I took these photos of the "Missing" fliers in lower Manhattan after the collapse of the World Trade Center, just outside St Vincent's hospital. I remember squinting through my camera's viewfinder, fighting glaring sunlight and tears at the same time.
Like St. Vincent’s Itself, Missing Wall Means Much
The 9/11 fliers are now preserved in plastic and arranged alphabetically, from Terence E. Adderley Jr. to Ken Zelman, in four loose-leaf binders. Copies were made for future display at a center for 9/11 families that is to be part of the memorial and museum being built at ground zero.
The binders are in storage, emerging rarely save for one day a year. “We have a memorial Mass every Sept. 11 in the chapel, and we bring the books there,” Sister Kevin said. “We let people look through them, and then we take them back” — out of sight but never out of mind.
Note: The flyers have been photoshopped to hide phone numbers and email addresses.
Here is the memorial page for Paul Benedetti where his wife and friends haven't stopped leaving public messages for him.
On Shannon M. Fava's legacy page, her mom and dad continue to post messages to her on birthdays, holidays, or just because they are thinking of her. Take a moment to visit her page and look at the slideshow of her and her lovely family.
Photo above taken from the 14th floor of the Transportation Building, Sept 28, 2001.
Inside the Polo Ralph Loren store on Broadway, Sept 2001.