By Allison Perrine
RUMSON – A local homeowner has paid tribute to victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and their families for years with a vibrant patriotic wooden display at the corner of Rumson Road and Fair Haven Road. And now, he’s looking to pass the tradition along.
Resident Bob Koenig is selling his home and feels the sign should be passed down to someone who will take good care of it and display it proudly for all to see. It has meant a great deal to many neighbors and visitors – and even those very far away – through the years and he wants ensure that doesn’t change.
“My lawyer was traveling…it was about the fifth-year anniversary (of the attacks) and he was traveling in England and it was on the front page of the London Times, our USA sign,” said Koenig. “How that happened, I have no idea.”
Fortunately Koenig and his family were not directly impacted by the tragic incidents of that day. However, he wanted to find a way to support his fellow neighbors and community at large. He started looking around for American Flags to display in his yard but they were sold out in many stores at the time. But the handy, Christian Brothers Academy alumnus who used to build signs for the high school’s sporting events did not give up. Instead, he got crafty with some plywood.
Less than a week later, the large red, white and blue “USA” letter display was up. Additions were later made and the display now includes a “God Bless America” sign above the letters, as well as the words “United by Freedom” underneath it, a yellow ribbon that reads “Support Our Troops” and a silver “Lest We Never Forget 9-11-01” sign with an image of the Twin Towers.
Koenig said it has been very rewarding having the sign over the years. One story that touched him in particular was two years ago when there was a knock at his front door and a Long Branch woman was there holding two large bouquets of flowers to thank him for remembering the victims of 9-11, including her late husband.
“She said, ‘I had a baby Sept. 5 and my husband went back to work Sept. 11,’ ” Koenig recalled. “She made us cry.”
Anyone interested in the sign can contact Koenig at 732-915-5909. It would have to be disassembled for moving, but the frames are labeled to make it easier to reassemble at its new home. “We just want somebody who can use it,” he said.
One hundred and forty-seven Monmouth County residents died in the terrorist attacks Sept. 11. Seven of them were Rumson residents, including David Bauer, Gregory J. Malone, James Martello, Michael J. McCabe, Donald Walter Robertson Jr., Michael P. Tucker and Glen James Wall.
The article originally appeared in the September 24 – 30, 2020 print edition of The Two River Times.
