Family members of Paul Jurgens, a Port Authority Officer who lost his life on Sept. 11, gathered with friends and fellow Port Authority Officers for the first annual Paul Jurgens Foundation Benefit Dinner Dance, which was held last month at Antun's in Hicksville. Over 350 friends, neighbors and fellow workers celebrated Officer Jurgens' memory and provided significant support for the foundation.

"It was a beautiful tribute to him. A lot of the port authority police were there and it was a nice release for them," said Officer Jurgens' wife, Maria. "It was really beautiful. I was so afraid of all the different families and neighbors and police department members mixing, and it was just like everybody knew each other and mixed well. We all had a wonderful time."

Mrs. Jurgens noted that the funds raised from the benefit dinner dance will be used for scholarships for high school students and will also be donated to charitable organizations.

"I'd like to give some money to an organization for sick children, because my husband used to always donate to them and I want to keep that going," Mrs. Jurgens said. She added that the funds will also be used for sports oriented activities, such as possibly sponsoring teams or providing equipment, since her husband was also an avid sports fan.

"I'd like to give a scholarship every year to my local high school (Division Avenue)," she said, noting that this year Division Avenue will be awarding the first scholarship from the foundation at their awards night held in early June.

Members of Officer Jurgens' family thank all who attended the dinner dance and helped to make it such a huge success. In addition to making the dinner dance an annual event, Mrs. Jurgens noted that the foundation is also looking to hold a golf outing sometime in the fall.

Among those who attended the dinner dance were Hempstead Town Councilman Gary Hudes, who said he was touched to see so many people gathering to honor the officer's life and memory.

"Such large attendance numbers showed how important Officer Jurgens was to the community. The outpouring of support was incredible although it does not surprise me from a community like Levittown that is home to so many people who serve the public and risk their lives every day," Hudes said. "There's always a concern that a few months after 9/11 people have a tendency of forgetting and I was very happy to see, as I am reminded every day, that people are not forgetting. Both as a resident and as an elected official, I am thrilled to see that people are keeping the memories of the people that were lost alive."

Family members of Officer Jurgens have created a website to honor his memory and alert residents and friends of upcoming events being held to raise funds for the foundation. The site can be accessed at www.pauljurgensfoundation.org.

On the site, family members noted that "Paul's devotion to his family, the community and his country were apparent in everything he did. We all miss Paul but there are things we want to do to pay tribute to him and perhaps inspire others," they said, noting that the foundation was established consistent with that idea. "[The foundation] had been chartered to perform services that Paul himself would like to have done had he the resources."

Officer Jurgens, survived by his wife Maria and three children; Paul Jr., June and Lindsay; and devoted brother of Peter, Alice Sheldon and Patricia Pirretti, risked his life like many others on Sept. 11 to save the lives of others. As thousands were leaving the World Trade Center to seek safety, Officer Jurgens and other police, fire and emergency personnel ran into the World Trade Center to save others. Many did not return.

Residents who wish to send a tax-deductible contribution to the foundation may do so to: The Paul Jurgens Foundation, Inc., PO Box 672, Levittown, NY 11756