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>>> GOOD EVENING AND WELCOME TO "CONNECTING POINT."
I'M JIM MADIGAN. WE ALL REMEMBER THE AWFUL EVENTS
OF SEPTEMBER 11th, 2001. ARTIST DAWN SIEBEL OF
EASTHAMPTON HAS NOW CREATED A 343 PORTRAITS OF NEW YORK'S
BRAVEST WHO FELL ON 91111 IS NOW ON EXHIBIT AT THE SPRINGFIELD
MUSEUMS. "CONNECTING POINT" CORRESPONDENT
CAROLEE McGRATH SPOKE WITH DAWN TO LEARN WHAT INSPIRED HER
TO CREATE THIS TRIBUTE TO THE FALLEN.
>> I KNEW ALMOST ON THAT DAY THAT I WANTED TO DO SOMETHING
ABOUT THE FIREFIGHTERS. BUT IT WAS MANY YEARS BEFORE I
SUDDENLY WOKE UP ONE DAY AND SAID I AM GOING TO PAINT THEM ON
BURNED BLOCKS OF WOOD. IT TOOK ABOUT 120 HOURS TO
PREPARE THE WOOD BEFORE THE PAINTING TO START.
MY BEST ESTIMATE IS IT TOOK ABOUT 3,000 HOURS FOR ALL THE
PAINTING. I USED TO LIVE IN NEW YORK CITY
FOR A LONG TIME. IN MANHATTAN.
BUT I WAS LIVING IN COLORADO ON 9/11 AND I WOKE UP, HEARD ABOUT
IT ON MY CLOCK RADIO. THEY SAID A PLANE FLEW IN.
IT WAS A SMALL PLANE. I IMMEDIATELY WAS A NEW YORKER
AGAIN. GOT UP, DOWN STARES TURNED ON
THE TV AND WATCHED THE SECOND PLANE FLY IN AND I SAT THERE ALL
DAY LONG LIKE MILLIONS OF PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD, JUST STUNNED
AND SHOCKED, HORRIFIED. AND IT WAS ABOUT 3:00 IN THE
AFTERNOON COLORADO TIME THAT SOMEONE CAME ON AND SAID WE
THINK THAT MORE THAN 300 HOW FOS DIED TODAY.
THAT'S WHEN I STOPPED. THAT MADE THE DAY REAL TO ME.
FOR ME IT STILL HOLDS EVERYTHING OF THE DAY BECAUSE IT HOLDS ALL
THE TERRIBLE BUREAU IT ALSO HOLDS ALL THE GOOD.
THESE ARE NOT THE ONLY HEROES THAT DAY.
THERE WERE THOUSANDS OF HEROES. BUT THEY REPRESENT THE GOOD PART
OF THE DAY, THE PEOPLE WHO WENT IN TO HELP EACH OTHER.
>> I WILL NEVER FORGET SOME OF THE PICTURES THAT WE WOULD SEE
ON THE NEWS AFTER OF THE FIREFIGHTERS RUNNING IN.
YOU HAVE ALL THESE PEOPLE WHO ARE TRYING TO GET OUT OF THE
BUILDING AND THEY HAD LIKE 60, 70 POUNDS OF EQUIPMENT AND THEY
ARE RUNNING UP 100 FLIGHTS. IT'S STUNNING TO ME THAT THAT'S
HOW THEY THINK. LIKE IT WASN'T EVEN A THOUGHT.
LIKE THEY JUST DID IT. >> IT WAS THE FIRE OF THEIR
LIVES. THEY WERE GOING TO RESCUE
PEOPLE. THAT'S WHAT THEY DO.
AND THEY DID. THEY HELPED THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE
GET OUT OF THAT BUILDING. >> YOU HAD MENTIONED THAT YOU
DIDN'T KNOW FIREFIGHTERS PRIOR TO DOING THIS EXHIBIT.
NOW HERE YOU HAVE, YOU KNOW, PORTRAITS OF 343.
CAN YOU SHARE WITH US ANY STORIES ABOUT ANY FIREFIGHTERS
IN PARTICULAR? >> WELL, I'LL TELL THE ONE OF
TOMMY FOLEY. HE WAS ACTUALLY LOVED BEING A
FIREFIGHTER. BUT THE STORY HIS MOTHER TOLD ME
WHEN I MET HER WAS THAT HIS FATHER PROMISED HIS WIFE THAT HE
WOULD FIND TOMMY AND BRING HIM HOME FOR BURIAL.
