Huntington Remembers Alumni Lost on 9/11
It’s now been eight years since the terrible death and destruction wreaked by terrorists on Sept. 11, 2001, but the Huntington school community is still mourning the loss of six alumni who perished at the World Trade Center, along with former Huntington students who attended elementary school in the district before enrolling at other Long Island high schools to complete their scholastic education.
Many district employees also lost loved ones that dark day, including a husband, brother and the daughter of a retired teacher. Several dozen community residents were killed in the attacks, as many were employed by firms related to the financial service industry, which had a large presence in WTC Towers I and II or in New York City emergency services.
The lost Huntington alumni include Susan Clyne-Dietrich (1977), Dennis Edwards (1984), Michelle Titolo (1985), Michael Desmond McCarthy (1987), Judson Cavalier (1993) and Joe Anchundia (1993). Each of the six left behind grieving families.
Ms. Clyne-Dietrich, a graduate of C.W. Post and Touro Law School never entered a courtroom because she fell in love with computers. She worked on the 96th floor of Tower One as senior vice-president of Marsh & McLennan, the largest insurance company in the world. The Huntington grad was in charge of global software design. A married mother of three, she lived in Lindenhurst.
Mr. Edwards, 35, was a partner with bond giant Cantor Fitzgerald, working at the top of the World Trade Center. He lived in Huntington after marrying his high school sweetheart, Patti, and was the father of a 2 ½ year old daughter. During the 1993 bombing of the WTC he carried a pregnant woman down 80 flights of stairs to safety, effectively saving her life.
Following her graduation from Huntington High School, Ms. Titolo went on to earn a degree in finance from St. John’s University and later obtained an MBA. She was working as an equity controller for Cantor Fitzgerald on the 101st floor of One World Trade Center when she was killed in the terrorist attack. She was 34 years old and had just settled into a new home in Copiague.
Mr. McCarthy, who turned 33 years old on Sept. 8, 2001, was an assistant vice-president at Carr Futures, specializing in the London Stock Exchange. He worked the overnight shift, 2 a.m. – 10 a.m., and was slated to leave the World Trade Center shortly after the terrorists struck. The firm was located on the 92nd floor of Tower One, two floors below the impact zone of the plane. All 68 people on the floor, including Mr. McCarthy survived the initial explosion but a raging fire that spread to the west side of the floor prevented anyone from escaping alive.
Following Mr. McCarthy’s death, his family created a scholarship at Huntington High School in his memory. He is buried in St. Patrick’s Cemetery in Huntington.
Mr. Anchundia and Mr. Cavalier, a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, worked at Sandler O’Neill & Partners near the highest reaches of the WTC. The pair had been best friends since they attended Flower Hill Elementary School together. They were both 26 years old and were just starting to climb the corporate ladder with the investment banking firm. On Sept. 11 the pair was once again together, working on the 104th floor of Tower Two when a plane attacked the building.
“Those of us who lived through the events of 9/11 will always remember the loved ones who were lost that day and the courage of those responsible for saving thousands of lives,” Superintendent John J. Finello said. “We will never forget our alumni who were lost or the other members of our community who perished.”
The Huntington School District’s eight individual school buildings remember the events of 9/11 in their own way ranging from collective moments of silence, poignant poetry readings and written testimonials to group reflections, musical tributes and group gatherings of students, faculty and staff.
“It’s a day that will always carry special meaning in America,” Mr. Finello said.
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