutaneous needle biopsies.
In 1983, Jesús joined the radiology group at Danbury Hospital. After 20 years practicing medicine he retired, and devoted much of his time to soccer.
He coached youth teams, and became president of SCOR (Soccer Club of Ridgefield). From 1991 to 1994 he coached the Staples girls varsity team to a 44-20-4 record.
He then began a second career as a referee and league administrator. In 2005 he was inducted into the Connecticut Girls Soccer Coaches Association Hall of Fame, and in 2010 into the Connecticut Soccer Hall of Fame.
Jesús was also an avid gardener. He was a caretaker of orchids and bonsai trees. He was devoted to his flock of farmyard chickens. ain.
Jesús is survived by his wife of 53 years, Jeanne; their children Andrew Zornoza (Evelyn) and Pippi (Sean Campbell); grandson Rafael Francis Zornoza, and siblings José, Enrique, Maria and Loreto Zornoza. He was predeceased by his sister, Pilar.
Family and friends will be received on Saturday. September 19 (2 to 4 p.m., Kane Funeral Home, Ridgefield). In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Jesús Zornoza Memorial Soccer Referee Scholarship Fund.
And finally … on this date in 1814, Francis Scott Key composed the poem “Defence of Fort McHenry” during the War of 1812’s Battle of Baltimore. It later became the American national anthem: “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
(O say can you … click here to support “06880”? It’s a very patriotic — or at least, generous — thing to do. Thank you!)
Today — on the 25th anniversary of September 11, 2001 — we remember and honor 4 men with Westport ties.
All were in their 30s, working at the World Trade Center. All lost their lives in the terrorist attack.
All were bright, energetic, and well-loved. All had already accomplished a great deal, and looked forward to doing more. All had much to live for.
All left behind families and friends, who will miss and mourn them forever.
Keith Coleman and Scott Coleman were brothers — 34 and 31 years old, respectively.
They had gone through Westport schools, and worked together on the 104th floor in the World Trade Center’s north tower.
Keith, a noted Staples High School wrestler, graduated from Bucknell University. After working in London for 6 years he became a senior vice president and partner at Cantor Fitzgerald, responsible for its equities derivatives department. He brought his brother into the firm.
Scott attended Staples, the Lawrenceville School and Colgate University (where he played soccer, and was one of the leading scorers in its history), then earned an MBA from Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business. In 2003, Colgate dedicated a new gateway to their soccer field in memory of Scott and other 9/11 victims
Scott lived in Weston, and was an equities broker. He was engaged to be married, when the hijackers struck.
Every year, the Westport Soccer Association awards scholarships in Scott and Keith’s names, through the Coleman Brothers Foundation.
Scott (left) and Keith Coleman
Jonathan Uman, 33, was a managing director of corporate development for eSpeed Cantor Fitzgerald, working on the 105th floor of the north tower. He lived in Westport, with his wife Julie and 2 young children. A donation from a foundation created in his name after his death went to the Westport Fire Department.
Colleagues remember Jonathan’s intellect, curiosity, wit and fairness. His many interests included Shakespeare, music and art. (Click here for a remembrance of Jonathan.)
Jonathan Uman
Bradley Vadas, 37, was a senior vice president with Keefe Bruyette & Woods, considered a top trader. He was working on the 89th floor of the south tower.
Bradley grew up in Weston, and had homes in Westport, New York and Wyoming. He graduated from Boston College with a degree in economics. He was passionate about chess, softball at Compo Beach, boating and fishing. He was about to become engaged. (Click here for Bradley’s obituary.)
No matter what else goes on today — September 11, 2026 — the shadow of September 11, 2001 hangs over us all.
That horrible day changed our lives forever. We know it now — and we sensed it then.
Here’s what I wrote 3 days later — September 14, 2001 — in my Westport News “Woog’s World” column.
It was a bit past noon on Tuesday, the Tuesday that will change all of our lives forever.
Fifty miles from Westport smoke billowed from what, just hours before, was the World Trade Center.
A number of Westporters once worked there. The twin towers were never particularly beautiful, but in their own way they were majestic. Whether driving past them on the New Jersey Turnpike, flying near them coming in to the airport, or taking out-of-town friends or relatives to the top, we took a certain amount of pride in them.
