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| JFK | Oct 29 2008, 10:29 AM |
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Source Key Figures of 9/11 Marian Fontana  The Widow After losing her husband, firefighter Dave Fontana, Marian Fontana came to the fore as the public voice for the families of the victims. As president of the 9-11 Widows' and Victims' Families Association, Fontana spent much of her time bringing victims' families together and making the public aware of issues that concerned the relatives, such as the victim compensation fund and the redevelopment of the World Trade Center site. In 2003, she stepped away from the public eye somewhat. "I don't know how healthy it is to make Sept. 11 the only date on your calendar for the rest of your life," she said. "It's not fair to my son, or to Dave's memory, really. I want to find the quiet place where I can start to grieve." In 2005, Fontana, a writer and performer, penned "A Widow's Walk," an inspiring memoir. Fontana serves as Board President for TributeWTC, and is involved with a number of related organizations. Rudolph Giuliani  The Mayor Although already well known outside of New York before the events of Sept. 11, 2001, the former mayor truly became an international figure for his cool-headed response to the attack. After leaving office in 2002, Giuliani and several aides formed a consulting firm, Giuliani Partners, which has taken on assignments from crime-fighting in Mexico to corruption-busting at horse-racing tracks. In 2005, Giuliani joined the firm of Bracewell & Patterson LLP (renamed Bracewell & Giuliani LLP) as a name partner and symbolic head of the expanding firm's new New York office. Giuliani, 59, has become a major fund-raiser for the Republican Party, and is often mentioned as a potential Senate or gubernatorial candidate. He married Judith Nathan in May 2003, less than a year after an ugly public divorce from his former wife, Donna Hanover. His 2002 book, "Leadership," was a best-seller. Bernard Kerik  The Police Commissioner When Kerik was appointed police commissioner in August 2000, he was a little-known, low-key figure. After the attack, the 48-year-old Kerik was a near-constant presence at Giuliani's side, helping rally with his solemn determination a department that had lost 23 members. In 2001, he published his memoirs, "The Lost Son: A Life in Pursuit of Justice," in which he revealed that his mother was a prostitute who had been beaten to death. A consultant for Giuliani Partners until his resignation in Decembre 2004, Kerik was been on assignment in Iraq, where he was dubbed the "Baghdad Terminator" for his no-nonsense style in rebuilding the city's police force. On Dec. 3, 2004, Kerik was nominated by President George W. Bush to succeed Tom Ridge as U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security. After a week of press scrutiny, Kerik withdrew acceptance of the nomination, citing potential problems with the immigration and tax status of a former nanny. Kerik has been hit with other allegations as well, including that he had connections with people suspected of doing business with the mob and that he had simultaneous extramarital affairs with two women. In June 2006, Kerik pled guilty to two ethics violations and was ordered to pay $221,000. Soon after, current Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg removed Kerik's name from the Manhattan Detention Complex, a New York jail that had been renamed in Kerik's honor on Dec 21, 2001, by Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. Howard Lutnick  The CEO The CEO of the bond-trading firm Cantor Fitzgerald, Lutnick was taking his son to kindergarten when American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the company's offices. While that twist of fate saved his life, his brother, his best friend and more than 650 employees were killed in the attack. Lutnick, 41, quickly became a public face of grief and then a target for Cantor relatives outraged at his decision to halt paychecks to the families of deceased employees. He ultimately won back the trust of most families by convening town meetings, phoning hundreds of family members and writing condolence letters. As of 2003, Cantor Fitzgerald has given more than $120 million in profits to the families so far. Richard Sheirer  The Search Coordinator As head of the Giuliani-created Office of Emergency Management, Sheirer had the mammoth task of coordinating the search for the dead and the clearance of the trade center site. The job was widely assumed to take at least a year to complete. It was finished in nine months at a fraction of the estimated cost. "You cannot underestimate the dedication of all the people here," Sheirer, 56, said near the end of the site work. After leaving the office in March 2002, Sheirer joined Giuliani's consulting firm. Larry Silverstein  The Landlord A private developer little known to the general public, Silverstein signed a 99-year lease for the twin towers just six weeks before the attack. His lease with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey remains in place, making Silverstein, 72, a key figure in the rebuilding of the site. After much behind-closed-doors wrangling over the site's final design, Silverstein and redevelopment officials reached an agreement that leaves in place architect Daniel Libeskind's centerpiece (the 1,776-foot Freedom Tower) but hands the lead role in construction to Silverstein's hand-picked architect, David Childs. Thomas Von Essen  The Fire Commissioner Von Essen, who had served for six years as commissioner of the Fire Department of New York, directed the department's response to the attack, which claimed the lives of 343 firefighters. At the end of the Giuliani administration, he joined Giuliani's firm and serves as senior vice president. Since then, he has given speeches and written a memoir, "Strong of Heart." The book covered Von Essen's life as a firefighter, union president and finally commissioner, a tenure marked by contention over his efforts to change the tradition-bound department. |
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| Key Figures of 9/11 · Investigate 9/11 | |
6:38 AM Nov 29
