A quarter of a century after the catastrophic terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, hundreds of mourners, survivors, and state residents assembled along the Connecticut shoreline to pay tribute to the lives lost that morning. The state’s annual commemoration, known as the Connecticut Remembers September 11th Memorial Ceremony, brought together a community bound by shared loss and enduring grief to honor the 161 victims with ties to the state.
The solemn gathering took place at Sherwood Island State Park in Westport, situated at the southernmost expanse of land that reaches furthest into Long Island Sound toward New York. On the hazy Wednesday afternoon of the gathering, the gray waters and overcast skies mirrored the somber atmosphere. The setting itself holds deep historical resonance, as emergency responders and a fleet of ambulances were dispatched to the park’s shores 25 years ago in anticipation of treating survivors evacuated across the water from lower Manhattan. Those medical vehicles stood largely idle that afternoon as the collapse of the World Trade Center towers resulted in devastating loss rather than recoverable wounded.
Now, twenty-five years later, the passage of time has ushered in a generation of adults who have no firsthand recollection of the tragedy. Despite the decades that have elapsed, approximately 400 individuals gathered beneath a large tent situated beside the park's memorial garden. Attendees included grieving family members, friends, neighbors, and casual park visitors such as Tom Huebner of Milford, who had spent the afternoon with his daughter and chose to stay to observe the ceremony.
A central theme of the 25th anniversary focused on the necessity of passing down the memories of those who died to younger generations who never experienced the day. Among the featured speakers was Trevor Ugolyn, whose older brother, Tyler Ugolyn, perished on the 93rd floor of the North Tower. Tyler, a 23-year-old Ridgefield native and former Columbia University basketball player, had been working as a biotechnology stock analyst for Fred Alger Management when the hijacked planes struck the World Trade Center.
Trevor Ugolyn, who was a college sophomore watching television news broadcasts when the towers collapsed, delivered an emotional address reflecting on his personal journey of bereavement. He noted that while he spent the majority of the past 25 years grieving privately, becoming a father to two young sons shifted his understanding of commemoration. He emphasized that the duty of honoring the dead can no longer remain a solitary endeavor if future generations are to understand the historical and personal weight of the tragedy.
Addressing the assembled crowd, Ugolyn explained that his connection with his late brother was never severed by death, but rather transformed into an ongoing guide for how he lives his life. He recounted how he sees reflections of Tyler in his own children—in their humor, their competitive spirit, and the kindness they extend to others—ensuring that the boys know their uncle despite never having met him.
Ugolyn also highlighted his brother’s spirit of community service, notably a weekly basketball clinic Tyler founded for youth in the Harlem area near Columbia University. That initiative has continued and grown in the decades following his death through the charitable foundation established in Tyler's honor. Ugolyn underscored that as the population of people with living memories of the attacks dwindles, remembering requires dedicated storytellers who can articulate not merely the circumstances of how the victims died, but the vibrancy of how they lived.
Through these narratives, Ugolyn remarked, the names inscribed onto the memorial panels are restored to the living human beings they were, transforming past sorrow into an enduring legacy capable of inspiring those who follow.
The ceremony also featured moving testimony from Sophie Pelletier Martinelli, whose husband, Mike Pelletier, was killed inside the World Trade Center complex. Mike, a 36-year-old commodities broker from Greenwich employed by Cantor Fitzgerald, was working when the first tower was struck.
Reflecting on the past quarter-century, Pelletier Martinelli described the overwhelming heartbreak and shock of that morning, noting that while the pain of sudden loss was inescapable, survivors were faced with an enduring choice regarding how to construct their lives in the aftermath. She shared that she made a conscious commitment to raise her children with the understanding that love and compassion remain fundamentally stronger than malice and destruction.
Pelletier Martinelli added that genuine resilience does not require individuals to feel unyielding strength or to erase the pain of loss. Instead, she described resilience as the steady determination to move forward one day and one moment at a time, finding purpose even amidst enduring sorrow.
The annual ceremony was coordinated by Brian Mattiello, the former director of the Connecticut Office of Family Support, who emphasized that significant anniversaries like the 25th year ensure the departed will never be reduced to a distant historical footnote. Mattiello urged attendees to reflect on the ongoing ways victims remain present in everyday moments, family celebrations, and quiet recollections, suggesting that the most meaningful tribute is found in how the living conduct their own lives.
Organizers intentionally hold the Connecticut remembrance ceremony at Sherwood Island several days before the official commemorations at Ground Zero in lower Manhattan. This scheduling permits local families to participate in their home state's observance before traveling to New York City for the national services.
Governor Ned Lamont addressed the gathering while looking out across the Long Island Sound horizon toward the skyline where the Twin Towers once stood, observing that the memories of that catastrophic morning still feel remarkably immediate. Lamont reflected on the profound national unity and collective humanity that emerged in the dark days following the attacks, reminding those in attendance of the common bonds that connect communities during times of crisis.
Following the formal addresses, Governor Lamont and Lieutenant Governor Susan Bysiewicz led the crowd on a commemorative walk across the park grounds, concluding a day dedicated to enduring remembrance, familial legacy, and communal resilience.
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