2005 Man of the Year Award

Edward Horn

We first met Ed Horn when we were planning the funeral for our son Christopher. Because of a mix up in identification, we were originally going to have a Memorial Mass to honor our son. Three days before our Memorial Mass we were notified by the medical examiner that a terrible mistake had been made and Christopher had been mistakenly identified as José Guadalupe, the chauffeur of Engine 54. We immediately needed to notify St. Michael’s Cemetery to tell them that our son’s remains would be buried there. Ed Horn was gracious and understanding. At the time we did not know how long the Mass would be or what would be involved in the planning or organization of Christopher’s funeral. It was a Firefighter’s funeral. They are quite special. Ed was our rock as was Christopher’s Lieutenant, Bob Jackson. Our friendship was cemented in the planning.

As months passed, we began discussions with Ed about honoring our son in a special way at St. Michael’s. We did not want Christopher to be singled out. He was one of 343 Firefighters who gave their lives to save others on September 11, 2001. We began to talk about a Queens Firefighters Memorial. Again, Ed was the rock and the planner. We met and talked several times. Ed contacted Tony Siano, Gus Antonopoulos, Donald DeNegris, Glenn Toothman and Tony Barsamian, all of who are being honored tonight. As Ed’s vision for this special memorial began to take form, he contacted hundreds of people to ask for help. He contacted the NYFD and the families of the Firefighters who either worked or lived in Queens who died on that fateful day. He organized the special dedication. He contacted politicians. He, in essence, “made it happen.” He is the main reason why Queens County has a beautiful Firefighters Memorial at St. Michael’s Cemetery. Without his vision and his perseverance there would have been no memorial.

All of us whose loved ones are honored in this special memorial owe Ed our thanks. He has kept the memory of September 11, 2001 alive in the hearts of all who visit St. Michael’s at the beautiful Queens Firefighters Memorial. We are indebted to Ed for his vision, his dedication and his love for all of us. All of the victims’ families want the world to remember what hatred did. All of us want everyone to know about our loved ones. We can, when we visit St. Michael’s Cemetery. With Memory Medallions we can read each story. These brave men will never be forgotten.

Ed has already begun to plan the expansion of this special memorial. We will include the names of firefighters who died from 2000 to the present. Perhaps in future years we will include all the firefighters who gave their lives in Queens.
Thank you Ed for your dedication, love, compassion and friendship. We are delighted and honored to make you this years’ winner of the Christopher Santora Educational Scholarship Man of the Year.

We have always believed that no good deed goes unnoticed. We believe that is true. We all can make a difference and create a world that contains more love. Ed Horn has done exactly that.
Congratulations Ed. We love you.

To learn more about 2005’s Person of the Year, Edward Horn, please visit http://www.stmichaelscemetery.com/.