A Long Island 9/11 Memorial Ceremony was held on Saturday, September 9 at Farmingdale State, where a memorial to Long Island victims is being planned. Congressman Peter King, Chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, was the keynote speaker of the ceremony.

The emotional and heart-wrenching reading of the names of all 455 Long Island victims made clear the impact and tremendous loss felt by all Long Islanders.

Memorial reader included family members, 9/11 rescue workers and elected officials including Congressmen Steve Israel and Timothy H. Bishop, Senator John J. Flanagan, Assemblyman Andrew Raia and Councilwoman Susan Berland.

Robert De Silva, president of the nonprofit Long Island 9/11 Memorial Committee, and Dr. W. Hubert Keen, provost of Farmingdale State, welcomed over 200 people to the campus.

The planned 7-acre memorial is the vision of retired firefighters, Robert De Silva and Ken Dolan, vice president of the LI 9/11 Memorial Committee. "My vision is to one day come to a memorial where our fellow loved ones finally receive the honor they deserve," said De Silva.

The memorial concept, designed by Patricia O'Neill of Plandome Manor, whose husband worked in the World Trade Center and survived 9/11, is based on a timeline, with 588 limestone pavers marking the 588 minutes between the takeoff of the first hijacked plane at Logan International Airport in Boston and the collapse of 7 World Trade Center in Manhattan.

It will be erected on a 7-acre site located on the grounds of Farmingdale State. The second phase entails the renovation of historic Cutler Hall, built in 1914 on the Farmingdale State campus. The refurbished building will serve as a resource center for family, survivors and anyone seeking knowledge about the events of 9/11 and its aftermath.

The memorial will honor and remember all Long Islanders who perished on 9/11, celebrate those Long Islanders who came to the aid of those in need, and create an area of contemplation and reflection for survivors, family and friends of the deceased, and anyone seeking solace.

For more information, go to www.li911committee.org.