Steel hardens bonds forged Sept. 11

Three hunks of World Trade Center steel, scorched and bent, sit in a storage lot in the wheat-country Kansas town of Anthony. Townspeople want to make a memorial out of the squat, heavy beams, and the reasons go deep.

It's safe to say that following the 2001 terrorist attacks, Anthony forged some of the strongest personal bonds between New York and the hinterland.

The story began when the community of 2,300 came to the aid of the family of Joe Spor, a New York firefighter who rushed into the trade center's south tower that Sept. 11 morning. The memorial in Anthony would be just the latest chapter.

It would honor the heroes of Sept. 11, of course, but also would celebrate what came after: an unending exchange between Anthony and New York of brave thoughts and prayers, of e-mails and phone calls, of personal visits that brought firefighters from the Bronx to rural Kansas.

Not to mention the flurry of gifts zipping back and forth, from homemade deer jerky to T-shirts and ball caps, from patriotic afghans to Christmas photos and Valentine's Day cards.

While Washington, D.C., is busy with its Sept. 11 hearings, Anthony Mayor John Schott, owner of the hardware store on Main Street, has his own concerns. He wants the memorial to be ready for a Sept. 11 dedication this year. But first, the farming community 60 miles southwest of Wichita needs to raise $70,000.

“That's a heck of a lot of money for Anthony, Kansas,” says Schott, who nevertheless is certain it will get done. “What seems to be impossible happens. What seems to be improbable takes place. It's like this is meant to be.”

Back in September 2001, it was Schott who got on the phone to New York after the attacks with an unusual but heartfelt request: Find me a hero's family who needs help. Eventually, he got a response: Try this fire station in the Bronx.

Indeed, through Lt. Joe Huber at Ladder Company 38, Schott learned about firefighter Joe Spor. When Spor rushed into the south tower of the World Trade Center, he was 35, married and the father of four children ages 6 months to 6 years. Huber said colleagues were trying to finish a major remodeling project Spor had started at his house. Donations could go toward that effort, he said.

Townspeople raised $1,000 for the Spor family. Huber became the liaison for many exchanges that followed, including e-mails and letters between the New York firefighters and the third-grade class of teacher Cynda Carr. Huber called the youngsters “Carr's Stars.” Huber visited Anthony last year and has marched in two St. Patrick's Day parades in Kansas City.

Huber and Schott are amazed at the strong links forged between two such disparate places, New York City and a tiny Midwest community, where the three traffic lights switch to blinking yellow every night at 9.

“Joe Huber and I have a saying,” Schott said. “ ‘It's fate, brother, fate.' ”

After the first anniversary of the attacks, Schott decided Anthony should have a part of the Trade Center ruins, pieces of which had been parceled out for educational purposes and memorials. Other Kansas towns have Trade Center steel, including Hutchinson and Lawrence. Huber, assigned to Ground Zero detail for months, found the right city office to call.

“You can have three pieces,” the official told Schott, “but you have to arrange delivery, and I need to know tomorrow.”

The town didn't have the money for shipping. So Schott called the chief executive officer of his True Value Hardware distributor and told her he needed a delivery from New York. Schott told her part of the story, then faxed a copy of an article published early that year in The Kansas City Star titled “Anthony and Joe.”

“Sure, we can do it,” she said.

The heavy beams, each about 3 feet long, moved from hardware truck to hardware truck through Allentown, Pa.; Chicago; and Kansas City until they arrived at Schott's store with his regular delivery.

Schott named a committee to design a memorial, which would have a home in a city park at the west end of town. The memorial would help future generations understand what happened that day, Schott said, and by understanding be better prepared for their own struggles.

Debbie Mangen, committee member and owner of Pride of the Prairie Quilt Shop, said the committee agreed that the memorial could reach people on several levels.

“We wanted people to be able to touch it, to see how thick the steel was and how it was bent, to have a connection with that horrible day,” she said. “And we wanted to tell how we became such a close family even though we're halfway across the country.”

The three beams would be welded in a “tumbled” design and placed on a tiered pedestal. Behind the sculpture would be three story panels explaining the terrorist attacks, lauding the heroes of the day and explaining the relationship that emerged between Anthony and New York. Flags would fly over the memorial, and beams of light would illuminate it.

Schott's wife, Pam Schott, visited the Spor family in March along with daughter Ashley and Pam's mother, Barbara Messerli. At the station, the firefighters treated them to a pasta lunch. The next day, they had supper at the Spors' house, where 40 friends and family members gathered. The New Yorkers were excited to hear about the memorial and to make donations.

“I just wish everyone here in Anthony could have gone and seen what all this means, to see those little kids Joe Spor left behind,” said Pam, who was amazed at the hospitality, and especially the gratitude.

Huber, one of the hosts for the trip, has similar feelings.

“You stand in front of each other, and you don't know who should be thanking who,” said Huber, who plans to return to Anthony along with seven colleagues for the dedication of the town's 9-11 Memorial.

“But they found us, this little town. And they've stayed with us.”

To reach Edward M. Eveld, features writer, call (816) 234-4442 or send e-mail to eeveld@kcstar.com.