KEWASKUM, Wis. — Today marks 23 years since the terror attacks on the World Trade Center. The community of Kewaskum came together to remember the lives lost, including one of their own. 

On Sept. 11, 2001 Michael Kenny made a trip to Wisconsin from his home state of New York.

He’s was one of the keynote speakers at the annual Sept. 11 remembrance event in Kewaskum, which is home of Wisconsin’s 9/11 Memorial & Education Center.

What You Need To Know

  • Today marks 23 years since the terror attacks on the World Trade Center

  • The community of Kewaskum came together to remember the lives lost, including one of their own

  • Michael Kenny was one of the keynote speakers at the annual Sept. 11 remembrance event in Kewaskum, which is home of Wisconsin’s 9/11 Memorial & Education Center

  • In 2002, Kenny met the parents of Andrea Haberman who was killed while on a business trip in the North Tower of the World Trade Center on 9/11

“I worked for the City of New York,” said Kenny. “The Department of Design and Construction. We were in charge of the removal operations after the first 30 days.”

Kenny played a key role in helping recovery programs after Super Storm Sandy. He helped restore 150,000 affected homes. He also advocated for ground zero workers, testifying before Congress. 

If you’re wondering why this New York native visited Kewaskum, it’s because he has a special tie to a local family.

In 2002, he met the parents of Andrea Haberman. She was killed while on a business trip in the North Tower of the World Trade Center on 9/11. She was only 25-years-old.

“They would come to New York every anniversary and we would meet up,” said Kenny. “We would get to know them very well after that. When he was putting together this memorial, we sat down with him and gave him some pointers. Then we were able to get the two survivor trees from New York City and we drove them out here and we delivered him.”

The memorial includes a section of I-beam from the North Tower along with five learning stations and a survivor tree, which is a seedling from a tree that survived and is now located at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum.

Gordon Haberman, Andrea’s father, was instrumental in bringing the memorial to Kewaskum. This was not to only honor and remember the lives lost, but also for his daughter.

“She was beautiful, intelligent, she loved us unbounded and we miss her still,” said Gordon Haberman. 

He’s thankful for the relationship his family has built with Kenny and Ronaldo Vega, who also served on the 9/11 Disaster Rescue and Recovery Team. Vega served as the Senior Director of Design for the National 9/11 Memorial and Museum. He was also part of saving the Survivor Tree.

Both are thankful that Wisconsin has a piece of New York, a memorial where people can come to remember the tragic day of 9/11 and how the country came together for one another.

“We were here earlier today and people coming in for ten minutes, fifteen minutes and saying a quick prayer and saying what this means to them is a very moving thing to be involved with,” said Kenny.

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