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Houston 9/11 memorial honors native killed in attacks
Twenty-five years after the September 11 terrorist attacks, Houstonians gathered at Lauren’s Garden in downtown Houston to remember the nearly 3,000 people killed that day. FOX 26's Karys Belger spoke to the founder - Lauren's father - and a new Houstonian who has his own personal connection to the attacks.
Houston - Twenty-five years after the September 11 terrorist attacks, Houstonians gathered at Lauren’s Garden in downtown Houston to remember the nearly 3,000 people killed that day.
For two families at the memorial Friday, the anniversary was also about making sure the stories of those they lost are carried forward.
Lauren's Garden: A Houston 9/11 memorial
What we know:
Among the places of remembrance was Lauren’s Garden at Market Square Park.
Lauren's Garden at Market Square Park honors Lauren Catuzzi Grandcolas, a Houston native who was killed aboard United Airlines Flight 93 on September 11, 2001.
Grandcolas was pregnant with her first child and traveling home to her husband in California. Her father, Larry Catuzzi, said she had changed her travel plans to return home a day earlier than originally planned.
Flight 93 was hijacked as part of the coordinated attacks that also targeted New York City and Washington, D.C. Passengers and crew members fought back against the hijackers before the plane crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Catuzzi and his family later created the Lauren Catuzzi Grandcolas Foundation, which helped establish the Houston memorial.
The garden includes a bronze bust and a plaque honoring Grandcolas. Its pond and waterfall feature contain 2,977 stones representing the people killed in the September 11 attacks, while large boulders represent the locations that were attacked.
‘Helps me find hope’
What they're saying:
For Catuzzi, the garden is not only a place to remember his daughter but also a way for his family to give something back to the community.
"I want them to see this part and realize that giving back to the community is terribly important," Catuzzi told FOX 26. "And that's what we did for Lauren."
Catuzzi said he regularly meets people in the garden who do not know who he is but tell him what the space means to them.
He recalled meeting one man who told him he came to the garden every day to eat lunch because the space gave him "salvation." When Catuzzi told the man the woman memorialized there was his daughter, he said the man began to cry.
Another visitor Friday came with his own connection to September 11.
Edward "Eddie" Pullis was seven years old when his father, Edward F. Pullis, was killed while working in the South Tower of the World Trade Center.
Pullis recently moved to Houston and told FOX 26 he woke up Friday wanting to find a way to honor his father. He searched online for a September 11 memorial in Houston and found Lauren’s Garden.
"Being here at this memorial helps me find hope, and it makes me feel peaceful with this water flowing in this fountain," Pullis said.
He said the fountain reminded him of the National September 11 Memorial in New York City, where his mother was spending the anniversary remembering his father.
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Son of 9/11 victim honors father and reflects on Navy service at Houston Memorial
On the 25th anniversary of 9/11, a young man shares his poignant story of loss and remembrance, honoring his father and all victims. His heartfelt reflections remind us to never forget this significant day in history.
Pullis later served in the U.S. Navy. He told FOX 26 he also lost his stepfather while he was deployed, leaving him grieving two father figures.
He said the weight of September 11 can feel different each year, but 25 years later he wants younger generations to continue learning about what happened.
"Just, you know, the two words, never forget this day," Pullis said. "I want the children to learn this in school. It's a very important day of history."
Remembering flight 93:
Grandcolas was one of 40 passengers and crew members aboard Flight 93 who were killed when the plane crashed in Pennsylvania.
Catuzzi told those gathered Friday that he has made 41 trips to the Flight 93 memorial and has served in leadership roles representing victims’ families.
The foundation created in Lauren’s name has also awarded more than 100 scholarships to local students over the years.
Although Lauren’s Garden grew out of one of the darkest days in American history, Catuzzi said the space was deliberately designed to offer visitors something different.
"A visit there is meant to be peaceful and uplifting," Catuzzi said during Friday’s ceremony.
What we don't know:
Twenty-five years after the attacks, there is no way to know how the meaning of September 11 will change as fewer Americans have firsthand memories of that day.
For families like the Catuzzis and Pullises, the focus is now on making sure the people behind the names — and the stories of what happened — are carried forward by the generations that follow.
The Source: FOX 26 interviews with Larry Catuzzi and Edward "Eddie" Pullis; remarks from Larry Catuzzi during the 25th anniversary ceremony at Lauren’s Garden; National Park Service/Flight 93 National Memorial; National September 11 Memorial & Museum.