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Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy along with other state and city officials was on hand for 9/11 Arch of Remembrance dedication ceremony Friday at the arboretum. Fourteen offspring trees from the "The Survivor Tree," a pear tree, were planted to create a canopy tunnel. A piece of steel from one of the Twin Towers is located next to the canopy.
The arch in Stamford will serve as a quiet garden location to remember those who died on 9/11.
"I think this is a wonderful way to remember them in perpetuity here at Bartlett Arboretum," he said of those who died on Sept. 11 and also the 65 state residents who have died in military action since 2001.
"I couldn't think of a nicer place to have a memorial certainly one that will allow for reflection and to take in nature's great beauty. We come together on this 14th anniversary to remember those we lost on that day and those we have lost since that day."
The arboretum's Chief Executive Officer Jane von Trapp said the arch will be a place where people can gather.
"It will be a wonderful place for people to come and spend some time," she said.
The survivor tree was nearly dead after the attacks, but it was removed from the World Trade Center site and nursed back to health. Seeds from the tree were carefully tended by high school students at John Bowne High School in Queens, N.Y., in partnership with Stamford-based Bartlett Tree Experts.
The Survivor Tree, which was replanted at the National September 11 Memorial and Museum in Manhattan, has been cared for by Bartlett Tree Experts.
Each year, saplings from the Survivor Tree are gifted to communities through the Survivor Tree Seedling Program. The 14 saplings at the arboretum were planted in April and placed over a metal and bamboo archway.
Bartlett Tree Vice President David McMaster praised the program.
"The 9/11 tree is really something about the future," McMaster said to the crowd gathered for the dedication. "The whole idea is that the tree is a survivor. It is a tree that we hope inspires people to think of things positive."
Also in attendance were state Sens. Carlo Leone and Bob Duff and Reps. William Tong, Caroline Simmons and Livvy Floren along with Stamford Mayor David Martin.
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