Dec. 15, 1993 ¬ A Brooklyn man arose from his seat on an eastbound Long Island Rail Road train between New Hyde Park and Garden City last Tuesday evening and began calmly firing at fellow passengers, within three minutes killing four on the scene, with two dying in the hospital, and injuring 19.

So began the story as reported in the Mineola American by A. Anthony Miller. Even for some who lived in Nassau County at the time, Colin Ferguson's shooting rampage may remain only as a vague memory, but a group of about 100 people gathered at the Merillon Avenue station in Garden City on Dec. 7 to honor their dead will always remember.

"I know there are people who ask why we continue this memorial service," said Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy, who lost her husband, Denis, and whose son, Kevin, was gravely injured at the hands of Ferguson. "We really wanted something quiet this year, but as it got closer, we realized we want our friends here. We have all gotten on with our lives, but no, it doesn't get any easier."

Dec. 7 was also Pearl Harbor Day, another commemoration of a tragic day in our collective history. McCarthy, a Mineola resident who became outspoken on gun control issues after her husband's death and eventually was persuaded to run for Congress, noted the similarities of the observances. She has used the event as a motivation to make changes to help stop gun violence.

"When something tragic happens, you don't want anyone to forget," she said. "We will do everything we can to prevent any family from going through this again."

Also killed in the massacre was James Gorycki, also of Mineola, whose widow Joyce joined McCarthy in her quest to have tougher gun control laws enacted.

"I wish I could stand here tonight and say there is no more gun violence, but sadly that is not the case," an emotional Joyce Gorycki told the crowd gathered near the tracks where the train stopped after Ferguson had eventually been subdued by three Garden City men. Gorycki noted the recent school shooting in Oklahoma, asking people to lobby for gun locks. "I know I will never give up that hope for a safer America and I would never want anyone to have to go through what we have gone through."

The third Mineola death came days after the shooting, when 27-year-old Amy Federici succumbed to the damage done by one gunshot wound to the neck. The interior designer was still trying to come to terms with a loss of her own, the unexpected death of her husband of three months, when she was taken from her family.

Arline Locicero, Amy's mother, addressed the crowd with a prayer, "The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away," and said with resolve that the annual event is also a celebration of life. Amy's heart was donated to Theresa Caravella, of Islip, who was on hand with the Lociceros at the vigil.

Before and after the short service, which also included inspirational words from Deacon John Reinhart of Corpus Christi Church, men and women hung wreaths on the railing of the train platform in honor of their friends and family who died. However, the mood was not completely somber. Friends and family embraced and stood around engaging in normal small talk, bundled up from the cold December chill. After the service, many of the attendees headed over to Eleanor Rigby's for food and drink, and to lean on each other a while longer.

Mayor John Colbert, then deputy mayor, was upstate during the shooting, but a group of village employees were on the train, on their way back home from an annual New York City shopping trip. They were not in the car with Ferguson but, as a flier printed up shortly after the shooting stated, "Everyone aboard that train was a victim."

Colbert called the shooting a chilling example of "man's inhumanity to man," and said the ceremony is important to show victims that their fellow residents support them. "People tend to forget about your loss and something like this gives them added strength that the community is behind them."