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The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
www.thewestfieldnews.com TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2015
VOL. 84 NO. 223
THOMAS P. HOLOHAN, JR.
the truth and endure the consequences.”
— CHARLES SEYMOUR
75 cents
New Park and Recreation commissioners to be appointed
Holohan lived his dream, in life and at work By LORI SZEPALAK Correspondent WESTFIELD – From a simple assignment in Jeff Piper’s world history class at the South Middle School, one boy’s loss became personal for his classmates. “At the start of every school year I ask students to tell me about themselves,” said Piper. “When Liam Holohan said his father, a firefighter, died on 9/11, I didn’t make the connection until he wore a shirt from the New York Fire Department Engine 6 Company on Sept. 11.” Thomas P. Holohan, Liam’s father, was one of the firefighters on the “riding list” who were first on the scene when the World Trade Center attacks occurred on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001. Holohan, part of Engine 6 Company, located in lower Manhattan, was a first responder because of the proximity to the World Trade Center, and the department’s specially built pump that could push water to the top of the 110 story towers. Engine 6 was hooked into a Trade Center standpipe on West Street when the collapse of the North Tower destroyed the pumper. Holohan died along with fellow Engine 6 firefighters Paul Beyer, William “Billy” Johnston, Thomas O’Hagan, Jack Butler and Billy Green. During Piper’s history classes, he especially spends time with his students on Sept. 11 and on Dec. 7, Pearl Harbor Day. “I made sure with Liam that he was OK with discussing 9/11 and he said yes,” said Piper. “Once students realized that Liam had lost his dad, they were more compassionate. It was nice to see that interaction with students.” Piper noted that once he realized that people in the community did not know about the Holohan family, he contacted Andy Hart, deputy chief for the Westfield Fire Department, who coordinates the yearly 9/11 remembrance program. “I contacted Andy to see if
“We shall seek
Colleen Holohan and her daughter Caitlyn of Westfield review the September 11 Remembrance Ceremony with Westfield Deputy Chief Andy Hart as Jeff Piper, a South Middle School world history teacher, looks on. Colleen’s husband Thomas P. Holohan lost his life as a New York City firefighter on September 11, 2001. The Holohan family moved to Westfield in 2008. (Photo by Lori Szepelak) the Holohan family could be recognized on Sept. 11 during the remembrance ceremony,” said Piper. Since 9/11, the Westfield Fire Department has conducted a solemn ceremony at 10 a.m. on Sept. 11 at its headquarters at 34 Broad St. This week, Hart will introduce the Holohan family who have lived in the city since 2008. Area residents are welcome and encouraged to attend the ceremony which includes a call to attention to present arms, lowering the flag to half mast, providing a moment of complete silence, reading prayers including the Firefighter Prayer, welcoming dignitaries and the Holohan family, providing a profile of Thomas P. Holohan, and concluding with bagpipers playing. Refreshments will follow in the department’s kitchen. For Colleen Holohan, moving from Chester, N.Y., to Westfield was a decision that made sense to her. “In New York, everyone knows you and they want to support and help you,” she said. “Even with all of the support, it got overwhelming. Our kids were young and I was trying to protect them.” When her parents relocated to Westfield and a home became available next door, she knew the time was right to make the move with her children, Thomas III, Caitlyn, and Liam. “My dad was my rock for me,” she said, adding that Westfield felt like a “country town and a good place to raise kids.” Holohan explained that her husband’s family had a rich history with the New York Fire Department. His grandfather, a battalion chief, was working when a plane crashed into the Empire State Building in 1945; his uncle, a captain, was injured in the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center, and two cousins are also firefighters. “Tom was an internal auditor but wanted to be a firefighter,” said Holohan. “He was very patient, kind, and could calm people so I knew being a firefighter would be a perfect job even though it was dangerous.” Holohan said she knew in her heart how much being a firefighter meant to her husband so “you make sacrifices for the ones you love,” she
Thomas P. Holohan is remembered as one of the Engine 6 Company firefighters who lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001 at the National September 11 Memorial in New York City. The Holohan family has resided in Westfield since 2008. (Caitlyn Holohan photo) said. On the morning of 9/11, her husband should have been on his way home from a shift. “I thought he was on his way home but everyone was called and they all just went to the scene,” she said. For Holohan over the years, being a single parent has been “challenging” but she has tried to make the best decisions based on conversations she had with her husband early in their marriage. “We were just starting to live our dream,” she said. At this week’s ceremony, Holohan said she knows this remembrance will be especially important to her daughter. “This ceremony is especially important for Caitlyn,” said Holohan. “I’ve learned that she wants to see how her dad is memorialized.” While Caitlyn Holohan has visited the National September 11 Memorial at the World Trade Center site, Colleen Holohan has been unable to make the trip.