We’re Westporters, but in a way we’re also New Yorkers. The World Trade Center symbolized that, though we live in suburban Connecticut, we all feel in some way connected to the most exciting, glamorous, powerful city in the world.
And now that same city was under attack. From the largest McMansion to the most modest Westport home, men and women frantically tried to make contact with spouses, relatives and friends who work in downtown Manhattan.
The iconic 9/11 photo was taken by Westport’s Spencer Platt. He lived near the Twin Towers on that awful morning.
At Staples High School, teenagers who grew up thinking the worst thing that can happen is wearing the wrong shirt or shoes, were engaged in a similar quest.
Many of their fathers, mothers, sisters and brothers work in New York. Many others knew loved ones who were flying that morning, or in Washington, or somewhere else that might possibly become the next city under siege.
Meanwhile, on Whitney Street, a pretty young woman dressed in her best late-summer clothes rode a bicycle down the road.
It was, after all, a beautiful day. Along the East Coast there was not a cloud n the sky — not, that is, unless you count the clouds filled with flames, dust and debris erupting from the collapse of the World Trade Center.
It was a perfect day to ride a bicycle, unless of course you were terrified you had lost a loved one, were glued to a television set wherever you could find one, or were so overwhelmed by grief and rage and fright and confusion because you had no idea what was next for America that riding a bicycle was absolutely the furthest thing from your mind.
On the other hand, perhaps riding a bicycle was exactly the right reaction. Perhaps doing something so innocent, so routine, so life-affirming, was just was some of us should have been doing.
If tragedy teaches us anything, it is that human beings react to stress in a variety of ways. Who is to say that riding a bicycle is not the perfect way to tell Osama bin Laden, or whoever turns out to be responsible for these dastardly deeds, that America’s spirit will not be broken?
But I could not have ridden a bicycle down the road on Tuesday. I sat, transfixed, devouring the television coverage of events that, in their own way, may turn out to be as transforming for this world as Pearl Harbor was nearly 60 years earlier.
I could not bear to watch what I was seeing, but neither could I tear myself away. Each time I saw the gaping holes in those two towers, every time I saw those enormous symbols of strength and power and (even in these economically shaky times) American prosperity crumble in upon themselves like a silly disaster movie, the scene was more surreal than the previous time.
Life will be equally surreal for all of us for a long time to come.
I wondered, as I watched the video shots of the jet planes slam into the World Trade Center over and over and over again, what must have been going through each passenger’s mind.
Like many Westporters, I fly often. Like most I grumble about the delays and crowded planes, but like them too I feel a secret, unspoken thrill every time the sky is clear, the air is blue and the scenery terrific. Tuesday was that kind of day.
For the rest of my life, I suspect, flying will never be the same. And the increased security we will face at every airport, on each plane, is only part of what I fear.
So much remains to be sorted out. We will hear, in the days to come, of Westporters who have lost family members and friends in the World Trade Center. We will hear too of those who have lost their jobs when their companies collapsed, either directly or indirectly, as a result of the terrorism.
Sherwood Island State Park is the site of Connecticut’s official 9/11 Memorial. (Photo/David Squires)
We will drive along the New Jersey Turnpike, or stand on a particular street in Manhattan, perhaps even take out-of-town guests to gaze at the landmark we will come to call “the place the twin towers used to be.”
Our casual grocery store and soccer sideline conversations will be filled with stories: who was where when the terror first hit, and what happened in the hours after.
Our newspapers and airwaves will be clogged with experts trying to explain — though that will never be possible — what it all means for us, in the short term and long term, as individuals and a society.
Our world has already changed, in ways that will take years, if not decades, to understand. We are nowhere close to comprehending the meaning of all this.
The world will go on, of course. Our planet will continue to spin; men and women will continue to commute to New York, and pretty women in Westport will continue to ride bicycles down Whitney Street.
At the same time, sadly, none of that will ever be the same.
Among the nearly 3,000 victims of 9/11, 161 were from Connecticut.
Two lived in Westport: Jonathan Uman and Bradley Vadas. Brothers Keith and Scott Coleman grew up here. All worked at the World Trade Center.
