Labels have a role in 9/11 Memorial

Amherst Residents Rick and Libby Crocker honor 343 First Responders lost on 9/11

Save the date: 9/11 Memorial Tribute, Wednesday, September 11, 2019, 6pm/Dusk
Held at Rick and Libby Crocker’s home, 73 Boston Post Road, Amherst, NH
Free, open to the public

This story was originally published in 2018. We just checked with Steve Crocker and the 2019 event will be held next week All are welcome.

Amherst Label was recently connected with a wonderful local 9/11 Memorial Tribute through our Finance/HR Manager, Kathy Clancy, who is related by marriage to Rick Crocker, former fire chief in Amherst, NH. Rick Crocker and his wife Libby are assuring that we “Never Forget.” And they needed 343 labels.

Many Amherst Label people have worked on the project to produce labels for each of the 343 firefighters lost on 9/11. The project was handled with care by everyone, especially Mary in Prepress who worked with the Digital team to prepare the art and combine it into 35 sheets (instead of 343 separate labels!).

Here’s how Kathy described the memorial event in a message she sent to NH Chronicle:

I met the Crockers a few years ago. Rick is a retired Fire Chief for the town of Amherst and is on the Mont Vernon Fire Department. He is an antique enthusiast and collects fire-fighting memorabilia including antique fire engines and an 1800’s pull-cart water wagon used in the Amoskeag Mills. 

My husband and I attended the 2017 9/11 Memorial Tribute on Rick and Libby’s farm. They invite anyone who would like to come to their property to participate in the vigil. It was truly amazing to see all of the plaques in the field (343 to be exact). Rick and Libby and their family place the solar lights in the huge field that lead up to a flag pole. There is a wooden plaque with a picture and name at the base of each light. This is a tremendous amount of work that this family takes on each year to make sure that people have a place to go to remember the fallen heroes of that day and to “Never Forget.” A chaplain reads the names of the fallen. After the names have been read, you can linger and walk through the field of lights. It takes your breath away to see these lights at dusk and to realize that each light stands for a life that was lost. There are no words to express how this feels. People gather at the barn that houses the antique fire trucks and the memorabilia Rick has saved in his firefighter museum, including news reports from 2001. This is truly a hidden gem that needs to be shared.

Anyone interested in going to the Crockers on September 11 at 6pm (dusk), please join us. The event is free and open to the public.