By Glenn Rolfe

LEWES — Roger and Carol Whitford’s residence on Minos Conaway Road is home to two canine rescues, Cagney and Lacey — and numerous artifacts from 9/11.

Their son, Mark Whitford, a New York City fireman, perished Sept. 11, 2001, along with hundreds of other first responders who entered the World Trade Center’s twin towers after both were torpedoed by hijacked airliners commandeered by terrorists.

Inside the Whitford home is a photograph of Engine 23, surrounded by concrete and steel debris. Mark had driven the firetruck to the site and entered the South Tower before it collapsed.

A portion of the facade of that tower, plus a piece of partially melted steel cut into a cross, are displayed in a memorial in the Whitfords’ front yard.

“They (made crosses) for the family members. It’s the actual steel. Look at the rivets, … the massive heat to melt something like that,” Mr. Whitford said.

Saturday will mark the 20-year remembrance of 9/11 and the nearly 3,000 people who died in the attacks that brought down both twin towers, sliced into the Pentagon and crashed Flight 97 in rural Pennsylvania.

Mr. and Ms. Whitford, who moved from Staten Island, New York, to near Lewes about 10 years ago, will hold their annual memorial ceremony that day.

“We don’t want to forget, not only for the firefighters but the 3,000 people that we lost that day,” said Mr. Whitford. “It’s a memory that we want to keep going for them, and of course, it’s a memory for our son.”

His wife added, “It’s for everybody. And we still keep adding to it.”

The event will begin around 5 p.m. There will be speakers and a presentation by the Delaware State Police bagpipe unit. The Whitfords’ granddaughter, Shaye Walker from New Jersey, will sing the national anthem.

The Lewes Fire Department also has traditionally attended, and the couple expects members of the New York Fire Department to visit.

Invited dignitaries and elected officials include Sussex County Councilman Mark Schaeffer, Rep. Steve Smyk, R-Milton, and Sen. Ernie Lopez, R-Lewes.

“(The ceremony) builds up each year, and we have more and more people,” said Mr. Whitford.

Before moving to Delaware, Mr. and Ms. Whitford held their annual remembrance on Staten Island.

“We did it back in New York; it was small,” said Mr. Whitford. “The street that we lived on, the city named the street after our son. We always had a memorial in front of our house, and people used to come by. Then, when we moved down here, I had a small memorial. First thing I did was put up a flag.”

New this year is a lighthouse, made by a friend. It joins a fountain whose water cascades over twin rocks, resembling the towers, as well as a plaque honoring the first responders, a photo of Mark, two stone benches and a brick walkway leading to the circular portion of the memorial.

Various flags will fly with the Stars and Stripes during the ceremony.

The Whitfords’ display is included in the list of memorials at 911memorial.org.

“(The website) didn’t have any in Lewes, Delaware, so I sent them pictures and told them what I planned on doing, and they accepted it,” Mr. Whitford said. “That’s how we get a lot of visitors that come by here.”

The Whitford memorial also includes a Flag of Heroes, with “the names of all the first responders who passed that day,” he said.

They have a Flag of Honor, too, which includes more than 3,000 names of 9/11 victims.

“This year, the Tour of Honor, we were on their list, so we had a lot of motorcycle groups of the Tour of Honor stop by here. They hit the different memorials,” Mr. Whitford said. “I have this book, so people can stop and sign this book. We had quite a bit of them come by here.”

That fateful day

Sept. 11, 2001, began as a typical, late-summer day for the Whitfords.

“It was a nice September day,” said Mr. Whitford. “I worked part time for the U.S. Open (tennis tournament). We just finished up the day before. I had the radio on, had my coffee. Carol went to work. I started hearing some things. I put the TV on. I saw what was going (on). One plane had come in.”

Christopher Whitford, their oldest son, was a detective with the New York Police Department’s First Precinct at the time, Mr. Whitford said.

“(Christopher) had just finished a 12-to-8 (a.m.) tour. He went to Staten Island because my sons, Chris and Mark, were both in … the Army Reserves. I contacted him,” Mr. Whitford said.

Chris and other responders were finally ferried close to the Manhattan site.

“We were seeing the worst of it with the towers,” his father recalled. “When Chris got into New York, he looked around. He found his brother’s truck, Engine 23, that Mark drove. There were some reports that somebody had seen Mark. Chris couldn’t find him.”

As the search for survivors and victims continued into the next day, “Chris was up there with his mask and everything on. Something was bothering him, something in front of his face. He cleaned it and took a look, and there was a monarch butterfly — so Chris knew he had found his brother,” Mr. Whitford said. “Yes, a sign, … and that butterfly has been with us in the worst of times.

“I think it was two days later we got escorted (to the site),” he continued.

Ms. Whitford added, “If you think it was bad on TV, it was 10 times worse — there.”
It would be several months before Mr. and Ms. Whitford received word that Mark had been positively identified. He was survived by twin 14-month-old boys.

“Mark was recovered,” said Mr. Whitford. “He was recovered, … and they identified him on his birthday, April 5, 2002.”

However, “they only found part of him,” Ms. Whitford said.

Amazingly, Engine 23 survived. “It was able to be driven out. It was the only one that was driven out,” said Ms. Whitford. “They used it, I think, for training.”

Foundation for remembrance

In memory of their son, a standout high school wrestler, Mr. and Ms. Whitford established the Mark P. Whitford Scholarship Fund. Fundraisers, including the sale of commemorative T-shirts, are held to support the effort.

“Mark was a wrestler. He became a state champ. He got a scholarship to Seton Hall,” Mr. Whitford said. “We give scholarships out to high school students,” particularly athletes.