They were sons, fathers and brothers. They had much of their lives still ahead of them.
Today, we remember all those killed that day. Twenty-five years later, we still grieve.
Keith Hagel is a 1963 graduate of Staples High School.
He lived and worked throughout Fairfield County, before retiring as a newspaper editor and moving to Maine. An earlier version of this piece appeared in the Bangor Daily News in 2023.
The morning sky on September 11, 2001 near New York City was spectacularly clear and beautiful, so different from the normal clouds and smog that even jaded, sleepy commuters like me on the train from suburban Connecticut to NYC took notice.
We were near the New York state line when the news broke. I remember one man saying, “Someone has declared war on the United States.” Another, on a cell, started yelling at his mother to turn off “The Price is Right” and watch the news.” Takes all kinds.
The train made an unscheduled stop, and a frantic young man boarded. His girlfriend worked in one of the World Trade Center buildings that had been hit, and of course he could not reach her. I hope I never again have to see such anguish on a person’s face.
I thought about a woman I had chatted with on a subway the day before. I think she had said she was on her way to start a new job at the WTC. As she said goodbye getting off, her hip brushed mine, perhaps accidentally. I noticed, but felt I’d probably never see her again. Now, I wondered if anyone else would, either.
As we neared the 125th Street station, we could see the Twin Towers afire across the river. An hour later, I would have been in the bowels of one of the other WTC buildings, connecting to my editing job at Dow Jones Newswires in Jersey City.
The unthinkable happened, on September 11, 2001.
125th Street was as far as train riders were going on September 11. If the World Trade Center had been targeted, Grand Central Station, in midtown Manhattan, certainly also might be.
To my surprise, I eventually got a dial tone on a pay phone (25 years later, extinct in New York) and called my newsroom office. No answer; the 16-floor building had been evacuated. Not that I could have have gotten there. All subway and bus service in Manhattan had been shut down.
My supervisor did eventually make it in. He had been walking to work from near the WTC when he saw the first plane hit. Any sane and/or terrified person would have run like hell in the opposite direction. He did, but a good newsperson to his core, he first called in the story.
I took a turned-around train back to Fairfield County. Little talk, no tickets collected. As I got off an hour later, grim-faced police were on the platform, probably watching for injured or traumatized people needing medical help. The next day, we would learn of the cars that sat empty in railroad parking lots, their drivers never to return.
(Photo copyright Ted Horowitz)
I drove my clunker car to my wife’s house. We recently had separated but, as parents, remained connected. Her first words to me were, “I never thought I’d be so glad to see that piece of (junk) here again.”
Her phone rang, and I answered. My college daughter in Michigan. She had been hurt by her parents’ split and was quite angry with me, with some justification.
A brief pause, then, “What are you doing here?”
I told her she should have listened to the message I had left her from the train, using a cell I had borrowed from a stranger.
In August of 2001, life was good for Tyler Ugolyn.
The former Ridgefield High School basketball star (and McDonald’s All-American) graduated from Columbia University that May. He had just turned 23. And he started working for Fred Alger.
Tyler Ugolyn at his Columbia University gradaation.
He was there at his desk one month later — September 11 — when a hijacker flew a plane into the World Trade Center’s North Tower.
Tyler was one of 35 members of his investment firm — and 2,942 others — who died that horrific morning, 25 years ago this Friday.
Trevor was Tyler Ugolyn’s older brother — his charismatic, selfless and only brother.
Tyler Ugolyn
Trevor moved to Westport 13 years ago. He and his wife Caroline are raising 2 sons here.
Trevor has seldom spoken publicly about his connection with 9/11. But as his boys grow up, Trevor wants to make sure they, and the many other Americans born after that world-changing day hear the stories behind the statistics.
Every man and woman lost that morning left behind loved ones. Tyler’s death inspired Trevor to “live my life as he did — to be the best human being I can be, and try to fulfill his legacy.”
Which is why today (Wednesday, 5:30 p.m.), Trevor will speak at Connecticut’s official ceremony. It will be held, as always, at Sherwood Island State Park. The state’s 9/11 Living Memorial is there, on a peninsula where on a clear day the Manhattan skyline can be viewed across Long Island Sound.
