Memorials past and present
The date today brings to mind the Twin Tower disaster. That national remembrance invokes a sadness similar to that felt at the loss of our colleague Dr. Santos as The PUSD family prepares for his memorial tomorrow.
My visit to the reflecting pools built in the footprint of where the towers once stood was a somber event. I read only a few of the thousands of victims’ names that were engraved along the perimeter of the cascading water. They included employees, visitors, and bystanders, along with the passengers and crew on the planes that struck the towers.
Around the perimeter of the other cascading reflecting pool, the first responders who died during rescue operations and employees at the Pentagon were also listed. The white rose next to a pregnant woman’s name and her unborn child drew my first tear. The names had been organized to keep company employees together, passengers on their flights listed under their flight numbers, and first responders with their units. An algorithm and software was used to make sure that victims were surrounded by the names of those they sat with, worked with and probably died with.
The Survivor Tree was a badly burned 8-foot pear tree with only one living branch when it was found in the rubble as they cleaned up the World Trade Center. Though not expected to live, it showed signs of growth that first spring and thus it was named. It became part of the memorial plaza’s landscape symbolizing hope. Now standing over 30 feet tall, it reminds visitors that they too can flourish after tragedy.
This year a path is planned that will meander through a memorial glade and around several large displaced and marred stones that jut out of the plaza. It will honor first responders who inhaled toxins at the World Trade Center site that killed them and will be located near the ramp that first responders used during the cleanup effort.
Inside the underground museum pavilion at Ground Zero, deformed fire engines can be seen and recordings of first responders and survivors can be heard. Having the appearance of a collapsed building with an exposed retaining wall of the Hudson River, the 911 Memorial houses photographs of all the victims along with news segments detailing the plane crashes, building collapses, and those who jumped.
Tragedy on a national scale is hard to comprehend, but the loss of a friend and colleague from our community is more personal. Tomorrow Dr. Santos will be laid to rest after succumbing to cancer. His death is poignant and the sadness of his passing will be felt by the local community at his memorial service.
Dr. Santos held strong convictions, liked to spar verbally and loved developing student leaders. Joe often quoted ideas he’d gotten from his wife Pam and her wisdom regarding bringing chocolate pie to meetings was appreciated by his staff.
Dr. Santos not only ordered the furniture, hired the teachers, and set the vision for Sequoia Middle School, he also met with all incoming parents. Daily live student video productions for morning announcements are only one of the engaging electives he offered Sequoia students. Winning sports teams, fun lunchtime clubs, as well as student-run assemblies with behind the scenes help from him kept kids busy on campus.
Collaborations with Dr. Santos revealed a wellread man who was attuned to recent research in the field of education. He drafted a weekly blurb for the bulletin at Sequoia to inspire and inform. Joe invited teacher reflection on their practice with comments like, “I wonder if you tried_____ how students might respond?”
Sequoia’s reputation for excellence grew as did the waiting list, because Dr. Santos demanded the best and created a student culture in which it could thrive. He leaves behind quite a legacy. Joe often quoted NASA test pilot Hall who said, “Soar high, fly far and land safe.” It is with sadness that we say goodbye, but he’ll be remembered as one whose spirit soared. Go Hawks!