“I’m afraid to go there because I don’t know how I’ll react,” she said. “I did go to Ground Zero when it was on full alert – you could hear a pin drop.” While Holohan knows that 9/11 will be a “wound that will never heal,” she concentrates on her children and their studies. Thomas is majoring in digital forensics at Champlain College in Vermont, Caitlyn is majoring in graphic design at Holyoke Community College, and Liam is now a sophomore at the Westfield Technical Academy. “9/11 is always a day of remembrance,” said Holohan, adding, “We also remember the camping trips, Tom’s playfulness, his love of cooking family dinners, and his good sense of humor.” Caitlyn Holohan echoed those sentiments. “My dad taught me how to fish but my favorite memory is being on my dad’s fire truck and dressed up with his stuff,” she said. “He wanted a job where he could make a difference,” said Colleen Halohan.
City to honor memory of victims of Sept. 11th attacks WESTFIELD- Mayor Daniel M. Knapik announced the City of Westfield will commemorate the 14th Anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attack on our nation with two events on Friday, September 11th. At 9:45 am, the Westfield Fire Department will hold its annual ceremony in honor of fallen first responders at Fire Headquarters on Broad Street. At 4:00 pm, Mayor Knapik will be joined by families of Westfield natives who fell victim to the attacks with a wreath laying at the 9/11 Monument, located at the head of North Elm Street, across from the Westwood Building at 94 North Elm Street. The public is welcome to observe both events.
By HOPE E. TREMBLAY Staff Writer SOUTHWICK – The Board of Selectmen and Parks and Recreation Commission will hold a joint appointment tonight for two new commissioners. Two members will be appointed to the Commission, filling seats vacated by longtime members Kelly Magni and Susan Grabowski. The five candidates for the seats took part in the first round of interviews last week with the Commission. Vying for the seat are David DeiDolori, Mark Horacek, Michael Massarelli, Patrick Roche, and John Westcott. DeiDolori was a member of the Board of Appeals for 12 years and was an active coach for the Southwick Recreation Center for many years. He told commissioners last week that he was looking for a new way to serve the town and had time to devote to the position. “There’s no limit on my time,” he said, noting that he is self-employed. Roche has also served the town previously as a Park and Recreation Commissioner but he was not re-elected in the spring due to an oversight. Roche said he has continued helping the Commission as a volunteer at Whalley Park and would like to be a member again. “I want him back,” said Commissioner John Whalley. Westcott is also no stranger to serving Southwick. Currently in charge of town buildings and maintenance, Westcott is set to retire in the spring and wants to give back as a member of the Commission. “I have devoted my life to children and I think the Parks and Rec, has a lot to offer children and I want to be part of it,” said Westcott. Westcott is a longtime Boy Scout and Girl Scout leader and helped establish the Southwick On Stage theater group. Massarelli does not have a background in municipal service but he said he has a desire to serve and a flexible schedule. “This is something I’ve always wanted to do,” he said. “I want to do something for the town as a volunteer.” Horacek was a past coach at the Rec Center and said now that his son is in college, he no longer coaches and wants to give back to the town. The Commission will make its recommendations to the Board tonight.
3 western Mass. men rescued from sinking boat DENNIS, Mass. (AP) — Fire officials say three West Springfield men have been rescued after their 18-foot boat began taking on water offshore from Dennis on Cape Cod. Dennis Deputy Fire Chief Robert Brown said the men reported trouble at about 6:30 p.m. Sunday as the boat was about a mile and a half east of the mouth of the Bass River. The men reported their engine had stopped and their anchor line wasn’t long enough to secure the boat, which had water coming over the sides from a southwesterly wind. Brown said the Dennis fire boat brought the men — Imad Baghdad, Moe Baghdad and Edward Soto — to shore. The Dennis and Yarmouth harbormasters secured the boat and towed it to shore.