The memorial features stones engraved with the names of the 161 people with ties to Connecticut who were killed in the attacks.
The 9/11 memorial, at Sherwood island State Park.
This will not be Trevor’s first time at the ceremony. In the past though, he has stood off to the side.
Now, he will be a “story teller.” He will talk about Trevor’s impact on him.
He will recall the innocent men and women lost, the sacrifices of first responders, the thousands of volunteers in search and rescue, and the brave men and women of our armed forces who risked their lives in years to come.
He will talk too about the good things that came out of 9/11: “bravery, sacrifice, a feeling of community.”
And the Tyler Ugolyn Foundation. Created by Trevor and his parents, the non-profit supports youth basketball through court refurbishment, financial support for character-building educational programs, and skills clinics for children in urban areas.
All nationwide courts are named “Tyler’s Court.” A plaque installed at each says “I just love playing the game,” a quote from his high school days.
Tyler left quite a legacy. At Columbia, he enlisted players from the men’s and women’s teams to run clinics for Harlem youths. He served as a soup kitchen volunteer too.
At Ridgefield High he was a member of the National Honor Society, Key Club, Safe Rides, Future Business Leaders of America, and Big Brothes/Big Sisters.
Every year, Ridgefield’s basketball program selects a special player — one with great character and spirit, a humble leader and true team athlete — to wear Tyler’s #34 jersey.
Tyler’s jersey, in the Ridgefield High School gym.
Speaking at today’s ceremony will not be easy for Trevor. He’s a private person, but he has so much to say about his brother.
“I’ve written probably 4 books,” Trevor says. “And now I have to condense it down into 4 minutes.
After a quarter century, the grief and loss Trevor feels is still palpable.
He will never forget his brother. But — first by working with the Tyler Ugolyn Foundation, now adding his conversations with his sons and his remarks today — Trevor ensures that many others who never knew Tyler will never forget him either.
(A few days after 9/11, Jeff Pearlman wrote a very moving story about Tyler for Sports Illustrated; click here to read. In 2009, he revisited that piece; click here to read. For more on Tyler Ugolyn, click here.)
As the 25th anniversary of her husband Adam J. Lewis’ death in the Twin Towers nears, Patty Lewis could spend her time looking backward.
Instead, she focuses on the future.
And the future of Adam J. Lewis Academy is bright indeed.
Its preschool opened with 12 children in 2013, in a revitalized Bridgeport property. The school was the brainchild and passion project of Patty and Westporter Julie Mombello. Both were longtime friends, and educators at Greens Farms Academy.
Patty Lewis (left) and Julie Mombello
Each child it served would honor the memory of Patty’s husband, Adam. In his too-short life, the Bronx native never forgot how his own world had been transformed by an educational opportunity at the Dalton School.
Over the next 5 years, the preschool grew to its capacity of 18 children. It was a model for what early childhood education can be: engaging students in an innovative, enriched, nurturing environment, and bridging an achievement gap that already existed at such a young age.
The first class at Adam J. Lewis Preschool
In 2018 the school relocated to an expanded downtown Bridgeport campus, and welcomed its first kindergarten class.
Every year after, Adam J. Lewis Academy added one grade. This fall, it reached its goal. It is now a full pre-k through 8th grade independent school, with nearly 200 students.
It is a shining success story, in a city that has not had enough of them. And — with the help of many Westporters — Patty and Julie’s school continues to change lives, one child at a time, every day of the year.
It’s a testament too that — after one of the most horrific days in American history — something good and wonderful can grow and flourish.
This year’s inaugural 8th grade includes 12 students. Four have been at the school since pre-kindergarten.
Three of this year’s 8th graders, hard at work.
Julie and Patty are excited for all 12. Part of the school year will be dedicated to placing them in appropriate high schools: Hopkins, Greens Farms Academy, Lauralton Hall, Notre Dame, Kolbe Cathedral and the like.
AJLA’s dedicated staff helps prepare students for those entrance exams. A mandatory summer program for 8th graders — part of the camp the school runs for all students — includes essay writing, interviewing skills and financial aid forms
Adam J. Lewis Academy has no theater, gym or athletic field. But they’ve partnered with organizations like Wakeman Boys & Girls Club, SquashBridge and Music Theater of Connecticut, to offer the extracurriculars that round out students’ experiences.
