Borough remembers tragic events of 9/11
By sandi carpello
Staff Writer

FARRAH MAFFAI Sandy Lang (center), widow of Brendan Lang, one of the citizens lost on 9/11, is joined by her mother, Carol Caldera (r), and sister, Laren Caldera (l), on Saturday as they listen to Mark Hemschoot’s father speak during dedication of the memorial constructed at Riverside Gardens Park in Red Bank.

RED BANK- On a less than perfect day, William Lang often seeks comfort at the borough’s Riverside Gardens Park.

"It’s the serenity of the place," said Lang, whose son Brendan and sister Roseanne were killed in the World Trade Center Attacks. "Sometimes you think your life is so hard. You can come sit by the river and reflect and think, ‘Maybe my life isn’t so bad.’"

Riverside Gardens Park, which became an impromptu memorial where pictures, flowers and American flags were left as a tribute for 9/11 victims, in the months following the attacks, is now the permanent home of the borough’s 9/11 Memorial Monument.

Encircled by red and gold marigolds, just footsteps from the Navesink River, the black granite-based memorial with a bronze plaque and a raised relief depicting the World Trade Center was unveiled in the borough on Saturday.

Two smaller markers were placed on each side of the plaque in memory of Red Bank residents Brendan Lang, 30, and Mark Hemschoot, 45. Hemschoot, the senior vice president of Aon Corp., and Lang, a project manager, were both working on the 105th floor in Tower Two of the World Trade Center that day.

Brett Woodward, Hemschoot’s brother-in-law, who remembered Mark as "more of a brother than a brother-in-law," was pleased with the borough’s memorial. "I think it’s beautiful. It was a long time coming, but in the end Red Bank always does the right thing."

Hemschoot’s widow, Debby, a lifelong Red Bank resident who met her late husband when they were 14 years old, said her family has come along way in the past two years. Her son Jeffrey, 20, just completed his freshman year at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Madison. Her younger son, David, 18, will be starting school there in the fall. Ms. Hemschoot refers to the two boys, who stand at 6’6" and 6’7", as her own "twin towers."

Lang’s widow, Sandy, said she was "very happy," with the outcome of the memorial, while William Lang said he hopes it would help onlookers put minor trials and tribulations into perspective.

"Brendan was an amazing guy. He and his wife Sandy finally built their dream house in Red Bank," he said. "In a blink of an eye you could really have troubles. You can’t change the past. Look to the future and modify the present."

The $7,000 cost of the memorial was funded by the borough. "We are asking for donations to cover those costs," Borough Administrator Stanley Sickels said.

Those wishing to donate may send checks to Borough Hall.