SO HIS FATHER WENT DOWN TO GROUND ZERO AND WAS ON THE ROOF
OF 10 HOUSE, THE FIREHOUSE THAT'S RIGHT THERE ACROSS THE
STREET AND FINALLY HE SEES A HELMET WITH HIS COMPANY NUMBER
ON IT. HE LET THEM KNOW ON THE GROUND
WHERE HE SAW THE HELMET. AND HE GOT THERE BUT STILL TOO
HOT TO DIG DOWN THERE. CAMERAS MELTED WHEN THEY PUT
THEM UNDERGROUND THERE. THEY MARKED IT WITH AN ORANGE
CONE AND WEREN'T ABLE TO GET BACK TO IT.
WHEN THEY DID GET BACK TO IT THEY FOUND ONE OF HIS BUDDIES
AND THEY FOUND TOMMY WHERE HIS -- FOR HIS FATHER HAD FOUND THE
HELMET. >> THEY WILL ME ABOUT PLUMMER.
>> THESE ONE OF THE ONES FIREFIGHTERS TOLD ME ABOUT.
HE WAS A MARATHONER. BY 9:58 HIS TEAM SOMEWHERE ELSE,
I AM NOT SURE, ACTUALLY RESCUED CIVILIANS WHO WERE TRAPPED IN AN
ELEVATOR. THE:59, THE BUILDING CAME DOWN
AND TOOK ALL OF THEM WITH IT. FATHER MIEWK CULL JUDGE IS THE
FIRST OFFICIAL DEATH OF THE DAY. HE WAS NOT THE FIR ONE TO DIE
THAT DAY. OBVIOUSLY THERE WERE JUMPERS.
HE WAS ADMINISTERING LAST WRITHES.
THIS IS THE FIRST FAULKER AND HE WAS KILLED BY A JUMPER.
MICHAEL JUDGE ADMINISTERED LAST WRITHES TO DANIEL SIR WHOSE TEAM
CARRIED HIM OFF WHEN THE BUILDING FELL.
HE FIGURED THEY SAVED HIS LIFE. THIS IS THE CHIEF OF DEPARTMENT.
THE HIGHEST RANKING FIREFIGHTER EXCEPT FOR THE COMMISSIONER.
I NEVER MET A FIREFIGHTER WHO DIDN'T SPEAK WELL OF HIM.
HE WAS MUCH LOVEED. >> WHY DO YOU THINK THIS IS
IMPORTANT? ESPECIALLY FOR THE YOUNGER
GENERATION WHO MAYBE WASN'T EVEN BORN YET ON 9/11?
>> MOST OF WHAT WE REMEMBER ABOUT 9/11 IS SO TERRIBLE.
BUT THERE'S JUST AN AMAZING NUMBER OF REALLY GOOD STORIES
ABOUT 9/11, ABOUT REALLY, THE TITLE OF THE PIECE CAME TO ME
THE SAME DAY I KNEW I WANTED TO PUT THEM ON BURNED BLOCKS OF
WOOD. AND THE TITLE, THE BETTER
ANGELS, IS FROM LINK. IT'S FROM HIS FIRST INAUGURAL
AND THE VERY LAST SENTENCE, BUT HE'S ASKING THE NATION TO HEAL
ITS WOUNDS BY APPEALING TO THE BETTER ANGELS OF OUR NATURE.
SO IN SOME WAYS TO ME THAT'S WHAT THIS IS, ABOUT THE HEALING
PART OF IT. ABOUT THE HONORING AND GOOD PART
OF IT AND NOT JUST THE TERRIBLE, AWFUL, HAIFTING PART OF IT.
SO THAT'S I THINK THE RELEVANCE AND THE ONGOING RELEVANCE OF
THIS PIECE. AND I BELIEVE THAT WHEN YOU LOOK
AT THE WHOLE EXHIBIT, YOU SORT OF GET IN YOUR GUT HOW MANY
THERE WERE. THAT THEN BECAUSE THE PAINTINGS
ARE SMALL YOU HAVE TO GO CLOSE AND SO YOUR CONNECTION TO THEM
IS INTIMATE. WHAT YOU REALLY SEE IS THE
INDIVIDUALITY. THERE'S A LOT OF CHARACTER ON
THIS WALL. I HOPE IT COMES THROUGH.
THAT WAS MY GOAL IN PAINTING THEM.
>> WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO TELL PEOPLE ON WHY THEY SHOULD COME
AND VIEW THIS? >> COME TO HONOR THESE MEN.
COME TO BE MOVED BY THEM. COME TO BE INSPIRED.