Adam J. Lewis Academy students and staff.
Though their growth plan — pre-K to grade 8 — is complete, Patty and Julie are not resting. Their work is not done.
They’re already looking ahead. Their goal, they say, is to continue changing young children’s lives “for the next 25, 50 and 100 years.”
A capital campaign — “Secure the Future” — has begun. The goal is $25 million.
Adam J. Lewis Academy is completely self-funded. The $5 million annual budget includes no public money.
No family pays full tuition, which covers only 8% of the total cost. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods — the investment firm where Adam worked on the 89th floor in the South Tower — has been a longtime generous donor.
Adam J. Lewis Academy 7th graders.
This year’s fundraising gala is set for September 19 (6 p.m., The Point at Norwalk Cove). As they do every year, students and teachers will show their walk, and talk about AJLA and their lives.
Those conversations are always insightful and inspiring. This year, the first class of 8th graders will make an extra special impression on guests. (Click here for tickets, and more information.)
On Sunday, Adam J. Lewis was in the national spotlight, thanks to CBS News. Caroline Lewis — one of Adam and Patty’s 4 children, who works there — pitched the story to producers.
She did not tell them her connection, until after they agreed it was a piece worth telling. (Click here to see.)
“The story of 9/11 is not done,” Caroline says in the piece. “A new chapter is being written.”
Adam J. Lewis pre-K students.
No child at the academy named for her father knew him. But his legacy is strong and alive.
Every fall, students participate in the national 9/11 Giving Day. Whether singing “America the Beautiful” at a memorial service, or — this year — packing meals for local shelters, the boys and girls at Adam J. Lewis Academy give back as much as they get.
On the 25th anniversary of a day that changed America forever, Patty Lewis says, “We’ve changed the narrative from horror and tragedy, to a sense of coming together. This is a reminder of who we as a country can be.”
On September 11, 2001 Westport — and the nation — changed forever.
The 9/11 terrorists did more than kill nearly 3,000 people (including several with local ties.) They changed our culture, politics, and sense of ourselves.
On a strikingly clear day, we saw smoke from the Twin Towers. Sherwood Island State Park was readied as a staging area that, tragically, was never needed.
The iconic 9/11 photo was taken by Staples High School graduate Spencer Platt. He lived near the Twin Towers on that awful morning.
Westporters — first responders, and others who just wanted to help in any way possible — spent time in the rubble, and nearby.
Sherwood Island is now the site of Connecticut’s 9/11 memorial. Scholarships honor the memories of friends and neighbors we lost.
Sherwood Island State Park 9/11 Memorial (Photo/David Squires)
Next month, our town will remember both the lives lost, and the extraordinary acts of kindness and unity that followed, in a special way. Officials have planned 4 days of service, to neighbors and the community.
Residents, families, businesses, schools, non-profits and community organizations are invited to gather, serve and honor together.
The 4-day observance — September 8 through 11 — will recognize the courage and sacrifices of first responders, military members and public servants, while strengthening our community through service, compassion and generosity.
Among the activities:
A ceremony on September 8, with a call to serve throughout the week
Volunteering with a participating Westport non-profit
Donating food, supplies or funds to a non-profit
Performing independent acts of kindness or community service
Thanking first responders, veterans, healthcare professionals, teachers, and others who serve our town
Recognition of a first responder, veteran, healthcare worker, teacher, volunteer or community member
A message of gratitude
A photograph and the story behind it
A reflection on what September 11 means to you today.
Submissions may include a name, or be posted anonymously.
View from the Sherwood Island 9/11 Memorial. (Photo/John Kantor)
After the 4 Days of Service and Remembrance, the town will publish highlights of volunteer participation, acts of service, charitable giving, and stories of remembrance.
For now, put September 8 to 11 on your calendar.
That time of year is always busy. School, and many programs, start up again. Organizations swing back in action. Everyone kicks into fall mode.
But 9/11 is special.
Whether you were here that day or not — or were alive or not yet born — it’s time to pause.
Reflect.
And then — as Americans did, a quarter century ago — take action, in whatever way you can.
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