Celebrating a Memory

Photographer Allan Weitz (Class of 1969), took a photo of Fireboat # 9, some 12 years ago on the waters in front of the World Trade Towers. Little did he know then, that his photograph would come to symbolize all that was upbeat and beautiful about the Towers and their relation to the NYC waterfront.
____Allan, who writes columns for magazines such as Camera Arts, Popular Photography, Picture, as well as for Epson and Sinar-Bron, and whose many photos have graced the pages of boating magazines and calendars, originally shot the photograph of Fireboat # 9 for Power & Motorboat Magazine. The occasion was the 50th birthday of the boat and, until it was retired about two years ago, it was the oldest fireboat in the NYFD fleet.
____Allan photographed the boat stem to stern and this shot was for the magazine's opening spread. "For the opening photo, we posed the boat at the tip of Manhattan with the skyline in the background," he stated. "It was a 'picture perfect' day, just like it was on 9/11/01. Number 9 blasted its water canons in full display with the Trade Towers in the background."
____Although retired, # 9 actively participated in the September 11th rescue operations as a volunteer fireboat, by its current private owners. The boat spent most of the first day pumping water from the Hudson towards the various fires.
____After the destruction of the Twin Towers, Allan felt compelled to send his photo of the fireboat to friends and family. He also sent it to a friend who prints posters of his work. The photo was then passed on to someone in charge of The 9/11 Fund. Various photos, as well as a commissioned piece, were viewed and it was decided that Allen' image was the most up-beat of them all. Mayor Giuliani selected this photo for the official fundraising poster and advertising for the 9/11 Children's Fund. A limited edition of the posters were to be signed by such celebrities as Minnie Driver and InSyc and auctioned off on Yahoo.com.

____Allan Weitz can be contacted at WeitzFoto@aol.com.

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