From ABC7 Los Angeles · · 1m 20s
The lights that keep a father close
Twenty-five years on, the twin beams over New York still run on the people who refuse to let them go dark.
In brief
Twenty-five years on, the twin beams over New York still run on the people who refuse to let them go dark. A memorial only lasts as long as the people willing to show up for it every year. Originally reported by ABC7 Los Angeles.
Twin beams, 25 years
Every September, two columns of light rise over New York for the people killed on Sept. 11, 2001. The Tribute in Light has done it for a quarter century.
“Tribute in Light symbolizes the resiliency of New York and its people”
A 12 year old at the switch
Valerie Webb was asked to flip the switch on the first Tribute in Light, six months after the attacks. She was 12, and had just lost her father, a Port Authority officer.
Her hero before any of it
Webb remembers a kind, funny, generous family man. Their favorite thing was Toys 'R' Us, her at the arcade, him being the fun one.
“He was my hero before any of this.”
The ultimate sacrifice
Her father died saving others. Webb says taking part in the tribute felt like the least she could do to honor that.
“He gave his life to save so many others.”
A crew behind the beams
Webb is one of many. A team of workers sets up and runs the installation each year so the memorial keeps going.
Closer to dad, every year
When the beams come up, Webb feels the distance shrink. Twenty-five years in, the tribute still returns, and that is the point.
“It just makes me feel like a little bit closer to my dad.”
The takeaway
A memorial only lasts as long as the people willing to show up for it every year.
